Lady Yehenara (嫡福晋叶赫那拉氏) was primary consort of the Prince Shuncheng of the Second Rank Nelehe, 16th-generation descendant of Lekdehun,

Daišan Daišan (Manchu: ; 19 August 1583 – 25 November 1648) was an influential Manchu prince and statesman of the Qing dynasty. Family background Daišan was born in the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the second son of Nurhaci, the founder of the ...

's grandson and

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing, was the founding khan of the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin dynasty. As the leader of the House of Aisin-Gi ...

's great-grandson. Her personal name was Jingfang (静芳, meaning "still fragrance").

Life

Family background

Jingfang was a member of the

Bordered Blue Banner The Bordered Blue Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. It was one of the lower five banners. According to the general annals of the Eight Banners, the Bordered Blue ...

lineage of the Yehe-Nara clan. * Guixiang (桂祥; 1849–1913), served as first rank military official (都統), and held the title of a third class duke (三等公) ** Paternal grandfather: Huizheng (惠徵; 1805–1853), held the title of a third class duke (三等公) ** Paternal grandmother: Lady Fuca ** First paternal uncle: Zhaoxiang (照祥) ** Third paternal uncle: Fuxiang (福祥) ** Paternal aunt: Empress Xiaoqinxian (1835–1908), the mother of the

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), also known by his temple name Emperor Muzong of Qing, personal name Zaichun, was the ninth emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, w ...

(1856–1875) ** Paternal aunt:

Wanzhen Wanzhen (13 September 1841 – 17 June 1896), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Yehe Nara clan, was a consort of Yixuan. She was one year his junior and the younger sister of Empress Cixi and the mother of Emperor Guangxu. Life Family backg ...

(1841–1896), the mother of the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), also known by his temple name Emperor Dezong of Qing, personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China ...

(1871–1908) * Mother: Lady

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro is a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as chie ...

* Two brothers: Deheng (德恒) and Deqi (德棋) * Two elder sisters: ** First elder sister: Jingrong (静荣) (1866-1933), wife of

Zaize Zaize (17 March 1868 – June 1929), born Zaijiao, courtesy name Yinping, was a Manchu noble of the Qing dynasty. He is best known for supporting reforms and advocating the adoption of a constitutional monarchy system in the final years of ...

, state duchess of the first rank ** Second elder sister: Jingfen (静芬;1868-1913),

Empress Dowager Longyu Yehe Nara Jingfen (; 28 January 1868 – 22 February 1913), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Yehe Nara clan, was the wife and empress consort of Zaitian, the Guangxu Emperor. She was empress consort of Qing from 1889 until her husband's death ...

Guangxu era

It was not known when was lady Yehenara born. It was said that she was beloved niece of

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 ...

. In 1889, she attended Elegant Women Selection together with her sisters. Jingfang married Prince Shuncheng of the Second Rank, Nalehe as a primary princess consort. Apart from her, Nalehe did not have any other concubines. The main motive of Cixi's choice was desire to strengthen ties between her maternal family and imperial clan. Her paternal aunt,

, became princess consort Chun of the first rank, her elder sister, Jingrong, married

, 5th generation descendant of Yunxu, Prince Yuke of the Second Rank and

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 ...

's 15th surviving son, while her second elder sister was instated as an empress of the

. Lady Yehenara remained childless and died in 1908.

Controversy with marriage

Early sources claimed that lady Yehenara married Zaishu, a member of

Prince Fu Prince Fu of the Second Rank, or simply Prince Fu, was the title of a princely peerage used in China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1644–1912). As the Prince Fu peerage was not awarded "iron-cap" status, this meant that each successive be ...

peerage. However, imperial genealogy (玉牒) states that it was daughter of Zhaoxiang, Jingfang's first paternal uncle, who was wed to Zaishu and bore two daughters (Yunrong (韫荣) and wife of Tsewang Duanlub,

Jasagh A jasagh (; ; ) was the head of a Mongol Banner (Inner Mongolia), banner or khoshun during the Qing dynasty and the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, Bogd Khanate. The position was held by hereditary succession by certain Mongol princes, most of whom wer ...

of the Aohan league). Another sources mentioned that Jingfang was married to

Zaiyi Zaiyi (; Manchu: ; ''dzai-i''; 26 August 1856 – 10 January 1923),Edward J.M. Rhoads, ''Manchus & Han: Ethnic Relations and Political Power in Late Qing and Early Republican China, 1861–1928'', University of Washington Press, 2001 better ...

Yicong Yicong (23 July 1831 – 18 February 1889), formally known as Prince Dun (or Prince Tun), was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. Life Yicong was born in the Aisin Gioro clan as the fifth son of the Daoguang Emperor. His mother was Consort ...

's son. According to "Genealogy of the Aisin-Gioro clan", Zaiyi had two spouses, including lady Irgen Gioro and lady Borjigit (daughter of Gongsangzhu'ermote of the Alxa league).{{Cite web, title=详细资料介绍_爱新觉罗宗谱网, url=http://www.axjlzp.com/clan18162.html, access-date=2021-01-02, website=www.axjlzp.com

References

Qing dynasty princesses consorts 1870 births 1898 deaths