Jesuits in Emperor Kangxi’s Private Power Network

The close relationship between the Kangxi emperor (1654-1722 CE) and the Jesuits in China was never a secret. The Jesuits touted the relationship in their writings back to Europe, which raised Europeans’ hopes that Kangxi might prove to be an­other Constantine the Great. The Jesuits suggested that they found favor with Kangxi because of his interest in European scholarship. However, many studies have already shown that their relationship was far more involved than the typical student-teacher relationship in European aca­demic settings.

The relationship between Kangxi and the Jesuits was also unusual in Qing political history. The Jesuits had access to the Kangxi emperor despite not pos­sessing proper court titles. Although a few Jesuits held court titles for performing technical tasks such as astronomical observations, these titles did not include access to the emperor. It is widely assumed that the Jesuits’ useful­ness to the Kangxi emperor ensured their access. But usefulness does not mean trust, which was a key element of gaining access to the imperial circle. How were Kangxi and his inner power circle able to trust these foreign priests, eventually enough to use them on a regular basis? What were their identities when they came in and out of Kangxi’s private spaces? Why do the Jesuits’ records open a new window to view Qing rulership? These are the questions of this talk.