Kangxi Emperor

Kangxi Emperor – Qing Dynasty

Xuanye was the 3rd emperor of the Qing Dynasty and is better known as the Kangxi Emperor. He was also considered the second leader of the Qing who came to rule China.

The Kangxi Emperor’s rule of 61 years makes him the longest-ruling emperor in the whole of China’s history. Yet his grandson, Emperor Qianlong, had the lengthiest time of having the de facto power. Overall, Kangxi was recorded as one of the longest-reigning rulers in the whole world.

He took the throne at a very young age of seven. With that, his power was retained for six years by a few regents and his grandmother. She was the Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

A Great Ruler, Overall

In China’s history of feudalism, the Kangxi Emperor is undeniably a great ruler in civic and military achievements. He balanced the regime during the Qing Dynasty’s earlier days, quickly recovering the war-devastated economy. Then, he was able to start a period of enhanced prosperity that would be known in history.

In history, the Kangxi Emperor’s excellence to Emperor Qianlong’s reign was known as the Kang Qian Sheng Shi. Prosperity flourished during that time and lasted more than a hundred years.

Generally, he strengthened and boosted the centralization of power, propelling the country’s feudal system to the top.

Xuanye’s Early Enthronement

The third son of Emperor Shunzhi, Xuanye, was born to Empress Xiaokang. She was the daughter of Tulai – a famous general from the well-known Tong clan. When Shunzhi suddenly died due to smallpox in 1661, Xuanye was immediately ascended to the imperial throne.

He was known as the Kangxi Emperor, whose ruling name means peaceful harmony.

Administration of the Manchu Courtiers

Since the new Qing emperor wasn’t even seven years old, the government was first handled by conservative Manchu courtiers. These were Suksaha, Sonin, Oboi, and Ebilun, who came from the preceding rule.

One of the very first political acts of these imperial advisers was to change the Thirteen Offices. They replaced it with the Neiwufu, the Office of Household. The Thirteen Offices were generally nuisances of the Manchus since the late Qing emperor introduced these.

The offices were organized and managed mainly by the Chinese eunuchs for handling the imperial household’s affairs. These were technically based on an intricate model that existed under the Ming Dynasty.

So, the exclusive section of the emperor’s life was managed by his personal Manchu-bond servants. They were mostly staffing the newly-established Office of Household.

With that, the Qing empire’s rulers were able to prevent court eunuchs from interfering with political affairs, unlike other dynasties. Particularly, the Ming Dynasty, which allowed their eunuchs to readily access actual power, often led to disastrous results.

Acquisition of Power

When he was 13-years-old, it was advised by Sonin and various ministers that the Kangxi Emperor start attending state affairs. He only ruled in name, yet the four advisers still controlled the real power.

Eventually, Sonin died, so Oboi became the virtual dictator-ruler who put Suksaha to death for a so-called crime. As for Ebilun, he was able to make him cow down into submission.

In 1669, Ebilun and Oboi were eliminated by the Kangxi Emperor. It was likely that he sought the assistance of the grand empress dowager, his grandmother, and his Chinese tutor, Xiong Cili.

The arrest of Oboi was claimed to have occurred in an audience room. Here, young wrestlers hid then lunged at the minister from behind the throne. With this coup, the Qing emperor was able to prove that he was the real ruler of the Qing.

The Administration and Military Achievements

The Kangxi emperor was an accomplished military ruler who was gifted with excellent skills in archery and physical strength. He put all his energy into his everyday administrative duties. And under China’s classic imperial system, everything was examined closely by the emperor.

Kangxi looked through all the memorandums and reports given to him. He meticulously and carefully corrected everything, even the slightest errors. Often, he’d boast about routinely taking great care of all the documents that were handed to him.

In 1644 after the Qing’s takeover, huge parts of the west and south were handed as fiefs to Ming generals. To be specific, these generals were those who aided the Qing Empire.

In 1673, the three householders were regulated by Geng Jingzhong, Wu Sangui, and Shang Zhixin. Yet Kangxi went against his advisors’ suggestions and tried forcing the feudal princes to turn-over their lands. Then, he forced them to retire to Manchuria, leading to a rebellion that lasted for eight consecutive years.

The forces of Wu Sangui overran a lot of the areas in southwest China. He attempted to group himself with generals like Wang Fuchen.

The Kangxi Emperor hired generals, including Tuhai and Zhou Peigong, to abolish the rebellion. Plus, he granted mercy for those caught in the war.

He personally wanted to lead the armies to crush and defeat the rebels. However, his subjects advised him not to do it.

The Kangxi Emperor mainly deployed Han-Chinese Green Standard Army troops to crush the rebels. As for the Manchu Banners, they moved behind-the-scenes. The revolt ended with the Qing forces winning in 1681.

Taiwan

In 1683, the Ming’s naval forces in Taiwan were managed under the Zheng Dynasty. They were defeated off of Penghu by odd-looking ships under the Qing’s admiral named Shi Lang.

The grandson of Koxinga, Zheng Keshuang, surrendered the area of Tungning a couple of days later. With that, Taiwan became a portion of the Qing Empire.

Here, several Ming princes joined the Zheng Dynasty in Taiwan. These princes include Prince Honghuan, son of Zhu Yihai, and Prince Zhu Shugui of Ningjing.

The Qing sent most of the Ming princes living in Taiwan back to China, where they spent their lives. However, the Prince of Ningjing, together with his concubines, killed themselves rather than submitting to captivity.

With that, their place was utilized as the headquarters of Shi Lang in 1683. However, he memorialized the Kangxi Emperor to turn it into a Mazu temple instead. It was done as a propaganda measure in silencing the remaining resistance groups in Taiwan.

Russia

In the 1650s, the Qing Empire engaged in a series of conflicts with the Tsardom of Russia. These were regarding border issues along the Amur River area. It concluded with the Qing having control of the location after the Siege of Albazin.

Again, the Russians attacked the northern frontier in the 1680s. Numerous battles, as well as negotiations, climaxed during the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689. Here, a border was agreed upon between China and Russia.

Mongolia

A descendant of Genghis Khan, the Inner Mongolian Chahar leader Ligdan Khan, fought and opposed the Qing Dynasty. He continued battling until he died in 1634 due to smallpox.

After, the Inner Mongols, led by Ligdan’s son, Ejei Khan, surrendered to the Qing Empire. There, he was given the title of prince.

Because of this, the Inner Mongol nobility became closely connected to the Qing imperial family. There, they intermarried exclusively.

In 1661, Ejei Khan died and was succeeded by Abunai, his brother. However, Abunai displayed disaffection and dislike to the Manchu Qing reign.

Because of this, he was forced under house arrest in Shenyang. As for his title of orice, it was given to his son, Borni, instead.

Then, Abunai’s brother, Lubuzung, went against the Qing Empire. During the Revolt of the Three Feudatories in 1675, about 3,000 Chahar Mongolians joined the battle. It took two months to end the revolt where the Qing Empire defeated the rebels in April 1675.

Once the rebellion was quelled, Abunai and all of his followers were executed. Not only that, but their titles were abolished. Plus, every Chahar Mongol royal male was killed even if they were born to Manchu-QWing princesses.

Due to the incident, all Chahar Mongols were put directly under the Qing Emperor’s control. This was compared to the other Inner Mongol people that equaled their autonomy.

The Dzungar – Qing War

Around 1688, the Dzungar chief, Galdan Boshugtu Khan, assaulted the Khalkha from the west to conquer their territory. The royal families of Khalkha and Jebtsundamba Khutuktu went through the Gobi Desert and sought assistance from the Qing Empire. In return, they would submit to the Qing Empire’s authorities.

In 1690, both the Qing and Dzungar forces fought at the Battle of Ulan Butung, Inner Mongolia. There, the Qing Empire, once again, emerged victorious.

In 1696 and 1697, the Kangxi Emperor himself led campaigns against the Dzungars during the early Dzungar – Qing Wars. The western area of the Qing army beat Galdan’s forces during the Battle of Jao Modo.

Tibet

In 1701, the Kangxi Emperor commanded the reconquest of Kangding and other bordering areas in western Sichuan. These places were specifically acquired by the Tibetans. The Manchu forces attacked Dartsedo then secured the border with both Tibet and the tea-horse trade.

In 1682, the Tibetan regent, Sangye Gyatso, kept the 5th Dalai Lama’s death a secret. He also had connections with the Dzungar, enemies of the Qing Empire. All of these brought out great displeasure from the Kangxi Emperor.

Yet eventually, Sangye Gayatso was conquered, then killed by the Koshut leader, Lha Bzang Khan. As a reward for disposing of his old rival, the Dalai Lama, Kangxi Emperor delegated Lha Bzang as Tibet’s regent.

The Dzungar Khanate, an alliance of Oirat tribes based in parts of Xinjiang, continued threatening the Qing Empire. In 1717, they went and invaded Tibet. They controlled Lhasa then killed Lha Bzang Khan in the process.

The Dzungars took control over the city for a total of three years. During the Battle of Salween River, they defeated a Qing army that was dispatched to the region.

The Qing Empire wasn’t able to take control of the area until 1720. There, the Kangxi Emperor sent a bigger and more powerful expedition force to defeat these Dzungars.

Christianity in Kangxi’s Regime

In the first decades of Kangxi Emperor’s rule, Jesuits played a significant role in the Qing imperial court. Since they had astronomical knowledge, they handled the imperial observatory. For the negotiations of the Treaty of Nerchinsk, Thomas Pereira and Jean-François Gerbillon worked as translators.

The Kangxi Emperor was grateful for the Jesuits’ contributions, such as the languages they interpreted. The Jesuits also offered innovations like artillery and gun manufacturing in the military. With these contributions, the Qing empire successfully conquered the Kingdom of Tungning.

The Jesuits were respectful and unobtrusive, which the Kangxi Emperor appreciated. They also spoke the Chinese language well.

In 1692, Kangxi issued the Edict of Toleration to recognize Catholicism and protect churches from attacks. It legalized the missions and practice of Christianity among the Chinese.