Consort kin

The consort kin or outer kins (Chinese: 外戚; pinyin: wàiqì) were the kin or a group of people related to an empress dowager or a consort of a monarch or a warlord in the Sinosphere. The leading figure of the clan was either a (usually male) sibling, cousin, or parent of the empress dowager or consort.

Consort kin
Chinese name
Chinese	外戚
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin wàiqī IPA [wâɪ.tɕʰí] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization ngoih chīk
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	ngoại thích
Korean name
Hangul	외척
Transcriptions Revised Romanization oecheok
Japanese name
Hiragana	がいせき
Transcriptions Romanization gaiseki

While Consort kins can be seen as a manifestation of nepotism in Sinospheric imperial politics, it is a moot point in a system of where most political positions were inherited via male primogeniture. Majority of the criticism lobbied against consort kins comes from the Confucians gentry class, who were often their political rival. In certain periods of Chinese political history, i.e. Reign of Emperor Wu of Western Jin Dynasty, consort kins were empowered by emperors to create political balance or to garner support for policies or actions unpopular among the Confucian elites. In other cases, emperors at the beginning of their reign, often relied on their consort kins to hold onto power, because they lack of the political network a more established ruler may have.

The perception of their outsized role in dynastic decline may be due to a bias in official imperial historical text, mostly written by members of the Confucian gentry class. They considered the political involvement of consort kins(and eunuchs) a disruption/corruption of the proper order, while downplaying their own negative contribution. For example, Fan Ye's Book of the Later Han focuses primarily on court corruption and eunuchs, leaving out social political stagnation caused by the Confucian gentry class as a major factor in the fall of Eastern Han.

Historical examples

China

Zhou dynasty

• The Marquess of Shen – father of the queen of King You of Zhou, whose participation in a succession struggle after the king's attempt to depose his grandson in favor of consort Bao Si's son Bofu led to the fall of the Western Zhou and beginning of the Spring and Autumn period^{[1]: 10, 12}

Han dynasty

• Lü Clan – relatives of the Empress Lü Zhi, consort of Emperor Gaozu of Han^[2]: 97
• Wei Qing – a younger paternal half-brother of the Empress Wei Zifu, consort of Emperor Wu of Han, one of the major military leaders of wars against the Xiongnu^[3]
• Huo Qubing – a nephew of Wei Qing and Wei Zifu, also an important general in the war between Han China and Xiongnu.^[3]
• Huo Guang – a younger paternal half-brother of Huo Qubing, whose granddaughter became the empress of Emperor Zhao of Han, and daughter became an empress of Emperor Xuan of Han. He played an extremely important political role in the eras of Emperor Zhao and Emperor Xuan, sometimes overshadowing the power of the emperors.^[3]
• Shangguan Jie – Paternal grandfather of Emperor Zhao's wife (Huo Guang was the maternal grandfather). He was involved in a power struggle with Huo Guang, and killed in 80 BCE after being accused of plotting a rebellion.
• Wang Mang – nephew of Empress Dowager Wang, cousin of Emperor Cheng of Han and dynastic usurper.^[4]
• Ma Yuan – father of Empress Ma, consort of Emperor Ming of Han, a major general of Emperor Guangwu of Han who led the expedition to Jiaozhi (today's northern Vietnam). However, Ma Yuan had passed away before Emperor Ming ascended the throne.
• Dou Xian – brother of Empress Dowager Dou and brother-in-law of Emperor Zhang of Han.
• Liang Ji – brother of Empress Dowager Liang and Empress Liang, deposed two emperors and later killed in a coup d'etat plotted by eunuchs against him.
• Dou Wu – father of Empress Dowager Dou Miao and killed in his abortive coup d'etat against eunuchs.
• He Jin – brother of Empress Dowager He and killed after his plot against eunuchs was exposed
• Dong Cheng – father of Consort Dong of Emperor Xian of Han and known for his abortive coup d'état with Liu Bei against Cao Cao.
• Cao Cao — father of Cao Jie, consort of Emperor Xian.

Three Kingdoms

• Mi Fang, a brother of Lady Mi (Mi Furen) served under Liu Bei, the future Emperor Zhaolie of Shu Han. His betrayal of Liu Bei partially led to its loss of Jing Province and the death of general Guan Yu.^[5] However, in this case, Lady Mi likely died several decades before Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor. Mi Fang also defected from Liu Bei's army about a year before he became emperor.

• Mi Zhu, another brother of Lady Mi, also served under Liu Bei and (briefly) Shu Han.

• Wu Yi was a general of Shu Han. He was the brother of Empress Wu of Shu Han.

• Cao Pi deposed Emperor Xian of Han and declared himself emperor of Cao Wei. Two of Emperor Xian's daughters became consorts of Cao Pi, although it is unclear which one of them was emperor at the time this occurred. Cao Pi was himself the half-brother of Emperor Xian's consort Empress Cao.

• Lady Xie's brother Xie Cheng and some of her other relatives held positions in the government of Eastern Wu, although Lady Xie died long before her husband Sun Quan became emperor. Some of Lady Xu's relatives were also officials but Lady Xu herself was both a blood relative and a concubine of Sun Quan.

• Eastern Wu official Bu Zhi was a relative of Empress Bu and in-law of Sun Quan.

Jin dynasty (266–420)

• Yang Jun – father-in-law of Emperor Wu of Jin China
• Yu Liang – brother of Empress Dowager Yu
• Chu Pou – father of Chu Suanzi

Sixteen Kingdoms

• Jin Zhun – father of Jin Yueguang and Jin Yuehua and known for his violent coup d'etat against Liu Can of the Han-Zhao dynasty.
• Cheng Xia – brother-in-law of Shi Le of the Later Zhao dynasty.
• Lan Han – father-in-law of Murong Sheng of the Later Yan dynasty.

Northern and Southern dynasties

• Dugu Xin, father of Empress Dugu, Empress Dugu Qieluo and Lady Dugu, respectively consorts of Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou, Emperor Wen of Sui and Li Bing (father of Emperor Gaozu of Tang). The only recorded consort kin of three imperial clans.
• Yang Jian, father of Empress Yang Lihua. He later usurped the throne and founded the Sui dynasty.

Tang dynasty

• Zhangsun Wuji — elder brother of Tang Taizong's empress. He was one official entrusted by Taizong to assist the young Tang Gaozong in governing the state.^[6]
• Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi — nephews of Empress Wu Zetian
• Yang Guozhong — cousin of Yang Guifei, implicated in the An Lushan rebellion^[7]: 449

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

• Fu Yanqing — influential military leader of Later Zhou, father of Empress Fu the Elder and Empress Fu the Younger, empresses consort of Chai Rong (Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou), and Princess Fu, consort of then–prince Zhao Guangyi (later Emperor Taizong of Song).

Song dynasty

• Jia Sidao – younger brother of Consort Jia, a favourite of Emperor Lizong^[8]

Yuan dynasty

• Khongirad — the clan of Genghis Khan's wife Börte and Kublai Khan's wife Chabi

Qing dynasty

• Songgotu — the paternal uncle of Empress Xiaochengren, Kangxi Emperor's consort.

Ancient Japan

Asuka period

• Isobe clan [ja]
• Ōmiwa clan
• Mononobe clan
• Owari clan
• Katsuragi clan
• Ōtomo clan
• Soga clan — consort kin in the reigns of Emperor Suiko and Emperor Sushun
  • Soga no Umako and Yamato no Aya no Koma [ja] — assassinated Emperor Sushun

Heian period

Further readings: Sekkan system [ja], in which the Hokke (Fujiwara) clan occupied the posts of Sesshō and Kampaku as maternal relatives of the emperors

• Fujiwara clan — consort kin in the reigns of emperors Kanmu, Saga, Montoku, Seiwa, Murakami, Reizei, En'yū, Ichijō, Sanjō, Go-Ichijō, Go-Suzaku, and Go-Reizei
  • Fujiwara no Yoshifusa — father-in-law of Emperor Montoku
  • Fujiwara no Kaneie — son-in-law of Emperor Murakami, father-in-law of three emperors, maternal grandfather of two emperors
  • Fujiwara no Michinaga — father-in-law of four emperors
  • Fujiwara no Yorimichi — married one granddaughter and one great-granddaughter of Emperor Murakami, father-in-law of Emperor Go-Suzaku and Emperor Go-Reizei
• Taira clan — consort kin in the reigns of emperors Takakura and Antoku
  • Taira no Kiyomori — father of Kenreimon'in

Ancient Korea

• Papyeong Yun clan [ko] — during the reigns of Kings Jungjong, Injong, & Myeongjong of Joseon
• Hong Gyeongju [ko] — father of Royal Noble Consort Huibin Hong [ko] of King Jungjong of Joseon
• Andong Kim clan — especially during the latter Joseon dynasty
• Pungyang Jo clan
• Yeoheung Min clan — there is a Korean saying that "Joseon was founded with a Yeoheung Min clan member (Queen Wongyeong's family), and Joseon was destroyed by a Yeoheung Min clan member (Empress Myeongseong's family)"

Ancient Vietnam

• Dương Tam Kha — Ngô Quyền's brother-in-law
• Lý Công Uẩn — Lê Hoàn's son-in-law
• Trần family — Lý Chiêu Hoàng's spousal family
• Hồ Quý Ly — maternal grandfather of Trần Thiếu Đế
• Mạc Đăng Dung — had his adopted daughter marry Lê Chiêu Tông
• Trịnh lords — consort kin of several Lê emperors