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Ajige: Qing Prince and Military Commander

English editorial translation of the Chinese source entry

Ajige was the twelfth son of Nurhaci and an important ruling-clan commander during the Later Jin and early Qing periods. Initially granted the rank of taiji, he became a beile in 1626 after campaigns involving the Bairin and Jarud. He joined military operations toward Korea, the …

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Source-based English editorial manuscript · Historical details subject to final source verification.

Early campaigns and noble status

Ajige was the twelfth son of Nurhaci and an important ruling-clan commander during the Later Jin and early Qing periods. Initially granted the rank of taiji, he became a beile in 1626 after campaigns involving the Bairin and Jarud. He joined military operations toward Korea, the Ningyuan–Jinzhou region, and areas inside the Ming frontier. He was also punished for arranging his brother Dodo's marriage without proper authorization, an episode demonstrating that princely status did not place him beyond court discipline.

Conquest campaigns

In 1636 he received the title Prince Wuying of the Second Rank. Following the Qing entry into China proper in 1644, he was elevated to Prince Ying of the First Rank and appointed general for western pacification. His forces entered Shaanxi and continued pursuing Li Zicheng's army, with military activities extending into Huguang and Jiangxi. The princely title denoted status within the imperial clan, whereas the commanding generalship was an assignment connected to a specific campaign.

Fall after Dorgon's death

Ajige was a brother of Dorgon, and disagreements also arose over his unauthorized return from campaigns. After Dorgon's death, Ajige attempted to assemble forces and seek support among the former regent's adherents. Jirgalang and others detained him; he was stripped of title and confined. In 1651 he was ordered to die after further accusations concerning a plan to set fire while imprisoned. His son Laoqin was also condemned. The distinct political fates of father and son should not be merged into a single episode of personal action.

Sources and Bibliography

  1. Historical source 1 — zh.wikisource.org
  2. Historical source 2 — zh.wikisource.org
  3. Historical source 3 — zh.wikisource.org

Links reproduce references supplied with the Chinese editorial manuscript; they do not establish that every individual statement has undergone independent archival verification.