Item number: A991

Year: AD 1616-1626

Material: Brass

Size: 26.8 x 26.1 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 5.05 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is the “Tianming Khan Coin,” a Manchu brass coin minted by Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Empire. In the 44th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1616), Nurhaci declared the establishment of the Later Jin state with the era name “Tianming” at Hetu Ala, located in present-day Liaoning Province. This coin was issued after the formal announcement of the Later Jin state, marking the beginning of a political entity that would later challenge the Ming Empire.

The design of this coin emulates the square-holed cash coins used by the Ming Empire. On the obverse, the coin features inscriptions in Old Manchu script—the script used by the Manchus before their conquest of China, which lacks the circular dots that later marked Manchu characters. The characters are arranged in a sequence following the left, right, top, and bottom order: “ᠠᠪᡴᠠᡳ” (Heaven), “ᡶ᠋ᠣᠯᡳ᠍ᡢᡴᠠ” (Mandate), “ᡴᠠᠨ” (Khan), and “ᠵᡳᡴᠠ” (Coin). The first two characters together represent Nurhaci’s reign title, “Tianming,” while the latter two mean “Khan’s coin.” The reverse side of the coin is plain, without any additional markings.

In addition to minting these Manchu-script coins, Nurhaci also produced a series of copper coins inscribed with the Chinese characters “Tianming Tongbao.” The Manchu-script coins are generally larger in diameter compared to the Chinese-script versions.

In AD 1234, after the Mongols defeated the Jurchens in northern China, leading to the fall of the Jin Dynasty, the remaining Jurchen forces retreated to their ancestral lands in the northeastern region, gradually reverting to a tribal state. During the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchens were broadly divided into three major groups: the Jianzhou Jurchens, the Haixi Jurchens, and the Wild Jurchens. Nurhaci, who was from the Jianzhou Jurchens—a group that had frequent interactions with the Ming Empire—belonged to a family that initially served the Ming.

However, in AD 1583, after his grandfather and father were mistakenly killed by the Ming, Nurhaci resolved to rebel. He subsequently unified the various Jurchen tribes and gradually encroached on Ming territories beyond the Great Wall. In AD 1626, Nurhaci died after an unsuccessful attempt to capture Ningyuan Fortress. His unfinished ambitions were carried on by his son, Hong Taiji. In AD 1636, Hong Taiji renamed the state “Great Qing” and rebranded his people as “Manchus.” In AD 1644, Nurhaci’s young grandson, the Shunzhi Emperor, successfully took control of Beijing, becoming the new ruler of the Central Plains.

物件編號: A991

年代: 公元 1616-1626 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 26.8 x 26.1 x 1.3 mm

重量: 5.05 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是奠定清帝國的始祖，努爾哈赤於明萬曆44年 (公元1616年)，於今日遼寧省境內的赫圖阿拉以「天命」為年號，正式宣布成立「後金」政權和明帝國分庭抗禮後，所鑄造的滿文銅錢「天命汗錢」。

錢幣形制仿效明帝國使用的方孔錢。錢幣正面以滿洲人入關前使用的老滿文，即沒有圈點標示的滿文字母，按照左、右、上、下的順序，依序鐫刻「ᠠᠪᡴᠠᡳ」(天)、「ᡶ᠋ᠣᠯᡳ᠍ᡢᡴᠠ」(命)、「ᡴᠠᠨ」(可汗)和「ᠵᡳᡴᠠ」(錢幣) 字樣，前兩個字合併起來為努爾哈赤的年號，後兩個字則有「可汗的錢幣」意思。錢幣背面則是光背。努爾哈赤鑄造滿文錢幣之外，亦同時鑄造一批以漢字標示的「天命通寶」銅錢。前者較後者的直徑來得較大。

公元1234年，女真人於華北的金朝遭到蒙古人消滅後，其殘部退回祖居的東北地區，逐漸回歸到部落狀態。到了明帝國時期，女真人大抵被劃分為「建州女真」、「海西女真」和「野人女真」三大勢力。努爾哈赤出身於跟明帝國有較多互動的建州女真，其家族也是效力於明帝國的一員。然而公元1583年，其祖父和父親遭到明朝誤殺，使其決心反叛並陸續統一女真各部和蠶食明帝國在關外的領土。公元1626年，努爾哈赤攻打寧遠城未果去世，其未盡的遺願由兒子皇太極接續。公元1636年，皇太極將國號改為「大清」並將其族裔稱為「滿洲人」。公元1644年，努爾哈赤年幼的孫子順治成功入主北京，成為中原的新一任統治者。