Emperor of China
Flag of the Qing Dynasty
Qin Shi Huang the first Emperor of Unified China
First emperor	Qin Shi Huang
Last emperor	Puyi
Emperorship started	221 BCE
Emperorship ended	February 12, 1912 AD

The Emperor of China (Chinese: 皇帝; pinyin: Huángdì) refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. Qin Shi Huang ( (259 BC – September 10 210 BC personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (during the Puyi ( ( February 7, 1906 &ndash October 17, 1967) of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro ruling family was the last Emperor Events By Place Roman Empire June 26 — Emperor Elagabalus adopts Alexander Severus as his heir Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China When referred to as the Son of Heaven (天子), a title created in the late Shang dynasty, the Emperor was recognized as the ruler of "All under heaven" (i. All under heaven, or literally "heaven under" ( is a phrase in the Chinese language and a cultural concept in China. e. , the world). In practice not every Emperor was the holder of the highest power of his land, though this was largely the case.

Most of China's imperial rulers have commonly been considered members of the Han ethnicity, although recent scholarship tends to be careful about the dangers of applying current ethnic categories to historical situations. Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. During the Yuan and Qing dynasties China was ruled by ethnic Mongolians and Manchurians respectively. The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China A prominent historical view over the years sees these dynasties as non-native dynasties that were sinicized over time, while more recent writers argue that the interaction between politics and ethnicity was far more complex. Sinicization, Sinicisation or Sinification, (in Mandarin: 中国化 Zhōngguóhuà) is the linguistic assimilation or ^[1]

Contents 1 Origin and history 2 Position and power 3 Heredity and succession 4 Styles, names and forms of address 5 Family 6 See also 7 References

Origin and history

The pre-Qin monarchs were called Wang (王), roughly translated as King. Wang (King and Huangdi (Emperor The King or Wang (Chinese 王 or 國王 wáng was the title of the Chinese Head of state until the Qin dynasty In 221 BC, after the then King of Qin completed the conquest of the various kingdoms of the Warring States, he adopted a new title to reflect his prestige as a ruler greater than the kings before him. Qin Shi Huang ( (259 BC – September 10 210 BC personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (during the The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the He created the new title Huangdi or "Emperor", and styled himself Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor. An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of Before this, Huang (皇) and Di (帝) were the titles of several pre-historical leaders.

Chinese political theory does not outright discourage or prevent the rule of non-royals or foreigners under the title of the "Emperor of China". Historically, China has been divided numerous times into smaller kingdoms under separate rulers or warlords. A warlord is a person with power who has military control over a subnational area due to Armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority The Emperor in most cases was the ruler of a united China, or must at least claim legitimate rule over all of China if they do not have de facto control. There have been a number of instances where there has been more than one "Emperor of All China" simultaneously in Chinese history. For example, various Ming Dynasty princes continued to claim the title after the founding of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and Wu Sangui claimed the title during the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China Wu Sangui ( styled Changbai 長白 or Changbo 長伯 (1612 &ndash October 2, 1678) was a Ming Chinese general who was The Kangxi Emperor ( Mongolian Enkh Amgalan Khaan, May 4, 1654 &ndash December 20, 1722) was the third Emperor of In dynasties founded by foreign conquering tribes who eventually found themselves immersed into Chinese culture, politics, and society, the rulers would also take on the title of Emperor of China in addition to whatever titles they may have had from their original homeland. The most prominent example is Kublai Khan, who was both Great Khan of the Mongols and the Emperor of China. Early years Kublai Khan studied Chinese culture and became enamoured of it

Position and power

Since the Qin Dynasty, the Emperor of China was formally called the Son of Heaven (天子), and as the descendant and representative of Heaven on Earth, he legally had absolute power over all matters, big or small, under Heaven (天下). His mandate to rule is thought to be divine and predestined. In contrast to modern international relationships, the Emperor of China was seen in East Asia not merely as the head of one nation-state among many, but rather as the overlord of the entire civilized world, meaning there could only be one legitimate emperor in the world at any given time.

The emperor's words and directives were considered sacred edicts (聖旨), and his directions from writing are considered "directives from above" (上諭). In theory, the emperor's orders were to be followed with immediate obedience. He was elevated above all commoners, nobility, and members of the imperial family. Addresses to the emperor were always to be formal and self-deprecatory, even by the closest of family members.

In practice, however, the power of the emperor varied between different emperors and different dynasties. The following is a Chronology of the dynasties in Chinese history. Generally, in the Chinese dynastic cycle, Emperors founding a dynasty usually consolidated the empire through absolute rule, as evidenced in Emperors Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. According to Chinese political theory every Dynasty goes through a dynastic cycle. An autocracy is a Form of government in which the Political power is held by a single self-appointed ruler Qin Shi Huang ( (259 BC – September 10 210 BC personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (during the Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China Emperor Taizong of Tang ( January 23, 599 &ndash July 10 649) personal name Lǐ Shìmín ( was the second emperor of the The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by Early years Kublai Khan studied Chinese culture and became enamoured of it The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai The Kangxi Emperor ( Mongolian Enkh Amgalan Khaan, May 4, 1654 &ndash December 20, 1722) was the third Emperor of Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China These emperors ruled as absolute monarchs throughout their reign, maintaining a centralized grip on the country. Absolute monarchy is a monarchical Form of government where the king and queen have absolute power over everything During the Song Dynasty, the Emperor's power was significantly overshadowed by the power of the chancellor. The Chancellor ( variously translated as Prime Minister, Premier or Chief Councillor, was a generic name given to the highest-ranking official in the

The Emperor's position, unless deposed in a rebellion, is always hereditary usually by agnatic primogeniture. Primogeniture is the Common law right of the Firstborn son to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings As a result, there are many cases where a child Emperor ascends the throne when his father dies. When this occurs, the Empress Dowager, or the Emperor's mother, is in a position of significant power. Empress Dowager ( Chinese: 皇太后 Chinese, Korean Pronunciation: Hwang Tae Hu Japanese Pronunciation: Kōtaigō Vietnamese Pronunciation In fact, the vast majority of female rulers during the entirety of Chinese Imperial history has come to power through ruling as regents on behalf of their sons; prominent examples include the Empress Lü of the Han Dynasty, as well as Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an of the Qing Dynasty, who for a time ruled jointly as co-regents. A regent, from the Latin regens "who reigns" is a person selected to act as Head of state (ruling or not because the ruler is a minor Empress Lü Zhi (呂雉 (died 180 BC commonly known as Empress Dowager Lü (呂太后 Pinyin: Lǚ Tàihòu or formally as Empress Gao (高皇后 The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. Empress Dowager Cixi 1 ( ( November 29 1835 – November 15 1908) popularly known in China as the The Empress Dowager Ci'an (慈安皇太后 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (东太后 Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China If the Empress Dowager is unable to, or is too weak to assume power, court officials usually seize control. The presence of eunuchs in the court is also important in the power structure, as the Emperor usually relied on a few eunuchs as confidants, and they had access to many court documents; there are cases where eunuchs wielded absolute power, most prominent was the rule of eunuch Wei Zhongxian during the Ming Dynasty. A eunuch (ˈjuːnək is a Castrated man in particular one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences the term usually refers to those castrated in order to Wei Zhongxian ( (1568 – October 19, 1627) is considered by most historians as the most powerful and notorious Eunuch in Chinese history The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led The only other scenario is when the nobility or other family members assume power as regents. A regent, from the Latin regens "who reigns" is a person selected to act as Head of state (ruling or not because the ruler is a minor In addition, the effective area ruled by the Emperor of China varied from dynasty to dynasty. In some cases, such as during the Southern Song dynasty, political power in East Asia was effectively split among several governments, however the political fiction that the head of one of these states was the legitimate emperor to which the other states owed allegiance was maintained. The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Heredity and succession

The title of emperor was hereditary, traditionally passed on from father to son in each dynasty. There are also instances where the throne is passed onto a younger brother, should the deceased Emperor have no male offspring. By convention in most dynasties, the eldest son born to the Empress (嫡長子) succeeded the throne. In some cases when the empress did not bear any children, she adopted a son as her own (all children of the emperor were said to also be the children of the empress, regardless of birth mother). In some dynasties the succession of the empress' eldest son was disputed, and because many emperors had large numbers of progeny, often led to wars of succession between rival sons. In attempts to resolve disputes after death, the emperor often designated a Crown Prince (太子) in early times. Crown Princess redirects here for the ship see Crown Princess (ship. Even such a clear designation, however, caused problems within the imperial family involving jealousy and distrust, whether it was the crown prince plotting against the emperor, or brothers plotting against each other, and did not actually ensure a peaceful succession. Some emperors, like the Yongzheng Emperor, after abolishing the position of Crown Prince, placed the succession papers in a sealed box, only to be opened and announced after his death. The Yongzheng Emperor (雍正帝 → yōngzhèngdì) (born Yinzhen (胤禛 → yìnzhēn) December 13, 1678 - October 8

Unlike, for example, the Japanese monarchy, Chinese political theory allowed for a change of dynasty as ruling houses could be replaced. This was based on the concept of the Confucian "Mandate of Heaven". The theory behind this was that the Chinese emperor acted as the "Son of Heaven. " As the only legitimate ruler, his authority extended to "all under heaven" and had neighbors only in a geographical sense. He held a mandate to which he had a valid claim to rule over everyone else in the world--as long as he served the people well. If the ruler became immoral, or other natural disasters such as repeated flood or famine showed that the mandate of heaven may have expired, then rebellion was justified and heaven would take away that mandate and give it to another. This important concept legitimized the dynastic cycle or the change of dynasties.

This principle, together with the examination system, made it possible for even peasants to found a new dynasty, such as Han and Ming, or conquest dynasties such as the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty and Manchu-led Qing Dynasty. The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China It was moral integrity and benevolent leadership that determined the holder of the "Mandate of Heaven. " Every dynasty self-consciously adopted this administrative practice, which powerfully reinforced this Sinocentric concept throughout the history of imperial China. Historians noted that this was one of the key reasons why imperial China in many ways had the most efficient system of government in ancient times.

In the history of China there had only been one lawful reigning empress, Empress Wu of the Tang dynasty or the Wu-Zhou dynasty founded by her. Wu Zetian ( (625 – December 16, 705 In 705 she was overthrown in a coup and Emperor Zhongzong was returned to the throne The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by Many females, however, did become de facto leaders, usually as Empress Dowager. Empress Dowager ( Chinese: 皇太后 Chinese, Korean Pronunciation: Hwang Tae Hu Japanese Pronunciation: Kōtaigō Vietnamese Pronunciation Prominent examples include Empress Dowager Cixi, mother of the Tongzhi Emperor (1861-1874), and aunt and adoptive mother of the Guangxu Emperor (1874-1908), who ruled China for 47 years (1861-1908), and the Empress Dowager Lü of the Han Dynasty. Empress Dowager Cixi 1 ( ( November 29 1835 – November 15 1908) popularly known in China as the The Tongzhi Emperor, born Zaichun ( April 27, 1856 &ndash January 12, 1875) was the ninth emperor of the Manchu The Guangxu Emperor (光緒帝 (14 August 1871&ndash14 November 1908 born Zaitian (載湉 was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty Empress Lü Zhi (呂雉 (died 180 BC commonly known as Empress Dowager Lü (呂太后 Pinyin: Lǚ Tàihòu or formally as Empress Gao (高皇后

Styles, names and forms of address

To see naming conventions in detail, please refer to Chinese sovereign

As the emperor had, by law, a high position challenged by no one else, his subjects were to show the utmost respect in his presence, whether in direct conversation or otherwise. Chinese sovereign is the ruler of a particular period in ancient China. In a conversation with the emperor, it was considered a crime to compare oneself to the emperor in any way. It was taboo to refer to the emperor by his given name, even if it came from his own mother, who instead was to use Huangdi (Emperor), or simply Er ("son"). A taboo is a strong Social prohibition (or ban) against words objects actions or discussions that are considered undesirable or offensive by a group culture The emperor was never to be addressed as you. Anyone who spoke to the emperor was to address him as Bixia (陛下), corresponding to "Your Imperial Majesty", Huang Shang (皇上, lit. Emperor Above or Emperor Highness), tian zi (天子, lit. the son of heaven ), or Sheng Shang (聖上, lit. the Divine Above or the Holy Highness). Servants often addressed the emperor as Wan Sui Ye (萬歲爺, lit. Lord of Ten Thousand Years). The emperor referred to himself as Zhen (朕), translated into the royal "We", in front of his subjects, a practice reserved solely for the emperor. The majestic plural ( pluralis majestatis in Latin) is the use of a Plural Pronoun to refer to a single person holding a high office such as

Contrary to the Western convention of referring to a sovereign using a reign name (e. g. George V) or by a personal name (e. g. Queen Victoria), a governing emperor was to be referred to as simply Huangdi Bixia (皇帝陛下, His Majesty the Emperor) or Dangjin Huangshang (當今皇上, The Imperial Highness of the Present Time) when spoken about in the third person. He was usually styled His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the Great [X] Dynasty, Son of Heaven, Lord of Ten Thousand Years. His styles varied considerably during the Yuan and Qing Dynasties. The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China

An emperor also ruled with an era name (年號). A Chinese era name ( is the Era name, reign period or regnal title used when traditionally numbering years in an emperor's reign and naming certain Chinese Since the adoption of era name by Emperor Wu of Han up until the Ming Dynasty, the sovereign conventionally changed the era name on a semi-regular basis during his reign. Background birth and years as crown prince Emperor Wu was the tenth child of Emperor Jing, and was born to one of Emperor Jing's favorite Concubines, The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, emperors simply chose one era name for their entire reign, and people often referred to past emperors with that title. In earlier dynasties, the emperors were known with a temple name (廟號) given after their death. Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean ( Goryeo and Joseon periods and Vietnamese (such dynasties as All emperors were also given a posthumous name (謚號), which was sometimes combined with the temple name (e. A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty nobles and sometimes others in some cultures after the person's death g. Emperor Shengzuren 聖祖仁皇帝 for Kangxi). The Kangxi Emperor ( Mongolian Enkh Amgalan Khaan, May 4, 1654 &ndash December 20, 1722) was the third Emperor of The passing of an emperor was referred to as jiabeng (駕崩, lit. "collapse") and an emperor that had just died is referred to as Daxing Huangdi (大行皇帝).

Family

The imperial family was made up of the emperor as the head and the empress (皇后) as the primary consort and Mother of the Nation (國母). In addition, the emperor had a series of other consorts and concubines (妃嬪) divided in a system of ranks who made up the harem, of which the empress was the leader. Concubinage is the state of a woman or youth in an ongoing quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status HAREM is the first evaluation contest of Named entity recognition (NER for Portuguese and its call for participation was announced in September 2004 Every dynasty had its set of rules regarding the numerical make up of the harem. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), for example, imperial convention dictated that at any given time there should be one Empress, one Huang Guifei, two Guifei, four fei and six pin, in addition to an unlimited number of other consorts and concubines. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China Although the emperor had the highest status by law, by tradition and precedent the mother of the emperor, i. e. , the Empress Dowager (皇太后), usually received the greatest respect in the palace and was the decision maker in most family affairs, and at times, especially when a young emperor was on the throne, became the de facto ruler. The emperor's children, the princes (王子) and princesses (公主), were often referred to by their order of birth, e. g. , Eldest Prince, Third Princess, etc. The princes were often given titles of peerage once they reached adulthood. The emperor's brothers and uncles served in court by law, with the status of any other court official (子), and the emperor was always elevated above them despite any chronological or generational superiority.

See also

• Table of Chinese monarchs
• Chinese sovereign
• Mandate of Heaven
• Son of Heaven
• Emperor of Japan

References

1. ^ Sinicization vs. Manchuness: The Success of Manchu Rule

The following list of Chinese monarchs is in no way inclusive Chinese sovereign is the ruler of a particular period in ancient China. The Mandate of Heaven (天命 Pīnyīn: Tiānmìng is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers The Emperor of China ( refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family.

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