Shun dynasty
 |
Great Shun 大順 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1644–1645 | |||||||||
| Capital | Xi'an (1644) Beijing (1644-June 5, 1644) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Chinese | ||||||||
| Religion | Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Chinese folk religion | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Emperor | |||||||||
• 1644–1645 | Li Zicheng | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established in Xi'an | February 8, 1644 | ||||||||
• Captured Beijing/Death of Chongzhen Emperor | April 1644 | ||||||||
• Fall of Beijing | June 5, 1644 | ||||||||
• Emperor Li Zicheng killed | 1645 | ||||||||
| Currency | Chinese coin, Chinese cash | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of |  China | ||||||||
The Shun dynasty (simplified Chinese: 顺朝; traditional Chinese: 順朝; pinyin: Shùn cháo), or Great Shun (simplified Chinese: 大顺; traditional Chinese: 大順; pinyin: Dà shùn), was a short-lived dynasty created in the Ming-Qing transition from Ming to Qing rule in Chinese history. The dynasty was founded in Xi'an on 8 February 1644, the first day of the lunar year, by Li Zicheng, the leader of a large peasant rebellion.
Li, however, only went by the title of King (王), not Emperor (皇帝). The capture of Beijing by the Shun forces in April 1644 marked the end of the Ming dynasty, but Li Zicheng failed to solidify his political and military control, and in late May 1644 he was defeated at the Battle of Shanhai Pass by the joint forces of Ming general Wu Sangui who shifted his alliance to the Manchus after the fall of the Ming dynasty, with Manchu prince Dorgon. When he fled back to Beijing in early June, Li finally proclaimed himself Emperor of China and left the capital in a hurry. The Shun dynasty ended with Li's death in 1645.
After the Shun was created, Li Zicheng ordered the soldiers to kill the Ming remnants still existing in Beijing. This resulted in strong rebellions from the forces of the Southern Ming. In addition with the Shun ministers constantly fighting for power, the dynasty effectively lasted less than a year.
Generals and Ministers
- Niu Jinxing (牛金星), chancellor
- Gu Jun'en (顧君恩), staff
- Li Yan (李岩), staff
- Song Xiance (宋獻策), staff
- Liu Zongmin (劉宗敏), general
- Yuan Zongdi (袁宗第)
- Tian Jianxiu (田見秀)
- Hao Yaoqi (郝搖旗), general
- Li Guo (李過), general
- Gao Jie (高傑), general
- Lady Gao (Gao Guiying) (高氏), Li Zicheng's wife and general
Further reading
- Wakeman Frederic (1981). "The Shun Interregnum of 1644", in Jonathan Spence, et al. eds. From Ming to Ch’ing: Conquest, Region, and Continuity in Seventeenth-Century China. Yale University Press.