Ebogen

Overview

Ebogen was a member of the Wuya clan of the Plain Yellow Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 29 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that his family originally lived in Hada and submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. His eldest son, Esen, initially served as the head of the imperial kitchen, later rising to the position of Grand Minister of the Interior. During the Chongde era, he participated in wars in Korea and other directions, earning the title of Baron and the rank of Qiduwei, and was appointed a zuoling (banner-company commander). His second son, Hele, served as a scribe, and his third son, Baihe, served as an Assistant Minister. These are the experiences of his descendants.

The head of the imperial kitchen was responsible for the management of imperial food supplies, while the Grand Minister of the Interior belonged to the inner court's guard system. zuoling managed the affairs of the lower banners, and the titles of Baron and Qiduwei were honorary titles. The positions and titles were different in nature; Esen's position in the imperial kitchen cannot be simplified to that of an ordinary cook, nor can his military rewards be transferred to Ebogen.

The original genealogy states that Esen's son, Wei Wu, was the father of Empress Dowager Renshou. In the first year of the Yongzheng reign, Ebogen, Esen, and Wei Wu were posthumously granted the title of First-Class Duke, a hereditary title inherited by Boqi. The posthumous conferment of the title was an honor bestowed by the imperial court after the fact, and the hereditary nature of the title indicated a special provision for the succession of the title, which did not mean that Ebergen actually held the position of a first-class duke during his lifetime. The location of Hada, the posthumous conferment edict, and the kinship relationships of each generation are pending verification, and the posthumous conferment and his official records during his lifetime are kept separately.