1850 – 1864
The Taiping Rebellion was the deadliest civil war in human history and one of the deadliest conflicts ever recorded, killing an estimated 20 to 30 million people — more than the entire First World War. It began when Hong Xiuquan, a failed Chinese civil servant who believed he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, launched a millenarian uprising against the Qing Dynasty that swept across southern China and established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with its capital at Nanjing. For eleven years, the Taiping state controlled much of China's most populous and prosperous region, fielding armies of hundreds of thousands and reforming society along a radical theocratic blueprint that abolished foot binding, instituted communal property, and outlawed opium. The Qing empire survived only through the creation of new regional armies — the Hunan Army under Zeng Guofan and the Huai Army under Li Hongzhang — and the peculiar intervention of Western mercenaries leading the Ever Victorious Army. When Nanjing finally fell in 1864, the human cost was so catastrophic that entire provinces had lost half their populations.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.
The Taiping Rebellion was the deadliest civil war in human history and one of the deadliest conflicts ever recorded, killing an estimated 20 to 30 million people — more than the entire First World War. It began when Hong Xiuquan, a failed Chinese civil servant who believed he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, launched a millenarian uprising against the Qing Dynasty that swept across southern China and established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with its capital at Nanjing. For eleven years, the Taiping state controlled much of China's most populous and prosperous region, fielding armies of hundreds of thousands and reforming society along a radical theocratic blueprint that abolished foot binding, instituted communal property, and outlawed opium. The Qing empire survived only through the creation of new regional armies — the Hunan Army under Zeng Guofan and the Huai Army under Li Hongzhang — and the peculiar intervention of Western mercenaries leading the Ever Victorious Army. When Nanjing finally fell in 1864, the human cost was so catastrophic that entire provinces had lost half their populations.
The Taiping Rebellion was fought from 1850 to 1864.
The Taiping Rebellion was fought between Qing Dynasty and Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
An estimated 25,000,000 people died in The Taiping Rebellion, including roughly 4,000,000 military and 21,000,000 civilian deaths. Figures are scholarly estimates and vary by source.
Major engagements included Fall of Nanjing, The Northern Expedition, Fall of Nanjing, and Siege and Fall of Anqing.