Quick Answer: What Was the Li Zicheng Rebellion?
Li Zicheng (李自成, Lǐ Zìchéng) rose among the rebellions against the late Ming. He established Great Shun (大顺, Dà Shùn) at Xi’an in 1644, and his army took Beijing that spring. After defeat at Shanhai Pass (山海关, Shānhǎiguān), Li withdrew. Qing troops entered Beijing, and Li’s remaining armies were driven out of their northwestern base in 1645. [1][3][4][7]
- 1630s: Li became a leader in a shifting field of rebel groups.
- 1644: Shun seized the Ming capital but failed to keep it.
- 1645: Qing forces forced Li out of Xi’an and pursued him southward. [1][2][3][7]
The end of the Ming court at Beijing, the collapse of Shun and the extension of Qing control took place in separate stages. [3][4][5]
The army that took Beijing was built in campaigns across northern and central China. Its commanders still had to reckon with an armed force at the pass connecting the capital region with the northeast.
How Li Rose Among the Late Ming Uprisings
Rebellions spread through the northwest in the late 1620s and 1630s amid famine, shortages of military pay and disruptions to local employment. The Ming dynasty had to move troops against armed groups in the interior while defending its northeastern frontier. The History of Ming describes Li as a former postal relay worker before he emerged as a rebel leader. [1][2][3]
Li fought alongside Gao Yingxiang (高迎祥, Gāo Yíngxiáng), a leader who used the title Dashing King (闯王, Chuǎng Wáng). Li took the title after Gao’s defeat. Ming troops badly damaged Li’s following in 1638, but he survived. The official history describes him rebuilding his strength as he moved into famine-struck Henan, where people joined his forces. [1][2][3]
How the Rebels Built the Shun Government
Li’s forces captured Luoyang in 1641 and repeatedly attacked Kaifeng. A breach of the Yellow River dikes during the siege in 1642 sent water into the city. Archaeological work has identified thick flood deposits and evidence that the walls trapped water inside. The deposits can help reconstruct the flood’s path. They provide no direct evidence of who opened the dikes. [1][2][6]
Li built a political base at Xiangyang and appointed officials. His army took Tong Pass and Xi’an in 1643. Early in 1644 he declared a regime called Great Shun and adopted the era name Yongchang. The official history lists officials responsible for appointments, revenue, rites and war. Li was preparing to govern territory while his forces were still campaigning. [1][2][7]
The Shun army advanced from Xi’an through Shanxi and approached Beijing from the northwest. As the capital fell in April, the Chongzhen Emperor (崇祯帝, Chóngzhēn Dì) died by suicide. Li’s government took over the palace, appointed some former Ming officials and demanded money from others. Controlling the capital gave Li access to experienced officials, but it also brought the immediate cost of paying troops and maintaining a court. [1][3][4]
Why Shun Lost Beijing So Quickly
Wu Sangui (吴三桂, Wú Sānguì) had commanded troops for the Ming. His force held Shanhai Pass, on a route from the northeast into the North China Plain. As Li marched to confront him, Wu sought help from Dorgon (多尔衮, Duō’ěrgǔn), the Qing regent. Their forces defeated the Shun army in May 1644. The decision at the pass brought a new army into the contest over Beijing. [1][3][4][7]
Li returned to Beijing and withdrew west before Dorgon entered the city. The Qing dynasty pursued him and took Tong Pass in 1645. Li abandoned Xi’an and retreated through central China. The History of Ming gives conflicting accounts of his death that year. The main Shun government did not recover. [1][3][4][7]
What the Rebellion Changed and What the Sources Can Show
Officials in Nanjing received unreliable reports for weeks after Beijing fell. Ming officials established a new court at Nanjing, the first of the regimes called Southern Ming (南明, Nán Míng). The loss of Beijing ended one court while leaving several armies and rival governments fighting for territory. [4][5]
The History of Ming preserves detailed itineraries, appointments and accounts of rival armies. Its compilers wrote under the Qing and described Li as a rebel against lawful rule. Their records can be compared with modern work on the Ming’s military breakdown and with physical evidence from Kaifeng. The military studies help explain why a weakened Ming court lost its capital, while the deposits at Kaifeng preserve evidence of what the earlier fighting cost one city. [1][2][3][6]
FAQs About the Li Zicheng Rebellion
Was Li Zicheng’s Shun government part of the Qing dynasty?
Great Shun was Li Zicheng’s own regime, declared at Xi’an. The Qing was a rival state. Its forces defeated Shun at Shanhai Pass and entered Beijing after Li withdrew. [1][3][4]
Who captured Beijing from the Ming in 1644?
Li Zicheng’s Shun army took Beijing from the Ming in April 1644. Qing forces entered the city after defeating Li’s army and after he had withdrawn. [1][3][4]
How did Li Zicheng die?
Li died in 1645 during his retreat. The History of Ming includes versions in which he died by suicide or was killed by villagers. It also reports that a body could no longer be reliably identified. The exact circumstances remain uncertain. [1][7]
出典
[1] Zhang Tingyu and other Qing-era compilers. History of Ming, Volume 309: Biographies of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong
[2] Kenneth M. Swope. The Military Collapse of China’s Ming Dynasty, 1618–44
[3] Frederic Wakeman Jr.. The Fall of Beijing, in The Great Enterprise
[4] Jerry Dennerline. The Shun-chih Reign, in The Cambridge History of China
[5] Lynn A. Struve. The Southern Ming, 1644–1662, in The Cambridge History of China
[6] Michael Storozum and colleagues. Geoarchaeological Evidence of the AD 1642 Yellow River Flood That Destroyed Kaifeng
[7] EBSCO Research Starters. Li Zicheng’s Revolt