Altasikosa

Overview

Artashikosa was a member of the Wanyan clan of the Bordered Blue Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 28 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Complete Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, states that he was of the same clan as Yechen, and that they had lived in the Wanyan region for generations. At the beginning of the dynasty, he led his sons and clan members to submit to the Qing. The "clan members" mentioned in the original genealogy refers to related members of the clan, not necessarily the total number of his biological children; this record confirms a single instance of him leading a group of his family members to submit.

His eldest son, Zhe'erde, served as a guerrilla commander; his second son, Zheyeli, served as a military officer; his grandsons, Heluo and Yaha, served as military officers, and Daiduli served as a vice minister of the Ministry of Rites. A guerrilla commander was a military officer, and a military officer was responsible for military affairs; the Ministry of Rites managed rites and sacrifices, and the vice minister was a ministerial-level official assisting the minister. The term "military officer" in the early Qing Dynasty must be understood in the context of the system at the time and cannot be simply applied to the ranks of officials in the late Qing Dynasty.

His great-grandson, Changhai, served as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy; other officials included a secretary and a scribe; his great-great-grandsons also held positions such as censor, clerk, and student of the Imperial Academy. The term "court lecturer" (shìjiǎng) refers to a literary lecturer, while "censor" (yùshǐ) involves oversight. "imperial academy student" (jiānshēng) is an educational qualification, not a position of equal rank. Therefore, family records include military, ritual, administrative, and educational backgrounds. The original inscribed characters of long names, the years of service in the Imperial Guard, and the origin of the Wanyan clan are yet to be verified; the positions held by each generation are not included in the individual's resume.