Shun dynasty

The Shun dynasty (simplified Chinese: 顺朝; traditional Chinese: 順朝; pinyin: Shùn cháo), officially the Great Shun
(simplified Chinese: 大顺; traditional Chinese: 大順; pinyin: Dà Shùn), also known as Li Shun (simplified Chinese: 李顺; Great Shun
traditional Chinese: 李 順 ; pinyin: Lǐ Shùn), was a short-lived Chinese dynasty that existed during the Ming–Qing 大順
transition. 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, by proclaiming himself "emperor" (皇帝) instead of the title "king" (王) before founding the 1644–1646
dynasty.

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 defected to the Qing dynasty after the fall of the Ming dynasty, with Manchu
prince Dorgon. When he fled back to Beijing in early June, Li finally proclaimed himself the Yongchang Emperor of the
Great Shun and left the capital the next day after setting the palace ablaze and ransacking the government offices. He
may have intended to resume his Imperial claims later on by proclaiming his accession in the Forbidden City. After the
death of the emperor, Shun remnants joined with the Southern Ming in Nanjing, while continuing to refer to Li as their
"deceased emperor".[1] The Shun dynasty weakened dramatically after the death of Li Zicheng in 1645. The successors,
his brother Li Zijing and nephew Li Guo, could not fight back and the dynasty ended in 1649 when Li Guo died in
Nanning, Guangxi.[2]

After the Shun was created, Li Zicheng ordered the soldiers to kill the Ming remnants still existing in Beijing, resulting in
strong rebellions from the forces of the Southern Ming. With the Shun ministers constantly fighting for power, the The Shun dynasty at its peak in 1644
dynasty effectively lasted less than a year. Status Short-lived
dynasty of
Monarchs China

Capital Xi'an
Personal name (1644)
Period of reign Era names and dates Beijing
(birth–death)
(1644 – 5 June
Lǐ Zìchéng 1644)
李自成 1644–1645
(1606–1645) Common languages Chinese
Lǐ Zìjìng
Yǒngchāng ( 永 昌 ) Religion Buddhism,
李自敬 1645–1646 Taoism,
(?–1646) 1644–1646
Confucianism,
Lǐ Guò Chinese folk
李過 1646 religion
(?–1649)
Government Monarchy
Emperor
Generals and ministers • 1644–1645 Li Zicheng
• 1645–1646 Li Zijing
Niu Jinxing (牛金星), chancellor • 1646 Li Guo
Gu Jun'en (顧君恩), staff History
Li Yan (李岩), staff • Established in Xi'an 8 February
Song Xiance (宋獻策), staff 1644
• Captured April 1644
Liu Zongmin (劉宗敏), general
Beijing/Death of
Yuan Zongdi (袁宗第) the Chongzhen
Tian Jianxiu (田見秀) Emperor
• Proclamation as the 3 June 1644
Hao Yaoqi (郝搖旗), general Yongchang
Li Guo (李過), general and nephew of Li Zicheng Emperor
• Fall of Beijing 5 June 1644
Li Zijing (李自敬), general and younger brother of Li Zicheng, inherited the throne after the death of Li Zicheng
• Surrender to the 1646
Gao Jie (高傑), general Southern Ming
Lady Gao Guiying (高桂英), Li Zicheng's wife and general Currency Chinese coin,
Chinese cash

See also Preceded by Succeeded by

Xi dynasty Ming Qing
Qing dynasty dynasty dynasty
Southern
Southern Ming Ming
Late Ming peasant rebellions
Today part of China
References
1. Frederic Wakeman Jr. (1985). The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-century China. University of California
Press. p. 313. ISBN 978-0-520-04804-1.
2. Huang Weiping (黃衛平) (2010). Draft history of Da Shun (大順史稿). Publishing House of San Qin (三秦出版社). pp. 194 to 197. ISBN 978-7-807-36899-1.

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.
Huang Weiping (黃衛平) (2010). "Draft history of Da Shun (大順史稿)"

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