April 25, 1644 · North China (Zhili) Theater
April 25, 1644
After years of famine, tax revolt, and military collapse, the peasant rebel Li Zicheng marched on Beijing with an army of several hundred thousand. The city's defenders deserted or defected, and the gates were opened without a fight. The Chongzhen Emperor, the last ruler of the Ming dynasty, climbed Coal Hill behind the Forbidden City and hanged himself from a tree, leaving a final note blaming his ministers for the dynasty's fall. Li Zicheng proclaimed the Shun dynasty, but his occupation would last barely six weeks.
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