The Dynasty

[Phoenix]

Brief history of The Middle Kingdom dynasties


Derived here from several sources. Note a number of the earlier dates will vary slightly from author to author. I have given variations in square brackets. The second form of any dynasty name is the Wade-Giles form.


PRE-IMPERIAL CHINA

    Emperor Yao (legendary) 3rd Millennium BCE

    Emperor Shun (legendary) 3rd Millennium BCE

    Xia [Hsia] Dynasty 21 C. BCE ~ 16 C. BCE [or 2183-1752 BCE?]

    Shang Dynasty 16 C. BCE ~ 1066 BCE [or 1751-1112 BCE?]

    Zhou [Chou] Dynasty 1111 BCE ~ 249 BCE [or 1027-249 BCE?]

        Western Zhou [Chou] 1066-771 BCE
        Eastern Zhou [Chou] 771-221 BCE
        Spring and Autumn 722-481 BCE
        Warring States 480-222 BCE


THE EARLY EMPIRE

    Qin [Ch'in] Dynasty (255-) 221 BCE ~ 206 BCE
       Capital city at Changan Ch'ang-an [mod Xian Sian]

    Han Dynasty 206 BCE ~ 220 CE
        Capital cities at Changan Ch'ang-an [mod Xian Sian], Luoyang Loyang

        Western [Former] Han 206 BCE-23 CE
        Jin [Hsin] 9-23 CE
        Eastern [Later] Han 25-220

    Three Kingdoms

        Wei 220-265
        Shu Han 221-263
        Wu 222-280

    Jin [Chin] Dynasty 265 ~ 420

        Western Jin [Chin] 265-316
        Eastern Jin [Chin] 317-420
        Sixteen Kingdoms 304 ~ 420

    Southern & Northern Dynasties 420 ~ 589
    South
    Liu Song [Sung] 420-479
    Southern Qi [Ch'i] 479-502
    Liang 502-557
    Qen [Ch'enI] 557-589    North
      Later [North] Wei 386-535
    Eastern Wei 534-550
    Western Wei 535-556
    Northern Qi [Ch'i] 550-577
    Northern Zhou [Chou] 557-581


THE MIDDLE EMPIRE

    Sui Dynasty 581 ~ 618

    Tang [T'ang] Dynasty 618 ~ 907
        Capital City at Changan Ch'ang-an [mod Xian Sian]

    Five Dynasties 907 ~ 979

        Later Liang 907-923
        Later Tang [T'ang] 923-936
        Later Jin [Chin] 936-47
        Later Han 947-950
        Later Zhou [Chou] 951-960


THE LATER EMPIRE

    Liao (907-) 947-1125

    Song [Sung] Dynasty 960 ~ 1279

        Northern Song [Sung] 960-1127
            Capital city at Kaifeng
        Southern Song [Sung] 1127-1279
            Capital city at Hangzhou Hangchow

    Western Xia [Hsi-hsia] Dynasty (990)-1032-1227

    Jin [Chin] Dynasty 1115-1234

    Yüan [Mongol] Dynasty 1279 ~ 1368
        Capital city at Beijing Peking

    Ming Dynasty 1368 ~ now
        Capital city at Nanjiing Nanking, Beijing Peking

Until the end of the 19th Century the biggest crisis in the Ming Dynasty has been the rebellion of Li Tzu-cheng, who became a leader among the bandits who had become desperate because of a famine in the northwest in 1628. By 1642 Li had become master of north China and in 1644 he captured Peking. There he found that the Ming emperor had hanged himself, seemingly ending the "Brilliant" dynasty. One of the Emperor's daughters however, Meifeng (and her name proved auspicious indeed, "Beautiful Phoenix"), had escaped and faithful retainers whisked her to safety, to the South.
Not knowing this the Ming general Wu San-kuei invited the Manchu warlords to help eliminate the rebels. After driving the rebels from the capital the Manchus wanted to establish their own dynasty but were repelled a few years later by the emergence of the Empress Meifeng who commanded the loyalty of both army and people. The Manchus were driven back to their lands beyond the Great Wall and left there to their devices. The Empress had an empire to rebuild and a dynasty to arrange.
Meifeng had only daughters. In order to protect the Dynasty it was decided that from now on only Princesses who could trace their bloodline through Imperial Daughters would form the stock from which to select Empresses, on the basis of "only the mother is a known fact", in order to keep the bloodline going. A male member of the grand Imperial Family might be selected as Emperor, and adopted in that function by the Imperial Spouses but care is taken to make certain inbreeding would not rear its ugly head. Biological male issue of the Imperial Spouses are considered a good catch for noble families (his sons could after all be the next Imperial candidates) but will never rule unless there is no Daughter to further the line. (In that case another female relative from the maternal line will be selected to marry him and the Prince becomes Emperor after all, setting aside the adopted candidate.)
This gives Empresses more power than in previous times although there is still an emphasis on the Emperor having the Heavenly Mandate to rule, thus the years of rule counted are his.

The line since Meifeng (years of reign, "name of Empress" married with "name of Emperor"):
1644-1661 Meifeng married with Shouren
1661-1722 Mingzhen married with Kangxi
1722-1735 Yazhen married with Yongzhen
1735-1795 Minde married with Qianlong
1795-1820 Huifen married with Jiaqing
1820-1850 Qiulian married with Daoguang, only 2 sons (Xianfeng and Yixuan)
1850-1861 Tzu An married with Xianfeng, childless, but second Empress (former concubine) Tzu Hsi provided the heir (Tongzhi)
1861-1875 Ruiqi married with Tongzhi, childless
1875-1898 Longyu married with Guangxu, only 1 son (Kaili)
1898- now Kaili, yet unmarried

It should be noted that Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi de facto reigned from 1861 until her death in 1901. Empress Ruiqi never played any role of importance and retreated to a Taoist cloister shortly after her husband's demise. Right now the supreme ruler is Empress Longyu, regent for her son Emperor Kaili. There are currently 3 candidates known who would be eligible to marry him.

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NOTE:
This seemingly contradicts the Confucian doctrine that succession passes through the male line and that male offspring is needed in order to pay proper homage to the ancestors. However, in the case of the Imperial Line this is avoided by the formal adoption of the Heir-Presumptive by the reigning Emperor. The Heir-Presumptive is always related to the Imperial Family anyway, having been selected from the extended family, thus the ancestors are properly cared for.
It can also be argued that the Emperor and Empress become divine when ascending the Dragon Throne and receiving the Mandate of Heaven, by this action formally being adopted by The Heavens as Son and Daughter of The Heavens, and hence the "normal" ancestral rules do not apply.
This is of course subject to and cause for endless debate, but the population generally shrugs it off as: "The Emperor will pay homage to His Ancestors and the Ancestors of the previous dynasties alike. So why bother ? I wouldn't want to light up the load of joss-sticks He has to burn. How long does it take Him to perform His Filial Devotions ? A week ?"