Eidubaturu

Overview

Eidu Baturu was a founding general of the Niohuru clan of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Manchus. Volume Five of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* records that his family originally lived in the Changbai Mountains. His parents were murdered when he was young, and after avenging them at the age of thirteen, he sought refuge in Jiamuhu. Later, he followed Nurhaci, participating in many years of warfare. He was seriously wounded in the Battle of Balda but continued fighting, earning the title of Baturu.

The Niohuru clan was a prominent Manchu surname. The *Genealogy* states that it originated from a place name, with members scattered in Changbai Mountains, Ying'e, and other areas. Baturu was a title honoring bravery, not an official position. Eidu served as Left Wing Commander-in-Chief and First-Class Minister, participating in the development of the early Qing dynasty. He married a princess of the imperial family, but this marriage did not allow him to change his clan name to the imperial surname.

He died in the sixth year of the Tianming era. Huang Taiji posthumously conferred upon him the title of Duke Hongyi, and he was later enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Tianming was Nurhaci's Later Jin reign title, and "enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple" signifies that meritorious officials were included in state sacrifices; the posthumous conferment of a title occurred after his death. Volume 225 of the Draft History of the Qing Dynasty also records his military and political activities, which can be cross-checked with the clan genealogy. The granting of titles and ancestral hall sacrifices to his son Ebilun and his descendants are records of later generations and cannot be written as Eyidu continuing to serve as an official; the specific family settlements in Jiamuhu and Changbai Mountain still need to be investigated.