Knowra Southern Ming Southern Ming A series of Ming loyalist regimes in southern China that resisted Qing rule after Beijing fell in 1644. The last major regime ended with the capture and execution of the Yongli Emperor in 1662.
Hongguang Emperor : The posthumous title of Zhu Yousong, who ruled the Southern Ming court at Nanjing in 1644–1645. His brief Nanjing reign was the first major attempt to restore Ming rule south of the Yangtze.
Ming dynasty : A Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644, with a remnant regime surviving in the south until 1662. Southern Ming rulers claimed continuity with this dynasty after its Beijing government fell.
Zhu Yujian : A Ming prince who became the Longwu Emperor and led a Southern Ming court in Fujian. His court illustrates the competing dynastic claims that followed the loss of Nanjing.
Qing dynasty : China’s last imperial dynasty, founded by the Manchus and established across China during the seventeenth century. Its expansion defeated the Southern Ming and replaced Ming imperial rule.
Longwu Emperor : The posthumous title of Zhu Yujian, a Southern Ming ruler based in Fujian from 1645 to 1646. His court tried to coordinate resistance after Qing forces took Nanjing.
Chongzhen Emperor : The last Ming emperor to rule from Beijing, who died by suicide as rebel forces captured the capital in 1644. His death left no uncontested central authority to organize resistance against the Qing.
Zhu Youlang : A Ming prince who became the Yongli Emperor and led the last major Southern Ming regime. His reign carried the loyalist cause into Yunnan, Burma, and its final defeat.
Kingdom of Tungning : A Zheng family regime based in Taiwan from 1661 to 1683, founded after Zheng Chenggong expelled Dutch rule. It continued armed opposition to the Qing after the last major mainland Southern Ming court fell.
Yongli Emperor : The posthumous title of Zhu Youlang, the last major Southern Ming claimant, who ruled from 1646 to 1662. His court’s flight through southwestern China marks the final phase of organized dynastic resistance.
Battle of Shanhai Pass : The 1644 battle in which Qing forces and Wu Sangui defeated Li Zicheng’s army near the Great Wall. The Qing victory opened the route from Manchuria into China and accelerated the dynastic transition.
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