Government of the Han Dynasty
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The Han Dynasty lasted over 400 years, and its governmental system was highly complex. The Han Dynasty owed much of its success in following the earlier precedent of the Qin Dynasty, yet the characteristics of the Han administration was unique in itself.
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[edit] Central government
The bureaucratic system of the Han Dynasty can be divided into two systems, the central and the local. As for the central officials, it was headed by the Imperial Chancellor (丞相) in the Former Han, and by the Three Excellencies (三公) in the Later Han. The government structure is formed mainly by a system called Three Lords and Nine Ministers (三公九卿).
[edit] The Excellencies
The names of the excellencies and ministers are also the name for their respective organization. Here is the table of the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers, according to the Book of Han. The English translations here follow that of Rafe de Crespigny, in A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23-220AD).
| Name | Duty | Rank (Salary) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 太傅 (Grand Tutor) |
Honourary head of government | Ten thousand shi (萬石) | Usually there was only one Grand Tutor for the duration of an emperor's reign. |
| 丞相 (Imperial Chancellor) |
The head of government | Ten thousand shi (萬石) | The most senior of the Three Excellencies in Former Han. Abolished in 8 BC, reinstalled by Cao Cao in 208 |
| 御史大夫 (Imperial Counsellor) |
Work as an assistant to the Chancellor and oversee the government | Ten thousand shi | One of the Three Excellencies in Former Han. Abolished in 8 BC, reinstalled by Cao Cao in 208 |
| 太尉 (Grand Commandant) |
Commander in Chief of Armed Forces | Ten thousand shi | The most senior of the Three Excellencies in Later Han. He is the Empire's most senior military commander other than the Emperor. The post was named 大司馬 (Grand Marshall) from 25 to 51. Replaced by the Imperial Chancellor and Counsellor in 208. |
| 大司徒 (Grand Excellency over the Masses) |
Ten thousand shi | One of the Three Excellencies in Later Han. The 大 (Grand) was dropped from the title in 51. Replaced by the Imperial Chancellor and Counsellor in 208. | |
| 大司空 (Grand Excellency of Works) |
Ten thousand shi | One of the Three Excellencies in Later Han. The 大 (Grand) was dropped from the title in 51. Replaced by the Imperial Chancellor and Counsellor in 208. |
[edit] The Nine Ministers
| Name | Duty | Rank(Salary) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 奉常/太常 (Minister of Ceremonies) |
All matters regarding royal temple, education and national ceremony. | Full two thousand shi (中二千石) | |
| 郎中令/光祿勳 (Minister of Household) |
All security matters within the palace and advisor for national policy. | Full two thousand shi | |
| 衛尉 (Minister of the Guards) |
All security matters around the palace. | Full two thousand shi | |
| 廷尉 (Minister of Justice) |
All judicial matters | Full two thousand shi | |
| 太僕 (Minister Coachman) |
Work as charioteer for His majesty and national horse policy. | Full two thousand shi | |
| 典客/大鴻臚 (Minister Herald) |
All matters regarding feudal kings and annual report officers (上計吏) from counties. | Full two thousand shi | |
| 宗正 (Minister of the Imperial Clan) |
All matters regarding royal family. | Full two thousand shi | This post was only given to people of the royal family. |
| 治粟內史/大司農 (Minister of Finance) |
All matters regarding national treasure, public monopoly business and agriculture policy. | Full two thousand shi | |
| 少府/尚书 (Minister Steward) |
All matters regarding royal treasure, nature resources tax, close security of His Majesty and royal daily life. | Full two thousand shi | |
| 中书 (Imperial Secretary) |
All matters regarding writing, drafting, editing and issuing royal decrees. | From several hundred shi |
[edit] Other ministers
Ministers than the Nine Ministers also receive two thousand shi as salary, however their rank are usually lower than the nine ministers. In most case, they are called as Two thousand shi and not ministers (卿).
| Name | Duty | Rank(Salary) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 中尉 (Commandant of the Central)/ 執金吾 (Bearer of the Mace) |
All security matters of the Capital except palace area. | Full two thousand shi | |
| 將作少府 (Court Architect) |
Construction and maintenance of imperial buildings. | Two thousand shi (二千石) | Divided from the Minor Minister in Qin Dynasty. |
| 詹事 (Minister of the Queen) |
All daily life matters of the Queen and Crown Prince. | Two thousand Dan | |
| 典屬國 (Minister of the Protectorate) |
All matters of Imperial protectorate. | Two thousand Dan | Merged into Minister Herald in later Han Dynasty. |
| 內史 (Governor of the Capital) |
Work as the County Governor of imperial capital. | Two thousand Dan | |
| 主爵中尉 (Minister of nobility) |
All matters regarding nobility. | Two thousand Dan |
[edit] Military ranks
Contrary to the civilian positions, the salary of military ranks of the Han Dynasty was not fixed. Furthermore, the many of the military ranks were temporary when needed, such as in the time of war. Once the conflict was over, the temporary military rank would be abolished and the officer who held the temporary rank would be returned to his original rank. In addition, military ranks were also frequently used as honorary titles to reward the civilian administrators. Similarly, commanders who held some military ranks were also allowed to perform civilian administrative duties. Many military ranks were themselves used to create additional or honorary ranks, usually be adding a title as the prefix. There could only be a single commander for each honorary military title, for example, there could only be one General of the Fast Cavalry, one General of the Fast Cavalry on the Left, one General of the Fast Cavalry on the Right, but ranks of all three were equal. The exceptions were the rank of general and ranks lower than (and equal to) deputy general, which might be held by many commanders. It must be noted that although the prefix “huge”(大, dà) were both used for civilian titles such as Grand Excellency over the Masses (大司徒) and military ranks such as Senior General (大将军), it actually meant differently in these cases: there could only be one Grand Excellency over the Masses, while there could be several different senior generals with different titles but equal ranks when honorary titles were created from the original rank. Therefore, the prefix “huge” actually meant “Grand” when used in as a prefix for civilian positions, while it meant “Senior” when used as a prefix for general, the military rank.
| Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 大将军 (dà jiāngjūn) Senior General |
Permanent, also used to create temporary / honorary ranks such as Senior General Assisting the Nation (辅国大将军, fǔguó dà jiāngjūn) | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties, with authority less than that of Three Excellencies |
| 骠骑将军 (piàoqí jiāngjūn) General of the Fast Cavalry |
Permanent, also used to create temporary / honorary ranks such as General of the Fast Cavalry on the Left (左骠骑将军, zuǒ piàoqí jiāngjūn) | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties, with authority less than that of Three Excellencies |
| 车骑将军 (chēqí jiāngjūn) General of Chariots and Cavalry |
Permanent, also used to create temporary / honorary ranks such as General of Chariots and Cavalry (右车骑将军, yòu chēqí jiāngjūn) | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties, with authority less than that of Three Excellencies |
| 卫将军 (wèi jiāngjūn) General of the Garrison |
Permanent, also used to create temporary / honorary ranks, and not to be confused with the much lower ranking General of the Guards (护卫将军, hùwèi jiāngjūn), which originated from the rank of General (将军, jiāngjūn) | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties, with authority less than that of Three Excellencies |
| 征东将军 (zhēngdōng jiāngjūn) General Subduing the East |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 征西将军 (zhēngxī jiāngjūn) General Subduing the West |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 征南将军 (zhēngnán jiāngjūn) General Subduing the South |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 征北将军 (zhēngběi jiāngjūn) General Subduing the North |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 镇东将军 (zhèndōng jiāngjūn) General Stabilizing the East |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 镇西将军 (zhènxī jiāngjūn) General Stabilizing the West |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 镇南将军 (zhènnán jiāngjūn) General Stabilizing the South |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 镇北将军 (zhènběi jiāngjūn) General Stabilizing the North |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 安东将军 (āndōng jiāngjūn) General Safeguarding the East |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 安西将军 (ānxī jiāngjūn) General Safeguarding the West |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 安南将军 (ānnán jiāngjūn) General Safeguarding the South |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 安北将军 (ānběi jiāngjūn) General Safeguarding the North |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 平东将军 (píngdōng jiāngjūn) General Conquering the East |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 平西将军 (píngxī jiāngjūn) General Conquering the West |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 平南将军 (píngnán jiāngjūn) General Conquering the South |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 平北将军 (píngběi jiāngjūn) General Conquering the North |
Temporary in the Western Han Dynasty, became permanent in the Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| 上将军 (shàng jiāngjūn) Colonel General |
Temporary rank only | |
| 前将军 (qián jiāngjūn) General in the Front |
Permanent | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties since the Eastern Han Dynasty, with authority less than that of Nine Ministers |
| 后将军(hòu jiāngjūn) General at the Rear |
Permanent | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties since the Eastern Han Dynasty, with authority less than that of Nine Ministers |
| 左将军(zuǒ jiāngjūn) General on the Left |
Permanent | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties since the Eastern Han Dynasty, with authority less than that of Nine Ministers |
| 右将军(yòu jiāngjūn) General on the Right |
Permanent | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties since the Eastern Han Dynasty, with authority less than that of Nine Ministers |
| 将军 (jiāngjūn) General |
Permanent, most frequently used to create temporary / honorary ranks such as General of the Guards (护卫将军, hùwèi jiāngjūn) | Authorized to perform civilian administrative duties since the Eastern Han Dynasty, authority various, but usually less than that of civilian counterpart |
| 牙门将军 (yámén jiāngjūn) General of the Standard |
Permanent | Lowest ranking general with a title, not to be confused with the lower ranking Lieutenant General (牙将军, yá jiāngjūn) |
| 副将军 (fù jiāngjūn) Deputy General |
Permanent | Commanding up to 10,000 troops |
| 牙将军(yá jiāngjūn) Lieutenant General |
Permanent | Commanding up to 5,000 troops, not to be confused with the higher ranking General of the Standard (牙门将军, yámén jiāngjūn) |
| 偏将军 (piān jiāngjūn) Major General |
Permanent | Commanding up to 3,000 troops |
| 裨将军 (pí jiāngjūn) Brigadier General |
Permanent | Assistant commander to other higher ranking generals, commanding up to 2,000 troops |
| 大都统(dà dūtǒng) Senior Colonel |
Permanent | Commanding up to 1,000 troops |
| 都统(dūtǒng) Colonel |
Permanent | Commanding up to 500 troops |
| 百夫长 (bǎi fū zhǎng) Centurion |
Permanent | Commanding up to 100 troops |
[edit] Local administration
The local official during the former Han Dynasty was different from that of the later Han Dynasty. As for the former Han, there were two administered levels, the commandery (郡) and the county (縣). In the former Han Dynasty the county was a subdivision of a commandery, while in the later era, commandery was the division with more than ten thousand people while county was the division with less than ten thousand people. The entire Han Empire was heavily dependent upon these commandery administrators (郡太守), as they could decide military policy, economic regulations, and legal matters in the county they presided over.
The Later Han introduced thirteen provinces (州), which supervises the commanderies. The provinces were headed by Governors (牧), ranked at two thousand shi, and Inspectors (刺史), ranked at six hundred shi. Parallel to these two civilian positions, there were two military positions: Viceroy (都督) at provincial level and Protector-Supervisor (都尉) at the commandery level. Both would also perform the jobs of civilian officials in the time of war, but during peace time, their job was to help their civilian counterparts to decide military policy.
[edit] Official ranks and salaries
The ranks of imperial official was decide by their annual salary, it divided into fourteen different rank. The shi (石) was a unit of weight which was about 66 kg. When it was used in salary means equalviant weight of grain. Their salary was paid in half grain and half cash. Here is the list of ranks. For example, all official will receive their salary monthly, the Six hundred Dan officer will receive 50 Dan of grain monthly but half of them were paid in cash as same as the grain market price.
- Ten thousand shi (萬石) - The level of the Three Excellencies.
- Full two thousand shi (中二千石) - The level of Nine Ministers.
- Two thousand shi (二千石) - Mainly for commandery administrators.
- Equivalent to two thousand shi (比二千石).
- One thousand shi - Mainly for the Deputy of Nine ministers.
- Eight hundred shi
- Six hundred shi (六百石) - The level for the Mayor of moderate size counties.
- Equivalent to six hundred shi (比六百石)
- Five hundred shi.
- Four hundred shi.
- Three hundred shi.
- Two hundred shi.
- One hundred shi.
- Fifty shi (五十石).
[edit] Notes and references
- de Crespigny, Rafe (2007). A biographical dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0.
