# Hešeri

Hešeri (Chinese: 赫舍里; pinyin: Hesheli; Manchu: ᡥᡝᡧᡝᡵᡳ Hešeri), is a clan of Manchu nobility with Jianzhou Jurchens roots, originally hailing from the area which is now the modern Chinese provinces of Jilin and Liaoning. It was once one of the most important and powerful noble families in the early Qing dynasty in China, second only to the royal House of Aisin Gioro, to whom they were closely related by marriage.
The power of the Hešeri family reached its zenith in the period of Duke Hešeri Sonin and his third son Lord Hešeri Songgotu (from approximately 1650 to 1705). Although its influence declined following Songgotu's death, the Hešeri clan continued to be the hereditary nobility and play a role in Chinese politics until the demise of the Qing dynasty in early 1912.

## History
### Origins

The name Hešeri was first recorded in the Thirty Common Surnames of Jurchen during the later Tang dynasty (c. 800-850), and is said to be derived from the name of an ancestral river (šeri loosely translating to water-spring in the Manchu language). Alternatively, some have suggested that the name may stem from that of an ancient tribe. During the Tang dynasty, the Hešeri lived on the northern outskirts of the empire, co-existing to some degree with the then extant Khitan and the Liao dynasty they founded (which dynasty the Jurchen ultimately conquered and destroyed in 1125); while the bulk of the clan maintained their ancestral residencies, the (second) ascendancy of the Jurchen (renamed by this time to Manchu) during the Qing dynasty and the administrative and military appointments clan Hešeri enjoyed as a result saw moderate diffusion of Hešeri throughout the more interior northern and central provinces.
After the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the resulting 1912 collapse of the Qing dynasty, the vast majority of Hešeri saw fit to distance themselves from their Manchu origins. To accomplish this, the more Han-sounding diminutive He (Chinese: 赫 / 何) was adopted as a replacement surname (commonly spelled Ho in Hong Kong and several other Cantonese-speaking regions); a few Hešeri went further and changed their surnames completely to Gao (高), Kang (康), Zhang (张), Lu (芦), He (贺), Suo (索), Ying (英), Hao (郝), Hei (黑), Pu (普), Li (李), or Man (满).

## Notable figures
### Jin dynasty

In the 119-year history of the Jin dynasty, at least 52 people from this clan were powerful enough to affect the government's decisions. Their names were recorded in the History of Jin.
* Lihua, Empress Qinxian (钦宪皇后，纥石烈丽花), wife of Taizu of Jin
* Zhining, Prince Jinyuan of the Second Rank (金源郡王，右丞相纥石烈志宁).
* Liangbi, Prince Jinyuan of the Second Rank (金源郡王，宰相纥石烈良弼).
* Ziren (纥石烈子仁).
* Cupei (纥石烈腊醅).
* Machan (纥石烈麻产), Cupei's brother.
* General Heshilie Zhizhong (紇石烈執中; also known as Hushahu 胡沙虎)
* Yawuta (纥石烈牙吾塔; ?-1231), a general.
* Heshilie Zhushennu (紇石烈諸神奴), husband of Emperor Shizong of Jin,s 14th daughter

### Qing dynasty
#### Males

* Šose (Chinese: 硕色), Sonin's father. Fluent in Mandarin, Mongolian and Manchu. Awarded the honorific Baksi ("Knowledgeable Man", Chinese: 巴克什 Bākèshí) by the Qing dynasty's founding father, Nurhaci.
** Sonin (Chinese: 索尼; ?-1667), Duke of the First Rank (Chinese: 一等公), Chief minister, Grand Councillor (Chinese: 議政大臣) of the Shunzhi Emperor. Senior among the Four Regents of the Kangxi Emperor;
*** Gabula (Chinese: 噶布喇; ?-1681), first son of Sonin, Duke of the First Rank (Chinese: 一等公). Father in law and Chief Minister (Chinese: 领侍卫内大臣) of the Kangxi Emperor.
*** Songgotu (Chinese: 索額圖; ?-1703), third son of Sonin, Grand Councillor (Chinese: 議政大臣), Baohe Scholar (Chinese: 保和殿大学士) Chief Minister of the Kangxi Emperor, main signatory of the Treaty of Nerchinsk.
*** Xinyu (Chinese: 心裕), fifth son of Sonin, Earl of the First Rank (Chinese: 一等伯).
*** Fabao (Chinese: 法保), sixth son of Sonin, inherited the Duke of the First Rank from his father.
* Hife (Chinese: 希福; ?-1662), Šose's brother. Viscount of the Third Rank (Chinese: 三等子). He had the same language skill as his elder brother. Also awarded the honorific Baksi and honored as one of only three companions to the then-emperor with the epithet "[one] whose merit aided our Way."
** Suwayamboo (Chinese: 帥顏保; 1641–1684), son of Hife, Sonin's cousin. Viscount of the Third Rank (Chinese: 三等子) . Minister of River Transport for the Kangxi Emperor (Chinese: 漕运总督 康熙).
*** Sungseo (Chinese: 嵩壽; ?-1755), grandson of Suwayamboo (帅颜保), Viscount of the First Rank (Chinese: 一等子), Co-minister of Rites (禮部右侍郎).
* Erdeni (Chinese: 额爾德尼, not to be confused with Panchen Erdeni), originally from the Nara clan, one of the two inventors of the Manchu script. He was inducted into the clan and given the surname Hešeri by the Qing ruler Hong Taiji as a reward for his contributions.
* Dingshou (Chinese: 定壽; ?-1731), the General of Light Chariot of the Third Rank (Chinese: 三等轻车都尉) one of the greatest military generals of the early Qing dynasty. Ultimately served as Vice Governor of the Mongolian Plain Yellow Banner.
* Songzhu (Chinese: 松柱; 1657–1735), Grand Councillor (Chinese: 議政大臣), Minister of Rites(Chinese: 內閣學士兼禮部侍郎), Wenhua Scholar (Chinese: 禮部尚書兼文華殿大學士), Royal Tutor (Chinese: 太子太傅)
* Giyamo (Chinese: 嘉謨; 1711-1777), Minister of River Transport (Chinese: 漕運總督), Minister of Home Office (Chinese: 內務府大臣).
* Guangliang (Chinese: 廣亮; ?-1800), General of Heilongjiang.
* Fuzhina (Chinese: 富志那; ?-1810), Viceroy (or more precisely Governor-General) of Guizhou (Chinese: 貴州提督).
* Saicungga (Chinese: 賽冲阿; ?-1826), Baron of the Second Rank (Chinese: 二等男), Governor of the Mongolian Plain Yellow Banner. Served also as the Governor of the Manchu Plain Red Banner and the Mongolian Bordered Blue Banner prior to this appointment. Awarded the posthumous title 'Taizitaishi (Chinese: 太子太師)'.
* Jirun (Chinese: 吉綸/吉纶; ?-1826), Governor of the Manchu Plain Blue Banner, Minister of River Transport (Chinese: 漕運總督), Governor of Shandong (Chinese: 山东巡抚), Co-Minister of Works (Chinese: 工部右侍郎).
* Fulehungga (Chinese: 福勒洪阿; ?-1829), Baron of the First Rank (Chinese: 一等男),内阁学士, Co-Minister of Wars (Chinese: 兵部右侍郎), Co-Minister of Foreign Affairs (Chinese: 理藩院左侍郎)
* Nadanju (Chinese: 那丹珠; ?-1832), Minister of Rites (Chinese: 內閣學士兼禮部侍郎), Co-Minister of Wars (Chinese: 兵部右侍郎).
* Shutong'a (Chinese: 舒通阿; 1776–1836), Vice Military Conmmander of Zhili (Chinese: 直隶副總兵).
* Chunqing (Chinese: 淳慶; ?-1847), Viceroy of Yunnan and Guizhou (Chinese: 云贵总督).
* Mutengge (Chinese: 穆騰額; 1780–1852), General of Jiangnin (Chinese: 江寧將軍).
* Šuhingga (Chinese: 舒興阿; ?-1858), Viceroy of Shanxi and Gansu (Chinese: 陝甘總督), Co-Minister of Wars (Chinese: 兵部右侍郎), 軍機大臣, dead as 雲南巡撫.
* Shuyuan (Chinese: 書元; ?-1859), Supreme Court Shaoqing (Chinese: 大理寺少卿), 盛京戶部侍郎兼奉天府府尹, 戶部右侍郎兼管錢法堂事務.
* Hebao (Chinese: 和寶), 兵部员外郎, 通政司参议.
* Yinggui (Chinese: 英桂; ?-1879), Viceroy of Fujian and Zhejiang (Chinese: 闽浙总督), General of the Army (Chinese: 步军统领，同治13年-光绪3年). Gained title 太子太保 after his death.
* Warda (Chinese: 洼爾達), a general.
* Tundali (Chinese:吞達禮), an important military commander.
* Hechun (Chinese: 和春; ?-1860), Viceroy and Imperial Admiral of Jiangnan (Chinese: 江南提督, 钦差大臣, 被赐黄马褂) and military commander.
* Encang (Chinese: 恩長), a military commander.
* Rushan (Chinese: 如山), Magistrate of Sichuan (Chinese: 四川按察使).
* Sebjengge (Chinese: 色普徵額; ?-1907), General of Ningxia (Chinese: 宁夏将军)

##### Prince Consort

| Date | Prince Consort | Background | Princess |
| 1768 | Kumeng (枯蒙) | | Yunqi's sixth daughter (b. 1753) by secondary consort (Xiang) |

#### Females

Imperial Consort
* Empress
** Empress Xiaochengren (1654–1674), the Kangxi Emperor's first empress, the mother of Chenghu (1670–1672) and Yunreng (1674–1725)
* Imperial Noble Consort
** Imperial Noble Consort Xianzhe (1856–1932), the Tongzhi Emperor's consort
* Consort
** Consort Ping (d. 1696), the Kangxi Emperor's consort, the mother of Yinji (1691)
** Consort Chang (1808–1860), the Daoguang Emperor's noble lady
* Imperial Concubine
** Imperial Concubine Xi (d. 1702), the Kangxi Emperor's imperial concubine
* Second Class Female Attendant
** Second Class Female Attendant Mu (d. 1832), the Daoguang Emperor's second class female attendant
Princess Consort
* Primary Consort
** Yun'e's second primary consort
* Secondary Consort
** Mianyu's secondary consort (d. 1860)
** Yicong's secondary consort, the mother of Zailian (1854–1917), Zaiyi (1856–1923), fifth daughter (b. 1857), Zaiying (1859–1930) and Zaisheng (1860–1864)

### Modern Era

* Ying Lianzhi (Chinese:英斂之; 1867–1926), also known as Ying Hua (英华), founder of the prominent newspaper Ta Kung Pao, and founding member of The Catholic University of Peking.

## Gallery

* Consort Chang in daily dress ("Imperial Court in 1844" by He Shikui)
* Empress Xiaochengren