| Prince Gong of the First Rank | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 和碩恭親王 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 和硕恭亲王 | ||||||||
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Prince Gong of the First Rank (Manchu: ᡥᠣᡧᠣᡳ
ᡤᡠᠨᡤᠨᡝᠴᡠᡴᡝ
ᠴᡳᠨ ᠸᠠᠩ; hošoi gungnecuke cin wang), or simply Prince Gong, was the title of a princely peerage used in China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1644–1912). It was passed down over two different family lines within the Aisin Gioro clan.
The first bearer of the Prince Gong title in the first family line was Changning (1657–1703), the fifth son of the Shunzhi Emperor. He was awarded the title in 1671 by his brother, the Kangxi Emperor. As the Prince Gong peerage was not awarded "iron-cap" status, this meant that each successive bearer of the title would normally start off with a title downgraded by one rank vis-à-vis that held by his predecessor. However, the title would generally not be downgraded to any lower than a feng'en fuguo gong except under special circumstances. It was passed down over ten generations and held by ten persons.
The first bearer of the Prince Gong title in the second family line was Yixin (1833–1898), the sixth son of the Daoguang Emperor. He was awarded the title in 1850 by his father. In 1872, during the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor, the second Prince Gong peerage, unlike the earlier one, was granted "iron-cap" status. This meant that the title could be passed down without being downgraded. The title was passed down over four generations and held by three persons.