The Eight Banners (In Manchu: jakūn gūsa, Chinese: 八旗 bāqí) were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. They provided the basic framework for the Manchu military organization. The fundamental building block of the banners was the company (Manchu: niru, Chinese: 佐領 zuǒlǐng), some of which reflected pre-existing lineage or tribal connections in their membership, while others deliberately overrode such connections in an effort to create a more centralized military force. Each company was, in principle, required to furnish 300 troops to the larger banner army.
Read more about Eight Banners: Establishment, Ethnic Components, Banner Soldiers, Green Standard Army, Hierarchical Structure, Eight Banners, Effectiveness, Existence
Famous quotes containing the word banners:
“Those banners come to bribe or threaten
Or whisper that a man’s a fool
Who when his own right king’s forgotten
Cares what king sets up his rule.
If he died long ago
Why do you dread us so?”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)