Bureau of Military Affairs
The Bureau of Military Affairs (Chinese: 樞密院; pinyin: Shūmìyuàn; lit. 'Privy Court') was the central government agency in charge of a state's military forces during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Liao dynasty, Song dynasty and Yuan dynasty. It was headed by the Shumishi (Chinese: 樞密使).
History
Origin
The Shumiyuan (Bureau of Military Affairs) was created by Emperor Daizong of Tang (r. 762-779) for provisional palace secretary work. This bureau was staffed with eunuchs. Although assignments to the Shumiyuan were not regularized, the secretaries wielded great power and were able to influence accession to the throne as well as the appointment and dismissal of chancellors. The two Shumishi ("palace secretaries") and the commanders of the Shence Army were together called the "four nobles" due to their immense influence.[1]
During the
The Shumishi had a deputy called the Vice Military Affairs Commissioner (shumi fushi). The notaries of the Shumiyuan were called qianshu shumiyuan shi while the vice notaries were called tong qianshu shumiyuan shi. Between 1078 and 1089, the commissioner and vice commissioner were called zheng zhangguan and fu zhangguan. Near the end of the
The Shumiyuan was divided into six departments corresponding to the
Decline
In the
Under the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), the post of Shumishi was held by the heir apparent. In practice the post was left vacant and the Shumiyuan was guided by a deputy who was in de facto control over the bureau.[1]
The founder of the
References
- Hucker, Charles O. (1985). A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China. Stanford University Press. p. 436.