Concubine

A concubine is a woman engaged in an interpersonal relationship with a man without being married to him, or at least not to the fullest extent of marriage, such that their position is inferior to that of a primary lover. The relationship often involves cohabitation and sexual activity. In polygamous societies, they may be legally married but bear a lower rank than that of the main wife.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Concubines
==History==
===Abbasid Caliphate===
During the age of the Abbasid Caliphate, it was not uncommon for the caliph to have several dozen concubines, who resided in the harem in Baghdad. The harem was heavily guarded and it was said that no man other than the eunuch servants or the caliph himself had ever set foot inside.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – The Servant and the Impostor
In the 9th century, one of the concubines, Qabiha, rose in the ranks to become "" after giving birth to Al-Mutawakkil's son, Abu 'Abdallah.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Database: Qabiha Qabiha was also secretly the Ra's Al-Af'a of the Order of the Ancients and used her position to direct the Order's activities from the safety of the Caliphate's court, though her influence started to dwindle following Al-Mutawakkil's death in 861.
===China===
By the time of the Tang dynasty, concubinage was a millennia-old tradition, and the Emperor's consorts were governed by a standardized ranking system. Under the Tang hierarchy, the Empress (皇后; huánghòu) was the head of the harem. Below her was a tier of four consorts (妃; fēi): the Noble Consort (貴妃; guìfēi), the Pure Consort (淑妃; shūfēi), the Virtuous Consort (德妃; défēi), and the Worthy Consort (賢妃; xiánfēi). The third tier consisted of the Nine Imperial Concubines (嬪; pín), followed further down by numerous other subordinate ranks. After Emperor Xuanzong deposed in 724, he never again promoted another consort to Empress. He even kept Yang Yuhuan, with whom he was infatuated, forever at the second-highest rank of guifei, all the way up to her demise in the Mawei Station mutiny.Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Hidden Ones (Part 5) Yang Guifei was a cultural icon in her own time,Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Flower Banquet (Part 1)Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Flower Banquet (Special) and as the most famous guifei in history, she remains a household name under that title today.
The harem system had undergone alterations by the time of the Ming dynasty. Under the Ming, below the Empress in descending order were the Imperial Noble Consorts (皇貴妃; huáng guìfēi), the Noble Consorts (貴妃; guìfēi), the Consorts (妃; fēi), and Imperial Concubines (嬪; pín). As was the custom in this era, their feet and breasts were often bound to conform with popular conceptions of beauty although concubines prized for their dancing such as Shao Jun were spared from this practice.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Scroll 4
The Zhengde Emperor regarded his concubine Shao Jun highly among others and would use her cat-like skills to spy upon court eunuchs and ministers.Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia Along with her best friend Zhang Qijie, the pair rose to the rank of Imperial Concubine and were poised with the position of Imperial Consort.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Scroll 3 Because of her talents, the Zhengde Emperor took Shao Jun with him on his expeditions against the Mongols to serve as his spy. After the Zhengde Emperor's death and with the royal court in disarray, Shao Jun joined the Assassin Brotherhood while Zhang decided to stay in the palace as a concubine.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Scroll 11 When Zhu Houcong was placed on the throne by the Templar eunuchs, becoming the Jiajing Emperor, Zhang rose to the position of Empress and became the Emperor's second wife.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Empress Zhang
In 1530, the Templars Zhang Yong and Qiu Ju exploited Empress Zhang's friendship with Shao Jun to lure the Assassin back to the Forbidden City, forcing her to deliver a message requesting a meeting. In the meantime, they threatened to kill several concubines they found disobedient.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – An Old Friend However, their plot was foiled as Shao Jun rescued those concubine and killed Qiu Ju in personal combat, causing Zhang Yong to flee.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Demon Fire
===Ottoman Empire===
Concubinage was also a common practice for the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, with the Ottoman spy Dilara initially being a concubine until the Janissary captain Tarik Barleti arranged for her release.Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Database: Dilara
Following her kidnapping by the British Templars in 1735, Jennifer Scott was sold to Turkish slavers and became a concubine at the Topkapı Palace. By 1757, due to her age, Jennifer was relocated to Damascus to work for the local governor As'ad Pasha al-Azm as a servant, until she was eventually rescued by her half-brother Haytham Kenway and Jim Holden.Assassin's Creed: Forsaken
==Characteristics==
In China, it was common practice for prestigious men to have several concubines. For that reason, the Emperor of China usually had thousands of concubines, each of whom were ranked according to a strict hierarchy. As ladies of the court, the concubines were taught the finer arts of music, dance, singing, literature, and embroidery. The highest of the consorts was the Empress, and only she held the official status of wife to the Emperor.
Only heirs of the Empress had the right to be designated crown prince. Despite her prestigious position, concubines of lower rank could potentially climb the hierarchy and succeed her, in which event, she was deposed. Even the most influential concubines paled before the power of the Emperor, who had the authority to order their executions on a whim.
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Revelations 
*Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
*Assassin's Creed: Embers 
*Assassin's Creed III 
*Assassin's Creed: Forsaken 
*Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
*Assassin's Creed 5: El Cakr
*Assassin's Creed: Rebellion 
*Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm 
*Assassin's Creed: Turbulence in the Ming Dynasty 
*Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun
*Assassin's Creed: Dynasty
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Siege of Paris
*Echoes of History 
*Cike Xintiao: Chang'an Wang
*Assassin's Creed: Mirage
*Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game 
==Gallery==
ACC China Concubine Concept Sketches.jpg|General concubine concept sketches
ACC China Zhang Qijie Development 1.jpg|Concept art of Zhang Qijie
ACC China Zhang Qijie Development 2.jpg|Alternate concept art
ACC China Zhang Qijie Color Variants.jpg|Zhang Qijie color tests
==References==
Category:Occupations