Remnant Court of Qing Imperial Family

The Remnant Court of the Abdicated Qing Imperial Family (Chinese: 遜清皇室小朝廷), abbreviated as the Small Court of the Abdicated Qing Emperor (Chinese: 逊清小朝廷), refers to the miniature court that persisted within the inner court after Puyi's abdication on February 12, 1912.
On February 12, 1912, Empress Dowager Longyu accepted the "Conditions for the Favorable Treatment of the Qing Emperor after Abdication" (abbreviated as the "Conditions for Favorable Treatment") and issued the "Abdication Edict," formally ending the Qing Empire. The "Conditions for Favorable Treatment" stipulated that "the honorific title of the Qing Emperor remains unchanged after abdication, the Republican government treats the emperor with the same courtesy as foreign monarchs; the Republican government pays the emperor an annual allowance of 4 million taels; the emperor temporarily resides in the Forbidden City after abdication, with the guards and other personnel retained as usual; and the princes and nobles retain their titles." Due to these terms and Yuan Shikai's gratitude towards the former sovereign, the Small Court of the Abdicated Qing was able to maintain its original lifestyle. After Puyi's abdication, although the imperial system was abolished, Emperor Puyi and the former royal family and ministers continued to reside in the Forbidden City. Within the Forbidden City, Puyi continued to issue "edicts," used the Xuantong era name for dating, and the old courtiers continued to perform the kowtow ritual. Internal departments, such as the Imperial Household Department, the Office of the Imperial Clan, and the Court of Judicial Review, were retained. Thus, former officials were still posthumously honored, their attire remained unchanged, and those who violated the law were dealt with by the Court of Judicial Review. Nominally, the Qing Dynasty still held sovereignty over the Forbidden City, making it a "state within a state" in Beijing at that time. After Empress Dowager Longyu passed away on February 22, 1913, besides Emperor Puyi, there were four Dowager Consorts in the palace. Yuan Shikai designated Dowager Consort Duankang to preside over palace affairs.
On July 1, 1917, Zhang Xun, who came to mediate the conflict between Li Yuanhong and Duan Qirui, led the braid army to restore Puyi to the throne in an event known as the Manchu Restoration. However, the Imperial Family had pledged support to the Republican Government and never recognized Zhang Xun's premiership as a legitimate Qing government. Within nine days, Duan and the anti-Restoration alliance quelled Zhang Xun's rebellion. The morale of Zhang Xun's army plummeted after losing support from the royalty, and the departure of the Aisin Gioro family from China around July 8 further weakened his cause. This loss of support marked a turning point, enabling the anti-Restoration army to swiftly quell the rebellion. 
The Qing Remnant Court ceased operations between the event of Zhang Xun's rebellion. This followed successful negotiations between the United States Government and Qing Imperial Commissioner and Foreign Secretary (大清欽差大臣外務卿), Yu Deling (also known as Princess Der Ling in the Western Hemisphere). These negotiations arranged for the imperial family to be escorted out of China to the United States, preventing any further involvement of the imperial family in the republican government and Japan. 
Category:Former Nations
Category:Monarchy
Category:China
Category:Asian Countries
Category:Far Eastern Countries