In ancient Chinese history, to avoid wars and maintain diplomatic relations between nations, peace was often achieved through marriage policies. Therefore, in many ancient dynasties, numerous princesses were married off to distant lands.
In reality, these women, despite holding high noble titles and being elevated princesses, were ultimately just pawns and became victims of politics. They bore the heavy stone of fate on their shoulders, facing a dark future and troubled love lives.
Especially during the Qing Dynasty, most princesses were designated to marry into Mongolia. What they endured was even more painful than princesses of other dynasties, as they were unable to bear children.
Despite their noble status, these princesses ultimately became pawns, victims of politics.
We all know that the Qing Dynasty was established by the Manchu people, who sought to gain the support of the Mongols to solidify their rule over the Han Chinese. However, there is no free lunch in the world, and the Mongols would not support the Qing without reason. Thus, periodically, the Qing would send a princess for intermarriage.
As for the Mongols, being originally nomadic people, their living standards were not on par with those in the Central Plains, and much of their character was characterized by boldness and recklessness. So, how did a princess accustomed to the luxurious life of the palace fare after arriving in Mongolia?
Many princesses married to Mongolia were largely not treated well; their status was viewed as a gift, and their reception was primarily to resolve diplomatic issues between the two nations. Therefore, in this scenario, Mongolia did not allow these Qing princesses to bear children with Mongolian blood.
Mongolia did not allow these Qing princesses to bear children with Mongolian blood.
Firstly, the princesses married to Mongolia had almost no chance of returning to their homeland. The most surprising fact is that most of them who married in Mongolia could not bear children. In fact, at that time, many princesses married to Mongolia were not treated well, and their status was regarded as a diplomatic gift. Therefore, Mongolia did not permit these Qing princesses to bear Mongolian children.
Moreover, the Mongols had a “bad” tradition that these princesses could not tolerate: when their husbands died, they were required to marry the next generation of the husband’s family, usually the husband’s son or grandson. Thus, this was something that the princesses found hard to accept.
In ancient times, Chinese women valued loyalty above their own lives. So how could they accept such a corrupt tradition? This was also a core reason why they could not bear children, as they themselves did not wish to.
