Li Zicheng

Biography

Born to poverty in Shaanxi province during the worst famine in Ming history, Li Zicheng joined a rebel army in 1630 after being dismissed from his post as a courier. Over the next fourteen years he rose from a minor bandit to the leader of the largest peasant rebellion in Chinese history. His slogan — 'Welcome the Dashing King, he will exempt you from taxes' — made him a folk hero among the starving millions of northern China. Li Zicheng captured Beijing in April 1644, toppling the Ming dynasty when the Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself. He proclaimed the Shun dynasty, but his triumph lasted barely six weeks. His troops alienated Beijing's population through looting and extortion. When he marched north to confront Wu Sangui at Shanhai Pass, the combined Manchu-Wu Sangui army routed his forces. Li retreated through Beijing, attempting to burn the Forbidden City, and fled west. His end is uncertain — he was probably killed by a local militia in Hubei province in 1645, though legends persisted that he became a monk. He came closer to founding a new dynasty than any Chinese peasant rebel before Zhu Yuanzhang, and his failure opened the door for the Manchu conquest.

Key Battles