Harjol

Harjol (1609 – 22 October 1641) was a consort of the Qing Dynasty ruler Hong Taiji. She was a niece of Empress Xiaoduanwen and an older sister of Empress Xiaozhuangwen.

Biography

Harjol was born of the Khorchin Mongol Borjigit clan around 1609 to her father, Jaisang (寨桑), a beile of the Khorchin Mongols and a descendant of Qasar, a younger brother of Genghis Khan.. Her personal name, Harjol, means "jade" in the Manchu language. In 1634 Harjol traveled with the mother of Empress Xiaoduanwen to the Mukden Palace in present-day Shenyang, Liaoning, as she was intended to become a consort to Emperor Hong Taiji. Prior to this the Khorchin had sent Hong Taiji two other women, Harjol's aunt Jerjer (the Empress Xiaduanwen) and younger sister Bumbutai, to become his wives in order to strengthen the relationship between the Emperor and their Khorchin.^[1] Harjol was 26 years old when she was wed to Hong Taiji, placing her out of the typical age women married during the time period, which was between 13–17 years.^[2] There are no documents that conclusively prove why Harjol did not marry while she was younger, but some claims state that she had previously been wed to a Khorchin warrior, Zhuolin (桌林), and was wed to Hong Taiji after her first husband's death.

Harjol was deeply favoured by Hong Taiji although she did not seem to reciprocate these feelings in the early years of their marriage. Hong Taiji so favored Harjol that when he conferred titles on his five primary spouses in 1636, he named Harjol Consort Chen (宸妃) of Guansui Palace (關睢宮) and was given the position as the head of the concubines, a high ranking position that placed her just below her aunt, the Empress.^[3] The following year, in 1637, Harjol gave birth to a boy, making him the Emperor's eighth son. The child did not live long and died less than a year later. Harjol was left in weak health and became seriously ill three years later. Upon hearing news that Harjol was on her deathbed, Hong Taiji reportedly left an active battlefield to be by her side. Harjol died on 22 October 1641 and was interred in the Zhao Mausoleum. Her death devastated Hong Taiji, who spent much of his time mourning her, to the detriment of his rapidly deteriorating health, and granted her the posthumous title of "First Consort Minhui Gonghe" (敏惠恭和元妃).^[4]

In culture

• 1992: Empress Da Yu Er by Baozheng Fang
• 2002: Xiaozhuang Mishi by He Saifei
• 2012: In Love with Power by Zhang Meng
• 2015: The Legend of Xiaozhuang by 何花

Issue

• Unnamed son (27 August 1637 – 13 March 1638), Hong-Taiji's eighth son

See also

• Ranks of Imperial Consorts in China#Qing
• Qing Dynasty nobility

Notes

References

• Zhao, Erxun (1928). Draft History of Qing (Qing Shi Gao) (in Chinese).