Princes
The princes of the royal dynasty (同姓王, tóngxìng wáng) were members of the House of Liu, sons or descendants of the Han emperors. The tradition of creating royal sons as princes continued until the Qing dynasty, during which sons of emperors could also be created as lower nobles. The Han emperors initially felt that creating these principalities would strengthen the house, particularly against the other kings. However, these princes became even more dangerous, as they were eligible to succeed the throne.
Several rebellions were attempted by these powerful princes during the reigns of the emperors Jing and Wu. After the Rebellion of the Seven Princes, Emperor Wu reformed the principalities, reducing them to single prefectures and granting superior authority to prime ministers appointed by the central government. The institution continued until the very end of the dynasty, however.
Read more about this topic: Kings Of The Han Dynasty
Famous quotes containing the word princes:
“O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention!
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act,
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“What is saved in the cinema when it achieves art is a spontaneous continuity with all mankind. It is not an art of the princes or the bourgeoisie. It is popular and vagrant. In the sky of the cinema people learn what they might have been and discover what belongs to them apart from their single lives.”
—John Berger (b. 1926)
“They say princes learn no art truly, but the art of horsemanship. The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a prince as soon as his groom.”
—Ben Jonson (c. 1572–1637)