Great Shun 大順 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1644–1646 | |||||||||||
 The Shun dynasty at its peak in 1644 | |||||||||||
| Status | Short-lived dynasty of China | ||||||||||
| Capital | Xi'an (1644) Beijing (1644 – 5 June 1644) | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Chinese | ||||||||||
| Religion | |||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| Emperor | |||||||||||
• 1644–1645 | Li Zicheng | ||||||||||
• 1645–1646 | Li Zijing | ||||||||||
• 1646 | Li Guo | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Transition from Ming to Qing | ||||||||||
• Established inXi'an | 8 February 1644 | ||||||||||
• CapturedBeijing/Death of theChongzhen Emperor | April 1644 | ||||||||||
• Proclamation as the Yongchang Emperor | 3 June 1644 | ||||||||||
• Fall ofBeijing | 5 June 1644 | ||||||||||
• Surrender to the Southern Ming | 1646 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Chinese coin,Chinese cash | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | China | ||||||||||
| Part ofa series on the |
| History of China |
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TheShun dynasty,[a] officially theGreat Shun,[b] also known asLi Shun,[c] was a short-liveddynasty of China that existed during theMing–Qing transition. The dynasty was founded inXi'an on 8 February 1644, the first day of the lunar year, byLi Zicheng, the leader of a largepeasant rebellion, by proclaiming himself "emperor" (皇帝) instead of the title "king" (王) before founding the dynasty.
Thecapture of Beijing by the Shun forces in April 1644 marked the end of theMing dynasty, but Li Zicheng failed to solidify his political and military control, and in late May 1644 he was defeated at theBattle of Shanhai Pass by the joint forces of Ming generalWu Sangui (who haddefected to theQing dynasty), withManchu princeDorgon. When he fled back to Beijing in early June, Li finally proclaimed himself the Yongchang Emperor of the Great Shun and left the capital the next day after setting the palace ablaze and ransacking the government offices. He may have intended to resume his Imperial claims later on by proclaiming his accession in theForbidden City. After the death of the emperor, Shun remnants joined with theSouthern Ming inNanjing, while continuing to refer to Li as their "deceased emperor".[1] The Shun dynasty weakened dramatically after the death of Li Zicheng in 1645. The successors, his brother Li Zijing and nephew Li Guo, could not fight back and the dynasty ended in 1649 when Li Guo died inNanning,Guangxi.[2]
After the Shun was created, Li Zicheng ordered the soldiers to kill the Ming remnants still existing in Beijing, resulting in strong rebellions from the forces of the Southern Ming. With the Shun ministers constantly fighting for power, the dynasty effectively lasted less than a year.
| Personal name (birth–death) | Period of reign | Era names and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Lǐ Zìchéng 李自成 (1606–1645) | 1644–1645 | Yǒngchāng (永昌) 1644–1646 |
| Lǐ Zìjìng 李自敬 (?–1646) | 1645–1646 | |
| Lǐ Guò 李過 (?–1649) | 1646 |
| Preceded by | Dynasties in Chinese history 1644 | Succeeded by |
