Local tribal chiefs could also be termed "king" of a particular territory ranging from vast to tiny, using convenient terms of the form "(locality)" + "king" such as Changshawang, "King of Changsha". Some Chinese emperors styled many or all close male relatives of certain kinds such as wang, a term for king or prince, although the sovereignty of such relatives was limited. In some cases, they could be subordinate to foreign emperors just as territorial or tribal sovereign Mongol khans might be subject to one of several Khagans or Great khans. Sovereigns holding the title of king of an individual state within and without the shifting borders of the Chinese political realm might be fully independent heads of foreign states, such as the King of Korea. An emperor might appoint, confirm, or tolerate sub-sovereigns or tributary rulers styled kings.Īs a title of nobility, Ba Wang, hegemon, denoted overlordship of several subordinate kings while refraining from claiming the title of emperor. The supreme sovereign is the only office translated into English as the term " emperor". Three levels of sovereignty could be distinguished: supreme rule over the realm, relatively autonomous local sovereignty, and tributary vassalage. The title of the sovereign has changed over time, together with the connotations of the respective titles. The apex of the nobility is the sovereign. Sovereign and ruling family ranks įuxi and Nuwa, mythical early sovereigns of China Today, this class has virtually disappeared. Though some noble families maintained their titles and prestige for a time, new political and economic circumstances forced their decline. The Republican Revolution of 1911 ended the official imperial system. The last, well-developed system of noble titles was established under the final imperial dynasty, the Qing. Historians have noted the disappearance by 1000 CE of the powerful clans that had dominated China. After the Song dynasty, most bureaucratic offices were filled through the imperial examination system, undermining the power of the hereditary aristocracy. In the subsequent millennia, this system retained its essential character, albeit with modifications in titles and their relative rankings, and fluctuating power dynamics between the great families, the imperial house, the ministerial and mercantile classes, and other stakeholders in the political economy of the times. This process was a function of the interface between the ancient patriarchal clan system, an increasingly sophisticated apparatus of state, and an evolving geopolitical situation. The concepts of hereditary sovereignty, peerage titles, and noble families existed as early as the semi-mythical and early historical periods, but the systems of enfeoffment and establishment only developed in the Zhou dynasty, by the end of which a clear delineation of ranks had emerged. 1000 CE, and remaining a significant feature of the traditional social structure until the end of the imperial period. The nobility of China represented the upper strata of aristocracy in premodern China, acting as the ruling class until c. Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin dynasty, created the title of Huangdi, which is translated as "emperor" in English.
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