Manchu Conquest
Encyclopedia
The Manchu Conquest was a long period of war between the Manchus from the north and the Ming Dynasty
in the south. The Manchus conquered Korea
and Manchuria
, heading south to conquer the Ming. General Wu Sangui
, among others, defected to the Manchu and led to the fall of Beijing
. Soon after, the Kangxi Emperor
ascended the throne and fought off several rebellions and then countered by launching a series of campaigns that expanded his empire.
is retrospectively identified as the founder of the Qing dynasty. In 1616 he declared himself khagan. His unifying efforts gave the Jurchen the strength to assert themselves. In 1618 he proclaimed Seven Grievances against the Ming and seized the city of Fushun
in what is now Liaoning
province in China's northeast
. In a series of successful military campaigns in Liaodong and Liaoxi (east and west of the Liao River
), the Jurchens seized a number of Ming cities including Shenyang
, which they made into the capital of their newly founded "Later Jin" dynasty, named after a Jurchen polity that had ruled over north China several centuries earlier.
Under the inspirational leader Yuan Chonghuan
, the Ming used western artillery to defeat the Jin forces at the Battle of Ningyuan
in 1626. Nurhaci was injured and died soon afterwards, but the Ming failed to seize the chance to counter-attack. The Jurchens' nemesis Yuan Chonghuan was soon purged in a political struggle, while under the leadership of the new khan Hung Taiji the Jurchens kept seizing Ming cities, defeated Joseon Korea
, a crucial ally of the Ming, in 1627 and 1636, and raided deep into China in 1642 and 1643.
in the north, while a mutiny led by Zhang Xianzhong
broke out in Sichuan
in the 1640s. Many people were killed in this self-proclaimed emperor's reign of terror. In 1642 Ming forces besieged Kaifeng and over 300,000 people died. In 1644, at last, Li's forces entered Beijing. The Chongzhen Emperor
committed suicide.
still hoped he could restore the Ming, but was soon cornered by Li Zicheng. He turned to the Manchus, and defeated Li Zicheng's forces at the Battle of Shanhai Pass
with their help. But he effectively invited a Manchu invasion of the rest of China.
The order to make new subjects shave their front hair and wear a pigtail was a profound humilitation for the populace. In 1645, the city of Yangzhou in Jiangsu was the scene of a massacre in which thousands died at Dodo's hands.
A man known as Koxinga
established his own state in Xiamen
. His armies founded alliances with nearby powers against the Manchu, but was driven back to the sea. So he gathered a navy and conquered Taiwan
from the Dutch. He founded the Kingdom of Tungning
in the island, a base of operations against the Manchu. However, he died the same year of his great feat. This ended any idea of a Ming restoration, but the Manchu faced opposition from its inside.
Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi
, and Geng Jimao, the "Three Feudatories", rebelled against the Kangxi Emperor
. They dominated southern China, and Wu declared the "Zhou Dynasty". However, their disunity destroyed them. Shang Zhixin and Geng surrendered in 1681 after a massive Qing counteroffensive.
The Kangxi Emperor
, the one who had crushed the Three Feudatories' revolt, began his own campaigns to expand his empire. In 1683 he dispatched Shi Lang
with a fleet of 300 ships to take Taiwan in 1683 from the wealthy Zheng family. The descendants of Koxinga did not stand a chance against the experienced Manchu troops. He used the Zheng family's knowledge of sea warfare to seize the town of Albazin on the Amur River from Russia
in 1685, giving the Manchus control of all the area south of the river.
Finally, Kangxi gambled on an invasion of the north. Galdan
, leader of the Zunghar Khanate
, prepared to unite the tribes of Mongolia to restore the Mongol Empire
. The Chinese armies of 80,000 led by the Emperor Kangxi himself marched south of Ulaanbaatar to engage the Zunghars. In a brief engagement, the enemy units were pounded by cannon fire and routed. Galdan died one year later.
an capital of Lhasa
. His successors campaigned further, taking over areas of southeast Asia, Persia, Nepal
, and the Indian subcontinent
. In 1710, he orchestrated the standard Kangxi dictionary and gave a written language for Manchu.
The Qing Dynasty would rule until the Wuchang Uprising
in 1911. Puyi
, the last reigning Manchu emperor, officially abdicated the following year. The Qing empire laid the territorial foundation for the modern-day People's Republic of China
.
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
in the south. The Manchus conquered Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, heading south to conquer the Ming. General Wu Sangui
Wu Sangui
Wu Sangui was a Ming Chinese general who was instrumental in the succession of rule to the Qing Dynasty in 1644...
, among others, defected to the Manchu and led to the fall of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Soon after, the Kangxi Emperor
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor ; Manchu: elhe taifin hūwangdi ; Mongolian: Энх-Амгалан хаан, 4 May 1654 –20 December 1722) was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the first to be born on Chinese soil south of the Pass and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.Kangxi's...
ascended the throne and fought off several rebellions and then countered by launching a series of campaigns that expanded his empire.
Jurchen expansion
Jurchen warlord NurhaciNurhaci
Nurhaci was an important Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late sixteenth century in what is today Northeastern China...
is retrospectively identified as the founder of the Qing dynasty. In 1616 he declared himself khagan. His unifying efforts gave the Jurchen the strength to assert themselves. In 1618 he proclaimed Seven Grievances against the Ming and seized the city of Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
in what is now Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
province in China's northeast
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. In a series of successful military campaigns in Liaodong and Liaoxi (east and west of the Liao River
Liao River
The Liao River is the principal river in northeast China . The province of Liaoning and the Liaodong Peninsula derive their names from the river....
), the Jurchens seized a number of Ming cities including Shenyang
Shenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
, which they made into the capital of their newly founded "Later Jin" dynasty, named after a Jurchen polity that had ruled over north China several centuries earlier.
Under the inspirational leader Yuan Chonghuan
Yuan Chonghuan
Yuan Chonghuan was a famed patriot and military commander of the Ming Dynasty who battled the Manchus in Liaoning. A commander of Cantonese origin, Yuan Chonghuan was known to have excelled in artillery warfare and successfully incorporated Western tactics with those of the East...
, the Ming used western artillery to defeat the Jin forces at the Battle of Ningyuan
Battle of Ningyuan
The Battle of Ningyuan was a battle between the Ming Dynasty and the Manchurian Later Jin in 1626. The Ming won this battle. This battle marked the temporary resurgence of the Imperial Ming army after a long series of defeats....
in 1626. Nurhaci was injured and died soon afterwards, but the Ming failed to seize the chance to counter-attack. The Jurchens' nemesis Yuan Chonghuan was soon purged in a political struggle, while under the leadership of the new khan Hung Taiji the Jurchens kept seizing Ming cities, defeated Joseon Korea
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
, a crucial ally of the Ming, in 1627 and 1636, and raided deep into China in 1642 and 1643.
Rebellions
The Ming faced several famines, floods, economic chaos, and rebellions. Li Zicheng rebelled in the 1630s in ShaanxiShaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
in the north, while a mutiny led by Zhang Xianzhong
Zhang Xianzhong
Zhang Xianzhong or Chang Hsien-chung , nicknamed Yellow Tiger, was a Chinese rebel leader who conquered Sichuan Province in the middle of the 17th century. Upon capturing it, he declared himself emperor of the Daxi Dynasty .According to Chinese chronicles, many scholars rejected that claim, so he...
broke out in Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
in the 1640s. Many people were killed in this self-proclaimed emperor's reign of terror. In 1642 Ming forces besieged Kaifeng and over 300,000 people died. In 1644, at last, Li's forces entered Beijing. The Chongzhen Emperor
Chongzhen Emperor
The Chongzhen Emperor was the 16th and last emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China. He reigned from 1627 to 1644, under an era name that means "honorable and auspicious".- Early years :...
committed suicide.
The conquest
After the fall of Beijing to Li Zicheng, Ming commander Wu SanguiWu Sangui
Wu Sangui was a Ming Chinese general who was instrumental in the succession of rule to the Qing Dynasty in 1644...
still hoped he could restore the Ming, but was soon cornered by Li Zicheng. He turned to the Manchus, and defeated Li Zicheng's forces at the Battle of Shanhai Pass
Battle of Shanhai Pass
The Battle of Shanhai Pass, fought on 27 May 1644 at Shanhaiguan at the eastern end of the Great Wall of China, was a decisive battle leading to the formation of the Qing dynasty in China...
with their help. But he effectively invited a Manchu invasion of the rest of China.
The order to make new subjects shave their front hair and wear a pigtail was a profound humilitation for the populace. In 1645, the city of Yangzhou in Jiangsu was the scene of a massacre in which thousands died at Dodo's hands.
A man known as Koxinga
Koxinga
Koxinga is the customary Western spelling of the popular appellation of Zheng Chenggong , a military leader who was born in 1624 in Hirado, Japan to Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife and died in 1662 on the island of Formosa .A Ming loyalist and the arch commander of...
established his own state in Xiamen
Xiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
. His armies founded alliances with nearby powers against the Manchu, but was driven back to the sea. So he gathered a navy and conquered Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
from the Dutch. He founded the Kingdom of Tungning
Kingdom of Tungning
The Kingdom of Tungning was a government that ruled Taiwan between 1661 and 1683. A pro-Ming Dynasty state, it was founded by Koxinga after the Ming government in mainland China was replaced by the Manchu-ruled Qing Dynasty...
in the island, a base of operations against the Manchu. However, he died the same year of his great feat. This ended any idea of a Ming restoration, but the Manchu faced opposition from its inside.
Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi
Shang Kexi
Shang Kexi was a chinese general of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. His family had migrated to Liaodong in 1576 and his father, Shangxue Li, served in the army guarding the northeast frontier. As his father did, Shang Kexi joined the army and guarded the frontier against the attack of the Jurchens...
, and Geng Jimao, the "Three Feudatories", rebelled against the Kangxi Emperor
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor ; Manchu: elhe taifin hūwangdi ; Mongolian: Энх-Амгалан хаан, 4 May 1654 –20 December 1722) was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the first to be born on Chinese soil south of the Pass and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.Kangxi's...
. They dominated southern China, and Wu declared the "Zhou Dynasty". However, their disunity destroyed them. Shang Zhixin and Geng surrendered in 1681 after a massive Qing counteroffensive.
Rise of Emperor Kangxi
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor ; Manchu: elhe taifin hūwangdi ; Mongolian: Энх-Амгалан хаан, 4 May 1654 –20 December 1722) was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the first to be born on Chinese soil south of the Pass and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.Kangxi's...
, the one who had crushed the Three Feudatories' revolt, began his own campaigns to expand his empire. In 1683 he dispatched Shi Lang
Shi Lang
Shi Lang was a Chinese admiral who served under the Ming and Qing Dynasties. He was commander-in-chief of the Manchu fleets which destroyed the power of the Zheng family in the 1660s, and led the conquest of the Kingdom of Tungning in 1681.-Early life and career:Shi Lang was born to a...
with a fleet of 300 ships to take Taiwan in 1683 from the wealthy Zheng family. The descendants of Koxinga did not stand a chance against the experienced Manchu troops. He used the Zheng family's knowledge of sea warfare to seize the town of Albazin on the Amur River from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1685, giving the Manchus control of all the area south of the river.
Finally, Kangxi gambled on an invasion of the north. Galdan
Galdan
Choros Erdeniin Galdan was a Dzungar-Oirat Khan of the Dzungar Khanate. He was the fourth son of Erdeni Baatur Hongtaiji, founder of the Zunghar Khanate, thus Galdan is a descendant of Esen taishi...
, leader of the Zunghar Khanate
Zunghar Khanate
The Zunghar Khanate was a nomadic power on the Eurasian steppe. It covered the area called Dzungaria and stretched from the west end of the Great Wall of China to present-day eastern Kazakhstan, and from present-day northern Kyrgyzstan to southern Siberia .In 1678 Galdan received from the Dalai...
, prepared to unite the tribes of Mongolia to restore the Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
. The Chinese armies of 80,000 led by the Emperor Kangxi himself marched south of Ulaanbaatar to engage the Zunghars. In a brief engagement, the enemy units were pounded by cannon fire and routed. Galdan died one year later.
Aftermath
Kangxi's conquest of Mongolia completed his northern expedition. Before his death in 1722, he expanded his empire as far as the TibetTibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an capital of Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. His successors campaigned further, taking over areas of southeast Asia, Persia, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, and the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. In 1710, he orchestrated the standard Kangxi dictionary and gave a written language for Manchu.
The Qing Dynasty would rule until the Wuchang Uprising
Wuchang Uprising
The Wuchang Uprising began with the dissatisfaction of the handling of a railway crisis. The crisis then escalated to an uprising where the revolutionaries went up against Qing government officials. The uprising was then assisted by the New Army in a coup against their own authorities in the city...
in 1911. Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
, the last reigning Manchu emperor, officially abdicated the following year. The Qing empire laid the territorial foundation for the modern-day People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.