北魏孝文帝构建门阀制新论

Revisiting the Establishment of the System of Dominant Families by Emperor Xiaowen in Northern Wei Dynasty

北魏宗室鲜卑勋贵执政力退化,是促使孝文帝迁都构建门阀制的核心因素。定姓族是北魏皇帝和宗王、八姓勋贵主导,以巩固其政治社会地位为核心,以在官僚体系中处于主体地位的八姓和其他鲜卑勋贵、汉人士族为主要实施对象,自上而下对统治集团内各阶层政治等级秩序的再调整。排斥在门阀制外的代人鲜卑军士,是北魏宗室鲜卑勋贵掌权的武力基础。北魏朝廷为安抚其群体,滥授军阶,使其群体侵占了士族门阀拥有的政治身份和官位,造成孝文帝所建官分清浊、士庶有别的门阀制难以维系,引发胡汉门阀与下层军人、代北六镇酋豪之间的政治残杀,导致北魏灭亡。

The decline in the governing capacity of Xianbei meritorious aristocracies from the imperial clans of Northern Wei constituted the central impetus behind Emperor Xiaowen s decision to relocate the capital and institute the System of Dominant Families.This evaluation of prominent clans,led by the emperor,the princes of imperial clans,and the meritorious aristocracies of eight surnames,aimed at solidifying their political and social standing,focusing primarily on the eight surnames,as well as other Xianbei meritorious aristocrats and Han gentry families occupying key positions within the bureaucratic system.This top-down restructuring of the political hierarchy within the ruling elite encompassed all social strata.The exclusion of Xianbei soldiers from the Dai people from the System of Dominant Families left them as the military backbone supporting the power of the Xianbei meritorious aristocracies of the imperial clans.In an attempt to appease this group,the Northern Wei court indiscriminately conferred military ranks,leading to their encroachment on the political and official positions traditionally held by the gentry and dominant families.Consequently,the System of Dominant Families,characterized by clear divisions in official posts and distinctions between aristocrats and civilians,struggled to endure.Political strife ensued among Hu and Han dominant families,lower-class soldiers,and the chieftains and warlords of the six garrisons in Northern Dai,ultimately contributing to the downfall of the Northern Wei Dynasty.