鲁藩的《族约》——明代宗藩的自治主张

Self-Governance of the Elites:A Study of the Clan Covenant of the Royal Clan Branch in Lu during the Ming Dynasty

明成化以后,随着宗藩数量的增加,对这一群体如何进行更有效的管理,不仅是朝廷的议题,也是宗藩成员关注的事项。以此为背景,本文具体考察弘治年间山东鲁王府修订的《族约》。鲁藩《族约》明确说明其内容采自蓝田《吕氏乡约》,以此获得道德性和政治正确性。与《皇明祖训》规定的管理措施不同,也与当时朝臣提出的保全宗藩的建议有别,鲁藩《族约》以自治和互助为内容,强调精英成员在王府管理中的作用。鲁藩《族约》是明代中期一部分宗藩自我认识、自我管理主张的表达。《族约》收入于鲁府宗室编纂的《鲁藩别乘》,也是鲁王府声望建设的一部分。

After the Chenghua reign of the Ming dynasty,the increase of royal clan members became a crucial issue for both the Ming government and some royal clan members themselves.During the Hongzhi reign,the royal clan members under the umbrella of vassal state Lu(鲁)created a Clan Covenant,which was modeled after the classic Lüshi Community Covenant.This covenant proposed self-governance,mutual assistance,and the leadership of elites to achieve order within the royal clan communities.Differed from the August Ming Ancestral Instructions by Emperor Taizu of the Ming and the approaches of the mi-Ming officials,this covenant suggests that the elite group of the royal clan should play a key role in the self-governance of the royal clan communities in local level.This document thus constitutes a unique window to examine the self-identity,self-regulation,and reputation construction efforts of the royal clan members in this period.