生平

鳌拜的伯父费英东早年追随努尔哈赤起兵，是清朝的元勋之一，二哥卓布泰是清初军功卓著的战将。鳌拜本人亦随皇太极征讨各地，战功赫赫，不但是一员骁勇战将，而且也是皇太极的心腹。

崇德二年（1637），清军进攻牵制辽东的明军重要基地皮岛（今朝鲜椵岛），鳌拜第一个登岛。皮岛被攻克后，鳌拜以首功晋为三等男爵，赐巴图鲁勇号。

顺治元年（1644年）清军入关，鳌拜率军攻闯王、定北京，征湖广，驰骋疆场，冲锋陷阵，为清王朝征服中原立下汗马功劳。1646年鳌拜出征四川张献忠大西军，在南充大破大西军军营，斩张献忠于阵，因此以首功被顺治帝超升为二等公，授议政大臣、领侍卫内大臣（皇帝禁卫军司令），自此，鳌拜参议清廷大政。

顺治十八年（1661年）顺治帝驾崩，玄烨（康熙，即清圣祖）八岁即位，顺治帝遗诏，由索尼、遏必隆、苏克沙哈、鳌拜四大臣辅政。当时鳌拜在四辅政大臣中地位最低，但因索尼年老多病，遏必隆生性庸懦，苏克沙哈因曾是摄政王多尔衮旧属，为其它辅政大臣所恶，因此鳌拜才得以擅权。

鳌拜结党营私，日益骄横，竟发展到不顾康熙的意旨，先后杀死户部尚书苏纳海、直隶总督朱昌祚、巡抚王登联等政敌，甚至还用诬陷并赐死了同为辅政大臣的苏克沙哈，引起朝野惊恐。康熙震怒，设计擒拿鳌拜，假意与一群小内监在宫内练习「布库」（即摔跤，满族的一种角力游戏），鳌拜以为康熙做的事是小孩子的游戏，不以为意。康熙并联络了兵部尚书王弘祚、兵部左侍郎署武英殿事黄锡衮，要他们在朝廷捉拿鳌拜时，控制京师的部队，避免鳌拜一党作乱。

康熙八年（1669年）五月，鳌拜入宫时，据说康熙帝让鳌拜到南书房谈话，内侍请鳌拜坐在椅子上（但椅脚已被动过手脚），而另一位内侍在其后扶著椅子。康熙命内侍赐茶（其实茶碗用热水煮过），鳌拜接茶，茶碗烫手，砰然坠地。鳌拜低头时，扶椅子的内侍乘势一推，鳌拜跌倒。于是康熙大骂曰：「鳌拜！大不敬！」。立刻命这群专门「布库」的小内监出来，扑向跌倒的鳌拜，将之拿下。康亲王杰书等宣布鳌拜三十条罪状，廷议当斩。康熙念鳌拜历事三朝，效力有年，不忍加诛，仅命革职，籍没拘禁，其党羽或死或革，其孙女婿敬谨亲王兰布降为镇国公。在鳌拜死于禁所后，其子纳穆福后获释。

身后

康熙五十二年（1713年）康熙帝因为鳌拜的功绩，将他平反，追赠一等男。雍正帝复赐一等公，世袭罔替，赐号超武。乾隆四十五年（1780年），乾隆帝宣谕群臣，追复鳌拜功罪，命停袭公爵，仍袭一等男；并命当时为鳌拜诬害诸臣有褫夺世职者，各旗察奏，录其子孙。

世系

• 苏完部酋长索尔果

　• 长子阿都巴颜

　• 次子一等信勇公费英东

　　• 七子一等雄勇公图赖

　　• 十子查喀尼

　• 三子琥尔哈齐巴颜

　• 四子音达户齐墨尔根

　• 五子吴尔汉

　• 六子巴本

　• 七子朗格

　• 八子雅尔巴

　• 十子安盖费扬古

　• 九子卫齐

　　• 次子卓布泰

　　• 三子一等超武公鳌拜

　　　• 独子纳穆福

　　　　• 长子双福

　　　　• 次子达理善

　　　　　• 独子岱敏

　　　　　　• 独子德清

　　　　• 三子一等男达福

　　　　　• 独子岱屯

　　　　　　• 长子德成

　　　　　　• 次子德胜

　　　　　　• 三子德明

　　　　　　• 四子德兴

　　• 四子巴哈

　　　• 苏勒达

　　　　• 一等男苏赫

　　• 五子上驷院大臣萨哈

　　• 六子穆里玛

　　• 七子三等侍卫索山

影视形象

因其武勇形象，鳌拜常在小说和影视作品中被演绎为「满洲第一勇士」。

注释

文献

• 《清史稿》列传三十六（卷249）

• 《康熙朝实录》

• (清)鳌拜 - 中央研究院 - 历史语言研究所 - 明清档案工作室

;民间 - 维基文库

• 竹叶亭杂记/卷一

• 啸亭杂录/卷一

Early life and military career

Oboi was born to the Manchu Gūwalgiya clan, which had been distinguishing itself militarily since Oboi's grandfather Solgo submitted to Nurhaci (1559–1626) in 1588. Under the Manchu Banner organization created by Nurhaci, Oboi's branch of the family was registered under the Bordered Yellow Banner which came under the command of Nurhaci's son Hong Taiji (1592–1643). Oboi's father Uici (卫齐) (d. 1634) was a senior military officer who was once garrison commander of the Manchu capital city Mukden while his paternal uncle Fiongdon was one of Nurhaci's most trusted generals.

Oboi's childhood and early years are relatively obscure. Being his father's third son, he was not destined to inherit the family's hereditary position in the Banner hierarchy. Oboi was first mentioned in official Qing history in the Veritable Records of Qing Taizong Taiji (清太宗实录) in 1632, documenting his triumphant return from a minor raid into Ming territories in which he was allowed to keep his spoils as reward.

Oboi officially started his military career in 1634 during the reign of Hong Taiji as a junior officer in the Banner's cavalry guard unit in which capacity he distinguished himself many times in battle against Ming forces and was renowned for his personal bravery. For this, he was granted a hereditary commission as captain of a company (niru i janggin). In 1633 and 1634 he took part in campaigns against the Chahar Mongols, whose leader Ligdan Khan submitted to the Manchus in 1635.

In 1637 during the Manchu's second campaign against Korea, Oboi volunteered and succeeded in capturing the small but strategically important Ka Island (then known as "Pidao" in Chinese) south of the Yalu River, from which the Ming army had led operations against the Liaodong peninsula, the main focus of armed conflict between the Manchus and the Ming. After a difficult amphibious landing followed by desperate hand-to-hand combat the defending Ming garrison was annihilated. For this achievement he was promoted to the rank of a hereditary colonel third-class and bestowed the rare honorific title of "Baturu" (巴图鲁), which means "(brave) warrior" in Manchu. In 1641, Oboi again distinguished himself in battle scoring five victories in as many encounters in the consecutive sieges of Jinzhou and Songshan, two of the last Ming strongholds in Liaodong. He was promoted to full colonel and given command of the Bayarai guards of the Bordered Yellow Banner.

After the death of Hong Taiji in 1643, Oboi supported the late ruler's eldest son Hooge over Dorgon during the ensuing succession crisis. Despite Hooge's faction losing out to Dorgon's proposed compromised candidate, Hong Taiji's youngest son Fulin, Oboi continued to participate in military campaigns through the Qing dynasty's successful invasion of China in 1644. His rise in the Bordered Yellow Banner hierarchy continued apace with the Qing conquest of the Ming. In 1645 he was promoted to the rank of general. From 1644 to 1648 Oboi was part of the armies that fought bandit and self declared emperor Li Zicheng (nemesis of the last Ming emperor), bandit king Zhang Xianzhong, and the remnants of Zhang's armies after Zhang was killed in 1647. Draft History of Qing claims that in early 1647 during the campaign to pacify Sichuan, Oboi was responsible for slaying Zhang in battle. However other Qing records show an entirely different account, one where one of Zhang's commanders, Liu Jinzhong defected to the Qing after fearing being the next victim of Zhang's ongoing purge and execution of his own commanders and soldiers, leading the Qing soldiers and Haoge directly to Zhang Xianzhong's camp where Zhang was alerted to their presence and decided to confront them with only 8 to 10 men. Zhang was shot and killed by an anonymous archer from the Qing army after Liu identified Zhang to the Qing troops. Oboi is nowhere mentioned in this other account as being responsible for Zhang Xianzhong's death nor was Zhang beheaded in this account.

In 1648, when Hooge was imprisoned and convicted by Dorgon, Oboi was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to loss of rank. Despite his demotion, in 1648 and 1649 he took part in a campaign to extirpate Ming turncoat Jiang Xiang (姜瓖; d. 1649)––who had now turned against the Qing––from his base in Datong (Shaanxi, north China).

Persecution and rehabilitation

As a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner, Oboi's loyalty to his Banner master was crucial to his rapid advancement during the years when Hong Taiji commanded the Banner. However, after Hong Taiji's death, Oboi's loyalty to his new Banner master Hooge became a political liability. When Dorgon who commanded the White and Bordered White Banners became regent to the young Shunzhi Emperor, he sought to weaken the influence of the other Banners at court by purging the ranks of their senior commanders. Just as Hooge was arrested and eventually died in prison, in 1648 Oboi was stripped of his rank and titles under a charge of claiming false victories in battle. Later he was found guilty of a more serious crime of conspiracy to elect Hooge as emperor during the succession dispute after Hong Taiji's death. This later charge carried with it the death penalty, however the sentence was commuted while he continued to command troops against Ming loyalists. The charges against Oboi were most likely politically motivated and were rehabilitated in 1651 after Dorgon's death. Oboi for his unswerving loyalty to his Banner and services to the Qing government was appointed a cabinet minister by Shunzhi Emperor, who also bestowed on him the title of Marquis of the First Rank.

The extent of the Shunzhi Emperor's trust in Oboi's loyalty can be gauged by the honours the emperor showered on him. In 1652 after Shunzhi successfully purged the court of the more powerful elements in Dorgon's faction, Oboi was elevated to a hereditary Duke of the Second Rank and more importantly appointed the commander of the imperial bodyguard (领侍卫内大臣), a job which doubled as the de facto police chief in the capital. In this capacity Oboi acted as Shunzhi's much feared enforcer against Dorgon's old cohorts and helped to consolidate power to the throne and the Emperor's own "Upper Three Banners". During the period of Shunzhi's personal rule, Oboi was responsible for the arrest and execution of a number of noblemen found guilty of one crime or another. Although there is no doubt that these executions were carried out with the approval of Shunzhi, it is not surprising that after the emperor's death, Oboi, given his ruthless character and position in court, when left uncontrolled by a higher authority would eventually come to dominate court politics creating a deep state centered on himself.

Regency

The Shunzhi Emperor died from smallpox on February 5, 1661, at the age of 24. On his deathbed he appointed four "Executive Ministers" (辅政大臣) commonly referred to as regents to "assist" his eight-year-old son Xuanye to govern the country until the young emperor reached the age of maturity at 16. The four ministers in their order of seniority were Sonin of the Yellow Banner, who apart from being chief minister of the Imperial Household Department (内务府大臣) was also nominated by Empress Dowager Zhaosheng to head the regency. The second minister on the list was Suksaha of the White Banner. Originally a trusted deputy of Dorgon, Suksaha was politically astute enough to switch sides immediately after the former regent's death when the court was still dominated by Dorgon's associates. By the time of the Shunzhi Emperor's death he was one of the emperor's most trusted courtiers. Then came Ebilun and Oboi, both members of the Bordered Yellow Banner. The Shunzhi Emperor's succession plan set a precedent for the Qing dynasty of nominating courtiers who owed their loyalty to the crown to "assist" a young emperor during the years of minority in running the state. This reflected the lesson learned from Dorgon's regency, when the regent grew almost too powerful for the emperor to control. Unfortunately, this system of appointing ministers to oversee the government during an emperor's minority proved not to be a very stable political device after all.

Three of the four ministers, Sonin, Ebilun and Oboi were members of the "Two Yellow Banners" (i.e. Yellow Banner and Bordered Yellow Banner) previously under the command of the Shunzhi Emperor's elder brother Hooge. Because of the personal and political rivalries between Hooge and Dorgon, all three men were persecuted at one time or another during Dorgon's regency for their Banner affiliation. However their loyalty thus proven was also key to their rapid advancement after Dorgon's death. It was a major factor in Shunzhi's choice of personnel to oversee his son's regency. However Shunzhi's arrangement heightened the already sensitive relationship between the three members of the Yellow Banners and Suksaha who belonged to the White Banner. Suksaha was a much despised figure at this point not only because he was a member of the White Banner in an imperial court dominated by the two Yellow Banners, but also because he gained the Shunzhi Emperor's trust by denouncing his former master Dorgon, an action seen by his colleagues including members of the White Banner as disloyal.

In the first years of the regency, the tension between the Yellow Banners faction and Suksaha was kept in check by the even handed Sonin and thus the four ministers maintained a relatively peaceful and efficient working relationship. But the dynamics of the regency began to change as Sonin's health deteriorated due to old age. As Sonin gradually took more time off, Oboi monopolized decision making by dominating the indecisive Ebilun and worked to sideline Suksaha during policy discussions especially on issues concerning welfare of the Manchu Eight Banners. By 1667 when Sonin realized he did not have long to live, he tried a last-ditch effort to restore balance to the regency and neutralize Oboi's rapidly expanding power clique by petitioning the then 14-year-old Kangxi Emperor to assume personal rule ahead of schedule. Thus Kangxi formerly took over the reins of power in an ascension ceremony on August 25, 1667, a month after Sonin's death. This was followed by an official decree technically downgrading the three remaining ministers to the status of "advisers" (佐政大臣) while still remaining at their posts. However even with the formal authority of office, the young Kangxi Emperor found it difficult to curb the growing power of Oboi.

Conflict with the Kangxi Emperor

Oboi forced the young Kangxi Emperor to execute Suksaha and his family. He controlled Ebilun completely and then finally established a system of near absolute rule under himself.

The Kangxi Emperor took power earlier than expected at the age of 15 in 1669. The emperor suddenly had Oboi arrested on 30 charges. Oboi was sentenced to death but it was reduced to imprisonment in consideration of his achievements. Some sources say that he displayed the many wounds on his body that had been received in the defense of Kangxi's great-grandfather Nurhaci, this act had apparently moved the Kangxi Emperor to pardon Oboi.

Oboi was posthumously rehabilitated. The Kangxi Emperor issued a pardon in 1713, while his successor, the Yongzheng Emperor, granted Oboi the rank of a First Class Duke and the posthumous title Chaowu (超武 "exceedingly martial") but Yongzheng's successor, the Qianlong Emperor, gave Oboi the lower title of First Class Baron after reviewing his merits and demerits.

In popular culture

Oboi appears as an antagonist in the early part of the wuxia novel The Deer and the Cauldron by Jin Yong. In the novel, he is depicted as a cruel, power-hungry regent plotting to usurp the throne from the Kangxi Emperor. With help from the protagonist Wei Xiaobao, the emperor manages to remove Oboi from power and imprison him. Oboi is eventually killed in prison by Wei Xiaobao.

In the 2017 Chinese TV series Legend of Dragon Pearl Oboi is portrayed by Xiao Rongsheng. Oboi is shown to be an oppressive roadblock for the Kangxi Emperor in his mission regain his full political power and reaffirm his sovereignty.