Shun dynasty

The Shun dynasty was a short-lived regime founded by Li Zicheng that captured Beijing in 1644, ending Ming rule there before Qing forces defeated it.

Li Zicheng: A rebel leader who founded the Shun dynasty and captured Beijing in 1644. His armies established the dynasty after years of revolt against the Ming.
Battle of Shanhai Pass: A 1644 battle in which Qing and Wu Sangui forces defeated Li Zicheng's army near the Great Wall. Its outcome drove Li's forces from Beijing and opened the route to Qing conquest.
Qing conquest of the Ming: The process by which the Qing state conquered territories formerly ruled by the Ming during the seventeenth century. Defeating Shun cleared a path for Qing expansion southward.
Fall of Beijing (1644): The capture of Beijing by Li Zicheng's forces in April 1644, ending Ming rule in the capital. This event marks the Shun dynasty's rapid rise to power.
Ming dynasty: A Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 1368 until its collapse in 1644. The Shun regime arose as Ming authority disintegrated.
Wu Sangui: A Ming general who joined Qing forces in 1644 against Li Zicheng's army. His decision to ally with the Qing helped turn the Shun regime's military crisis into defeat.
Southern Ming: A series of Ming loyalist regimes in southern China that resisted Qing rule after 1644. Shun's capture of Beijing and subsequent defeat shifted the struggle into the south.
Li Zicheng's retreat from Beijing: The withdrawal of Li Zicheng's forces from Beijing after their defeat by Qing and Wu Sangui's army in 1644. The retreat ended Shun control of the capital within months of its capture.
Ming–Qing transition: The period of political upheaval in seventeenth-century China during the Ming collapse and Qing conquest. The Shun dynasty briefly shaped the struggle over who would replace the Ming.
Dorgon: A Qing regent and prince who led the Qing advance into China in 1644. He directed the Qing campaign that displaced Li Zicheng from Beijing.

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