Concubine

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An Imperial concubine during the Ming dynasty

A concubine is a woman engaged in an interpersonal relationship with a man without being married to him, or at least not to the fullest extent of marriage, such that their position is inferior to that of a primary lover. The relationship often involves cohabitation and sexual activity. In polygamous societies, they may be legally married but bear a lower rank than that of the main wife.

History

Abbasid Caliphate

The Baghdad harem

During the age of the Abbasid Caliphate, it was not uncommon for the caliph to have several dozen concubines, who resided in the harem in Baghdad. The harem was heavily guarded and it was said that no man other than the eunuch servants or the caliph himself had ever set foot inside.

In the 9th century, one of the concubines, Qabiha, rose in the ranks to become "Umm Walad" after giving birth to al-Mutawakkil's son, Abu 'Abdallah. Qabiha was also secretly the Ra's Al-Af'a of the Order of the Ancients and used her position to direct the Order's activities from the safety of the Caliphate's court, though her influence started to dwindle following al-Mutawakkil's death in 861.

China

By the time of the Tang dynasty, concubinage was a millennia-old tradition, and the Emperor's consorts were governed by a standardized ranking system. Under the Tang hierarchy, the Empress (皇后; huánghòu) was the head of the harem. Below her was a tier of four consorts (妃; fēi): the Noble Consort (貴妃; guìfēi), the Pure Consort (淑妃; shūfēi), the Virtuous Consort (德妃; défēi), and the Worthy Consort (賢妃; xiánfēi). The third tier consisted of the Nine Imperial Concubines (嬪; pín), followed further down by numerous other subordinate ranks. After Emperor Xuanzong deposed Empress Wang in 724, he never again promoted another consort to Empress. He even kept Yang Yuhuan, with whom he was infatuated, forever at the second-highest rank of guifei, all the way up to her demise in the Mawei Station mutiny. Yang Guifei was a cultural icon in her own time, and as the most famous guifei in history, she remains a household name under that title today.

The harem system had undergone alterations by the time of the Ming dynasty. Under the Ming, below the Empress in descending order were the Imperial Noble Consorts (皇貴妃; huáng guìfēi), the Noble Consorts (貴妃; guìfēi), the Consorts (妃; fēi), and Imperial Concubines (嬪; pín). As was the custom in this era, their feet and breasts were often bound to conform with popular conceptions of beauty although concubines prized for their dancing such as Shao Jun were spared from this practice.

The Zhengde Emperor regarded his concubine Shao Jun highly among others and would use her cat-like skills to spy upon court eunuchs and ministers. Along with her best friend Zhang Qijie, the pair rose to the rank of Imperial Concubine and were poised with the position of Imperial Consort. Because of her talents, the Zhengde Emperor took Shao Jun with him on his expeditions against the Mongols to serve as his spy. After the Zhengde Emperor's death and with the royal court in disarray, Shao Jun joined the Assassin Brotherhood while Zhang decided to stay in the palace as a concubine. When Zhu Houcong was placed on the throne by the Templar eunuchs, becoming the Jiajing Emperor, Zhang rose to the position of Empress and became the Emperor's second wife.

The Tigers using Empress Zhang as bait for Shao Jun

In 1530, the Templars Zhang Yong and Qiu Ju exploited Empress Zhang's friendship with Shao Jun to lure the Assassin back to the Forbidden City, forcing her to deliver a message requesting a meeting. In the meantime, they threatened to kill several concubines they found disobedient. However, their plot was foiled as Shao Jun rescued those concubine and killed Qiu Ju in personal combat, causing Zhang Yong to flee.

Ottoman Empire

Concubinage was also a common practice for the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, with the Ottoman spy Dilara initially being a concubine until the Janissary captain Tarik Barleti arranged for her release.

Following her kidnapping by the British Templars in 1735, Jennifer Scott was sold to Turkish slavers and became a concubine at the Topkapı Palace. By 1757, due to her age, Jennifer was relocated to Damascus to work for the local governor As'ad Pasha al-Azm as a servant, until she was eventually rescued by her half-brother Haytham Kenway and his friend Jim Holden.

Characteristics

In China, it was common practice for prestigious men to have several concubines. For that reason, the Emperor of China usually had thousands of concubines, each of whom were ranked according to a strict hierarchy. As ladies of the court, the concubines were taught the finer arts of music, dance, singing, literature, and embroidery. The highest of the consorts was the Empress, and only she held the official status of wife to the Emperor.

Only heirs of the Empress had the right to be designated crown prince. Despite her prestigious position, concubines of lower rank could potentially climb the hierarchy and succeed her, in which event, she was deposed. Even the most influential concubines paled before the power of the Emperor, who had the authority to order their executions on a whim.

Gallery

• 
  General concubine concept sketches
• 
  Concept art of Zhang Qijie
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  Alternate concept art
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  Zhang Qijie color tests

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
• Assassin's Creed: Embers (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed III (mentioned in Database entry only)
• Assassin's Creed: Forsaken
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
• Assassin's Creed 5: El Cakr
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion (mentioned in Database entry only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm (non-canon)
• Assassin's Creed: Turbulence in the Ming Dynasty (non-canon)
• Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun
• Assassin's Creed: Dynasty
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Siege of Paris
• Echoes of History (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Imperial Jade Seal – Chang'an Wang
• Assassin's Creed: Mirage
• Assassin's Creed: Shadows (mentioned in Database entry only)
• Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game (mentioned only)