Jiaqing Emperor
Contents
Character Profile
| Name: | Yongyan (regnal title: Jiaqing Emperor) |
| Date of Birth: | 13 November 1760 |
| Service: | |
| Rank: | Emperor |
| Nationality: | Chinese |
| Billets: |
Biography
Yongyan, the 15th son of the Qialong Emperor, was the reigning Emperor in 1806, when the Chinese Embassy to England brought back Temeraire with William Laurence and his crew of aviators.
On his accession to the throne, he had chosen "Jiaqing" as the era name for his reign, thus the title "Jiaqing Emperor". He was companion to a male Celestial dragon (possibly Lung Tien Ming or Lung Tien Zhi).
The Emperor's brother, Prince Yongxing, had lost his own chance for the throne by accepting the albino Lung Tien Lien for a companion, despite her inauspicious "mourning colors".
The imperial succession and Celestial dragons
Prince Mianning, the eldest of the Jiaqing Emperor's three sons, was approximately twenty years old. He was widely known as the Crown Prince and the heir apparent to the throne. His companion Celestial, Lung Tien Chuan, was Temeraire's twin brother.
One of the younger sons, Prince Miankai, was about ten years old and had no Celestial companion. Nothing was revealed about the third son beyond his mere existence; his name, relative age, and dragon companionship status are unknown. If the Emperor had any daughters, nothing was said of them.
In order to technically satisfy the tradition that members of the Imperial family were the only worthy companions for Celestial dragons, the Emperor agreed to adopt William Laurence as a fourth son, since Temeraire refused to part with him. Since Laurence soon left China, this had no effect on the internal succession and little effect outside its borders until 1810, when Laurence's nominal status became very useful at the Chinese/Larrakia trading post on the northern coast of Australia.
Deviations from history
Historically, the imperial succession was not determined by birth order. Each Emperor usually left a decree to be opened upon his death, naming his successor. By 1806, the Jiaqing Emperor made no public declaration of his heir.
It is possible that in Temeraire's world, the imperial succession was determined by the Celestial dragons' choice of companions. Prince Yongxing's planned coup was partially based on convincing Temeraire to abandon Laurence and accept Prince Miankai, in whose name Yongxing hoped to rule as imperial regent during the boy's minority.
