Sumalagu (; originally Sumal, in Manchu ; 1615 – 24 October 1705) was a palace attendant of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. She was a close confidante of

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang Bumbutai (; mnc, m= ; zh, 布木布泰; 28 March 1613 – 27 January 1688), of the Khorchin Mongol Borjigit clan, was the consort of Hong Taiji. She was 21 years his junior. She was honoured as Empress Dowager Zhaosheng during the reign of ...

during the reign of the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizu of Qing, personal name Fulin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China pro ...

. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang called her " Gege", a title reserved for only imperial princesses. She acted as the messenger between prince Shizu and his mother during the reign of

Dorgon Dorgon (17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650) was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the House of Aisin-Gioro as the 14th son of Nurhaci (the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, which was the predecessor of the Qi ...

. Upon the wish of the empress dowager, she escorted empress Borjigit incognito to receive medical treatment by the Jesuit Adam Schall von Bell. Sumalagu taught the young

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

the

Manchu language Manchu ( ) is a critically endangered language, endangered Tungusic language native to the historical region of Manchuria in Northeast China. As the traditional native language of the Manchu people, Manchus, it was one of the official language ...

while he was under her care. She was a supporter of the Kangxi Emperor when he asserted his power against the power base of

Oboi Oboi (Manchu: , Mölendorff: Oboi; ) (c. 1610–1669) was a prominent Manchu military commander and courtier who served in various military and administrative posts under three successive emperors of the early Qing dynasty. Born to the Guwalg ...

in 1667–69.Lily Xiao Hong Lee, Sue Wiles:
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: v. 1: The Qing Period, 1644-1911
' In 1687, she was given the responsibility of looking after Yuntao, one of Kangxi's sons.

References

1615 births 1705 deaths Qing dynasty people Chinese educators Manchu people Chinese ladies-in-waiting {{China-bio-stub