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Eight Banner System

Type Object Region Manchu Time c. 1601

The organizational system of the Later Jin (predecessor of the Qing) that grouped military and civilian populations by banner color and managed both …

Timeline

  1. c. 1601–1614Hetu Ala · LiaoningNurhaci integrated Jianzhou Jurchens by niru (units of three hundred men) and established yellow, white, red, and blue banners, forming the early form of the banner-based military organization and laying the foundation for the expansion to eight banners in 1615.
  2. c. 1615Hetu Ala · LiaoningOn the basis of the original four plain banners, the four bordered banners of bordered yellow, bordered white, bordered red, and bordered blue were added, totaling eight banners; banner people held both military and household registration, with land, levies, and rewards-punishments allocated by banner, becoming the core pillar of the Later Jin state apparatus.
  3. 1618–1620Liaodong front · LiaodongIn 1618, Nurhaci rallied troops to attack Ming with the 'Seven Great Grievances,' and the Eight Banners mobilized armored soldiers by banner for the campaign; after the 1619 Battle of Sarhu, the Later Jin used Eight Banner mobility and concentrated forces to rapidly shift the strategic situation in Liaodong.

Sources