Why is the emperor's daughter called princess?

Why is the emperor's daughter called princess?

The origin of the title of "Princess"

"Biography of the Ram in the Spring and Autumn Period" contains: "When a son of heaven marries a woman, he must make a vassal with the same surname; When a vassal marries a woman, he must make the doctor with the same surname. " It means that the son of heaven marries his daughter, which is supreme. He can't get married in person, but only by princes with the same surname. The title of the monarch of the vassal state is "Gong", and "Gong" is married, so it is called "Princess".

However, the title "princess" began to be used in the Warring States period, when the daughter of ordinary princes was also called "princess", because the status of the Zhou royal family had already declined, and the vassal States dared to go beyond it and violated etiquette.

Since the Han dynasty, "princess" can only be used for the emperor's daughter. "Continuation" said: Han system, the son of heaven is a princess, his sister is princess royal, and his grandmother is Grand princess royal. The kings and daughters of the later Han dynasty sealed the princess. "The Emperor Gaozu Gaudi Ji" records that in the twelfth year of Emperor Gaozu, Liu Bang wrote: "Relatives of important officials, or liehou, made themselves officials and endowed them with princesses."

In the early Han dynasty, the system was loose, and the highest ranking princes were almost equivalent to sitting in the vassal state. Moreover, he went beyond the emperor's system and could set up his own officials to collect taxes. Liehou's daughter can also be called "princess".

During the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, the "princess" was also called "princess" or "princess" because it was different from the previous princesses. At this time, all princesses had fiefs, and the titles were preceded by county names or county names. For example, Liu Pu, the aunt of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, is called Princess Guantao. Guantao is in Hebei, now also called Guantao County. The daughter of Emperor Wu of Jin is Princess Pingyang, and Pingyang is the county name. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the prince's daughter was called "Princess". The king's daughter is called a "princess", but none of them can be called a "princess".