The Imperial Clan Court ' onMouseout='HidePop("89475")' href="/topics/Manchu_language">Manchu

Manchu language

Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...

: uksun be kadalara yamun), or Court of the Imperial Clan, was an institution

Institution

An institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human community...

 responsible for all matters pertaining to the imperial family under the Ming

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

 and Qing

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

 dynasties of imperial China

Imperial China

Imperial China may refer to:* Imperial era of Chinese history , divided into three major periods:** Early Imperial China** Mid-Imperial China** Late Imperial China...

. Established in 1389 by the Hongwu Emperor

Hongwu Emperor

The Hongwu Emperor , known variably by his given name Zhu Yuanzhang and by his temple name Taizu of Ming , was the founder and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China...

, it was based on previous institutions like the "Court of the Imperial Clan" (Zōngzhèng sì 宗正司) of the Tang

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

 and Song

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

 dynasties, and the "Office of the Imperial Clan" (Tài zōngzhèng yuàn 太宗正院) of the Yuan Dynasty

Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...

.

Under the Ming dynasty, the Court was managed by the Ministry of Rites

Ministry of Rites

The Ministry of Rites was one of the Chinese Three Departments and Six Ministries which existed from the time of the Tang Dynasty until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 brought an end to Imperial China. Prior to its formation, the tasks given to the Ministry were assigned to officials such as the...

 (Lĭbù 禮部), but it was outside the regular bureaucracy during the Qing. Under both dynasties, the Court was staffed by members of the imperial clan. It used regular reports on births, marriages, and deaths to compile the genealogy

Genealogy

Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...

 of the imperial clan (Yudie 玉牒). The imperial genealogy was revised 28 times during the Qing dynasty. Qing imperial clansmen were registered under the Eight Banners

Eight Banners

The Eight Banners were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. They provided the basic framework for the Manchu military organization...

, but were still under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Clan Court. Imperial clansmen who committed crimes were not tried through the regular legal system.