Nurhaci
Nurhaci, also known as the
Taizu Emperor,
Nurhachi, or
Nuerhachi (
Chinese: 努爾哈赤
[Pinyin:
N"'ěrhāchì];
Manchu:
) (
1558-
September 30,
1626; r.
1616-
September 30,
1626) was the last chieftain of the
Jianzhou Jurchens and first Khan of Later Jin. He is considered to be the founding father of the
Manchu state and is also credited with ordering the creation of a written script for the
Manchu language. Nurhaci's organization of the Manchu people, his attacks on the
Ming Dynasty and
Joseon Dynasty Korea, and his conquest of China's northeastern
Liaodong province, laid the groundwork for the conquest of China by the
Qing Dynasty.
Being a member of the Gioro clan of the Suksuhu River tribe, Nurhaci also claimed descent from Mönke Timur, a Jurchen headman who lived some two centuries earlier. The Aisin Gioro family originated in present day North Korea. According to Chinese sources, the young man grew up as a soldier in the household of
Li Chengliang in Fushun, where he became literate in Chinese. He named his clan
Aisin Gioro around 1612, when he formally ascended the throne as Khan of Later Jin.
In
1582 his father
Taksi and grandfather
Giocangga led by the Ming Dynasty General
Li Chengliang, were killed in an attack on
Gure by a rival Jurchen cheiftain
Nikan Wailan.
From
1583 onwards, Nurhaci began to unify the Jurchen bands. When he was 25, he beheaded Nikan Wailan at
Tulin to avenge the deaths of his father and grandfather, who had only left him thirteen suits of armor.
Nurhaci was the organizer of the
Eight Banners, which would eventually form the backbone of the military that would dominate the Qing empire.
In
1599, he had two of his translators, Erdeni Baksi and Gagai Jarguchi, create the written Manchu language by adapting the Mongolian alphabet.
In
1616, Nurhaci declared himself
Khan (King) and founded the Jin Dynasty (
aisin gurun), often called the Later Jin. He constructed a palace at
Mukden (present-day
Shenyang in
Liaoning province). The first
Jin Dynasty of the twelfth century was also formed by the
Jurchen. Jin was renamed Qing by his son
Hong Taiji after his death but Nurhaci is usually referred to as the founder of the Qing Dynasty.
In
1618, he commissioned a document entitled the Seven Great Vexations in which he enumerated seven grievances against the Ming and began to rebel against the Ming Dynasty. A majority of the grievances dealt with conflicts against Yehe, and Ming favorism of Yehe.
Only after he became Khan did he finally unify
Ula (clan of
Abahai) and
Yehe (clan of
Monggo, the last empress dowager
Cixi, and many more consorts of Qing Emperors in between).
Nurhaci led many successful engagements against the Ming Dynasty, the
Koreans, the
Mongols, and other
Jurchen clans, greatly enlarging the territory under his control. In the first serious military defeat of his life, Nurhaci was beaten by the Ming general
Yuan Chonghuan at
Ningyuan. Nurhaci was wounded in the battle by Yuan's Portuguese cannon (紅衣大炮). His morale and physical self did not recover, and he died 2 days later at a little town called De-A Man (叆福陵隆恩門) on
September 30,
1626 at the age of 68.
Nurhaci was succeeded by his eighth son,
Hong Taiji. It is said he took the throne by letting his father's consort
Abahai commit suicide in order to block the succession of his younger brother
Dorgon.
His
posthumous name was given on
1736: Chengtian-guangyun-shengde-shengong-zhaozhi-liji-renxiao-ruiwu-duanyi-qin'an-hongwen-dingye Gao Emperor (承天廣運聖德神功肇紀立極仁孝睿武端毅欽安弘文定業高皇帝).
*father:
Taksi ("克世).
*grandfather:
Giocangga (觉昌安).
*mother: Concubine of the
Hitara clan (喜"拉氏).
*brother (same mother):
Shuerhagi (苏""吉).
*consorts:#
Empress Xiaoci Gao (孝慈高皇后) of the Yehe Nara clan (1575 - 1603). #Yuan Fei,
Hahana Dajing (Qingya) (元妃, ""纳扎') of the Tungiya clan ( ? - 1685).#
Lady Gundai (继妃, 衮代) of the Fucha clan ( ? - 1621).#Lady
Abahai (大妃，阿巴亥) of the Ulanara clan (1590 - 1626).
Information concerning Nurhaci can be found in later, propagandistic works such as the
Manchu Veritable Records (in Chinese
Manzhou Shilu 滿洲實錄, in Manchu the
Yarkiyang Kooli.) Good contemporary sources are also available. For instance, much material concerning Nurhaci's rise is preserved within Korean sources such as the
Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty (
Joseon Wangjo Sillok朝鮮王朝實錄), especially the
Seonjo Sillok and the
Gwanghaegun Ilgi. Indeed, the record of Sin Chung-il's trip to Jianzhou is preserved in the
Seonjo Sillok.
The original Manchu language records from Nurhaci's reign also survive. A revised transcription of these records (with the dots and circles added to the script) was commissioned by the
Qianlong emperor. This has been translated into Japanese, under the title
Manbun roto, and Chinese, under the title
Manwen laodang. A project is currently under way at Harvard to translate them into English, as the
Old Manchu Chronicles.
In the adventure film
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (first released
May 23,
1984) an urn containing the remains of Nurhaci was portrayed as stolen in
1935 by
Indiana Jones who attempted to trade it for a diamond (Peakocks eye, See
Young Indiana Jones - Episode 20). This is a rare
Western pop culture reference to a significant historical figure of the East.
A lengthy historical dramatization,
Epic of Tai Zu, was released in
2005. It is the third part of the
Mi Shi (Secret History) series directed by
You Xiaogang.
