Zaiyuan (16 October 1816 – 8 November 1861), formally known as Prince Yi, was a

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

prince 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 ...

. He was one of the eight regents appointed by the

Xianfeng Emperor The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), also known by his temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing, personal name Yizhu, was the eighth emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper. During his re ...

to assist his successor, 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 ...

Life

Zaiyuan was born in the

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 ...

clan as a descendant of Yinxiang (1686–1730), the 13th son of the

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 ...

. He inherited his ancestors' peerage, " Prince Yi of the First Rank", in 1852 during the reign of the

Daoguang Emperor The Daoguang Emperor (16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanzong of Qing, personal name Mianning, was the seventh List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing e ...

(r. 1820–50). Zaiyuan took up important positions during the reign of the

(r. 1850–61), including a minister in the

Imperial Clan Court The Imperial Clan Court or Court of the Imperial Clan was an institution responsible for all matters pertaining to the imperial family under the Ming and Qing dynasties of imperial China. This institution also existed under the Nguyễn dynasty ...

and an imperial guard commander. In 1860, during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

, Zaiyuan and Muyin (穆蔭) travelled to Tongzhou to replace Guiliang (桂良) in the peace negotiations with British and French officials. When the negotiations failed, the Mongol general

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin () was a Mongols, Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang Emperor, Daoguang, Xianfeng Emperor, Xianfeng and Tongzhi Emperor, Tongzhi emper ...

took members of the British delegation, including

Harry Smith Parkes Sir Harry Smith Parkes (24 February 1828 – 22 March 1885) was a British diplomat who served as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary and Consul General of the United Kingdom to the Empire of Japan from 1865 to 1883 and the Chinese ...

, Henry Loch,

Thomas William Bowlby Thomas William Bowlby (7 January 1818 – 22 September 1860) was a British correspondent for ''The Times'' in Germany and China in the 19th century. A "pioneer in the risky business of war reportage", his torture and death during the Second Op ...

(a journalist for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''), and their escorts hostage. The majority of the group – except the two diplomats – died from torture or disease; the survivors were released later. In the meantime, Anglo-French expeditionary forces closed in on

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. On 18 October, in retaliation for the capture and deaths of the peace delegation, British and French forces sacked and burnt the

Old Summer Palace The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan () or Yuanmingyuan Park, originally called the Imperial Gardens (), and sometimes called the Winter Palace, was a complex of palaces and gardens in present-day Haidian District, Beijing, China. I ...

. Zaiyuan had already fled with the Xianfeng Emperor to the

Chengde Mountain Resort Chengde Mountain Resort (; Manchu: ''Halhūn be jailara gurung'') is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens situated in the Shuangqiao District of Chengde in northeastern Hebei province, northern China, about northeast of China's capi ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

Prince Gong Yixin (11January 1833– 29May 1898), better known in English as PrinceGong or Kung, was an imperial prince of the Aisin Gioro clan and an important statesman of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in China. He was a regent of the empire from 1861 to 18 ...

, who was ordered to remain behind to make peace with the invaders, successfully concluded the Convention of Beijing with British, French and Russian officials. Before the Xianfeng Emperor died in 1861, he appointed Zaiyuan, Sushun, Duanhua and five others as regents to assist his son, who succeeded him as the

(r. 1861–75). Later that year, Prince Gong, with support from the Empress Dowagers Ci'an and Cixi, launched the Xinyou Coup and seized power from the eight regents. Zaiyuan was arrested, imprisoned, and given a piece of white silk cloth to commit suicide by hanging himself with the cloth. After Zaiyuan's death, the Prince Yi peerage was inherited by Zaidun (載敦), one of his distant relatives.

Family

Primary Consort * Primary Consort, of the

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

clan (嫡福晋那拉氏) ** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; b. 18 May 1838), first daughter *** married Boyanamohu of the Khorchin Borjigitn clan in 1852 ** ''Second Daughter (19 July 1839 - 1840)'' ** Third Daughter (b.25 May 1843) *** married Darma of the

Borjigin A Borjigin is a member of the Mongol sub-clan that started with Bodonchar Munkhag of the Kiyat clan. Yesugei's descendants were thus said to be Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and Inner Mongolia u ...

clan in 1863 Secondary Consort * Secondary Consort, of the Fanggiya clan (侧福晋方佳氏) ** Fourth Daughter *** married Xilingga of the Ulanghai clan in 1867 ** ''Fifth Daughter (b.20 May 1853)'' ** Sixth Daughter (b.10 July 1854 ) *** married Nolasang Wangbu of the Ulanghai clan in 1874

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaiyuan 1861 deaths 1816 births 19th-century Chinese people 19th-century regents Qing dynasty imperial princes Prince Yi (created 1722) Manchu Plain Blue Bannermen Manchu politicians Qing dynasty regents Forced suicides of Chinese people Suicides by hanging in China People executed by the Qing dynasty Suicides in the Qing dynasty 1860s suicides

Life

Family

See also

References