The Later Jin, officially known as Jin or the Great Jin, was a
Jurchen-led
royal dynasty of China and a
khanate
A khanate ( ) or khaganate refers to historic polity, polities ruled by a Khan (title), khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. Khanates were typically nomadic Mongol and Turkic peoples, Turkic or Tatars, Tatar societies located on the Eurasian Steppe, ...
ruled by the
House of Aisin-Gioro in
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
, as the precursor to the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
. Established in 1616 by the
Jianzhou Jurchen chieftain
Nurhaci
Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing, was the founding khan of the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin dynasty.
As the leader of the House of Aisin-Gi ...
upon his
reunification of the Jurchen tribes, its name was derived from the earlier
Jin dynasty founded by the
Wanyan clan which had ruled northern China in the 12th and 13th centuries.
In 1635, the lingering
Northern Yuan dynasty
The Northern Yuan was a dynastic state ruled by the Mongol Borjigin clan based in the Mongolian Plateau. It existed as a rump state after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty in 1368 and lasted until its conquest by the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led ...
under
Ejei Khan formally submitted to the Later Jin. The following year,
Hong Taiji officially renamed the realm to "Great Qing", thus marking the start of the Qing dynasty. During the
Ming–Qing transition, the Qing conquered
Li Zicheng's
Shun dynasty and various
Southern Ming claimants and loyalists, going on to rule an empire comprising all of China, stretching as far as
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
,
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
,
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
,
Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
, and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
until the
1911 Revolution
The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...
established the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
.
Name
Historians debate whether the official
Chinese name of the state was "Jin" (, ''Jīn''), "Later Jin" ''Hòu Jīn''), or both. Either describes it as a continuation or successor to the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty established by the
Wanyan clan in 1115. The
Manchu
The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...
form of the name was ᠠᡳ᠌ᠰᡳᠨ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ (''Aisin Gurun''),
[''Manju i Yargiyan Kooli'' (滿洲實錄). Zhonghua Book Company, p. 283.] meaning simply "Golden State".
History
Rise of Jianzhou Jurchens
The
Jurchen people
Jurchen (, ; , ) is a term used to collectively describe a number of East Asian people, East Asian Tungusic languages, Tungusic-speaking people. They lived in northeastern China, also known as Manchuria, before the 18th century. The Jurchens wer ...
had traditionally lived in
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
and were then divided into three tribes, the most powerful of which during the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
was called
Jianzhou Jurchens, living around the
Changbai Mountains. In order to attack and suppress the
Northern Yuan dynasty
The Northern Yuan was a dynastic state ruled by the Mongol Borjigin clan based in the Mongolian Plateau. It existed as a rump state after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty in 1368 and lasted until its conquest by the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led ...
, the
Hongwu Emperor
The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, founding emperor of the Ming dyna ...
sent military commissions to gain control of the Jurchen tribes in Manchuria. The Ming government divided the Jianzhou Jurchens into three ''wei'' (a military subdivision during the Ming dynasty), collectively known as the "Three Wei of Jianzhou". The leaders of the Jurchen tribes were usually chosen as commanders of the ''wei''.
The northern tribe
Wild Jurchens were strong at that time, and attacked the Jianzhou Jurchens.
Mengtemu, commander of the ''Jianzhou Wei'', was killed. The Jianzhou Jurchens were forced to move southwards, and finally settled at
Hetu Ala.
Establishment of the Khanate
Originally a Ming vassal who officially considered himself a guardian of the Ming border and a local representative of imperial Ming power,
[The Cambridge History of China: Volume 9, The Ch'ing Empire to 1800, Part 1, by Denis C. Twitchett, John K. Fairbank, p. 29] the Jianzhou Jurchen leader
Nurhaci
Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing, was the founding khan of the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin dynasty.
As the leader of the House of Aisin-Gi ...
promoted the unification of the Jurchens living in Manchuria at the beginning of the 17th century. He organized "
Banners", military-social units that included Jurchen, Han Chinese, and Mongol elements. Nurhaci formed the Jurchen clans into a unified entity (which was renamed "
Manchu
The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...
" in 1635 by
Hong Taiji), and proclaimed the establishment of the new dynasty called "Jin" (or "Great Jin") in 1616 and ruled as a
khan. This marks the start of the Later Jin dynasty.
Expansion
With the establishment of the Later Jin dynasty, Nurhaci took a hostile attitude towards the Ming for favoritism and meddling in the affairs of the Jurchen tribes. In 1618, he proclaimed his
Seven Grievances (''nadan amba koro''; 七大恨) which effectively declared war on the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
. He occupied
Fushun, Qinghe (清河) and other cities before retreating. The death of the Ming Vice-General Zhang Chengyin (張承蔭) during the
Battle of Fushun stunned the Ming court. In 1619, he attacked the Yehe (葉赫) in an attempt to provoke the Ming. The Ming responded by dispatching expeditionary forces led by Military Commissioner
Yang Hao along four routes to besiege
Hetu Ala. In a series of winter battles known collectively as the
Battle of Sarhū Nurhaci broke three of the four Ming armies, forcing the survivors and the fourth to retreat in disorder. This caused the power sphere of the Later Jin to extend over the entire eastern part of Liaoyang.
Relocating his court from Jianzhou to
Liaodong provided Nurhaci access to more resources; it also brought him in close contact with the
Khorchin Mongol domains on the plains of Mongolia. Although by this time the once-united Mongol nation had long since fragmented into individual and hostile tribes, these tribes still presented a serious security threat to the Ming borders. Nurhaci's policy towards the Khorchins was to seek their friendship and cooperation against the Ming, securing his western border from a powerful potential enemy.
[Bernard Hung-Kay Luk, Amir Harrak-Contacts between cultures, Volume 4, p.25]
The unbroken series of military successes by Nurhaci came to an end in January 1626 when he was defeated by
Yuan Chonghuan while laying siege to
Ningyuan. He died a few months later and was succeeded by his eighth son,
Hong Taiji, who emerged after a short political struggle amongst other potential contenders as the new khan.
Although Hong Taiji was an experienced leader and the commander of two Banners at the time of his succession, his reign did not start well on the military front. The Jurchens suffered yet another defeat in 1627 at the hands of Yuan Chonghuan. As before, this defeat was in part due to the Ming's newly acquired cannons. To redress his technological and numerical disparity, Hong Taiji in 1634 created his own artillery corps, the ''ujen cooha'' (Chinese: 重軍) from among his existing Han troops who cast their own cannons with the help of defector Chinese metallurgists.
One of the defining events of Hong Taiji's reign was the official adoption of the name "Manchu" (满洲) for the united Jurchen people in November 1635. In 1635, the Manchus' Mongol allies were fully incorporated into a separate Banner hierarchy under direct Manchu command. Hong Taiji
conquered
Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or legal prohibitions against conquest ...
the territory north of Shanhai Pass by the Ming dynasty and
Ligdan Khan in Inner Mongolia.
In April 1636,
Mongol nobility of Inner Mongolia, Manchu nobility, and the
Han mandarin held the
Kurultai in
Shenyang
Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
, recommended the khan of Later Jin to be the emperor of the Great Qing empire. One of the
Yuan dynasty's jade seals was also dedicated to the emperor (Bogd Sécén Khaan) by nobility. When he was said to be presented with the
imperial seal of the Yuan dynasty by
Ejei Khan, Hong Taiji renamed his state from "Jin" to "Great Qing" and elevated his position from Khan to
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
, suggesting imperial ambitions beyond unifying the Manchu tribes, and marking the formal end of the Later Jin period.
Aftermath
This was followed by the creation of the first two Han Banners in 1637 (increased to eight in 1642). Together these military reforms enabled Hong Taiji to resoundingly defeat Ming forces in a
series of battles from 1640 to 1642 for the territories of
Songshan and
Jinzhou. This final victory resulted in the surrender of many of the Ming dynasty's most battle-hardened troops, the death of Yuan Chonghuan at the hands of the
Chongzhen Emperor (who mistakenly thought Yuan had betrayed him), and the complete and permanent withdrawal of the remaining Ming forces north of the
Great Wall
The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand Li (unit), ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection agains ...
.
Hong Taiji died suddenly in September 1643 without a designated heir. His five-year-old son, Fulin, was installed as the
Shunzhi Emperor
The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizu of Qing, personal name Fulin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China pro ...
, with Hong Taiji's half brother
Dorgon as regent and de facto leader of the Qing dynasty.
In 1644,
Shun forces led by
Li Zicheng captured the Ming capital,
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
. However, the Qing would soon defeat and destroy Li Zicheng's forces. The Ming general
Wu Sangui
Wu Sangui (; 8 June 1612 – 2 October 1678), courtesy name Changbai () or Changbo (), was a Chinese military leader who played a key role in the fall of the Ming dynasty and the founding of the Qing dynasty. In Chinese folklore, Wu Sangui is r ...
refused to serve Li's Shun forces. Wu instead made an alliance with the Qing and opened the
Shanhai Pass to the Banner armies led by Dorgon, who defeated Li and the rebels at the
Battle of Shanhai Pass and seized the capital. Zhang Xianzhong and enfeoffed princes of the
Ming imperial family remained in control of southern China as the
Southern Ming, but the Qing dynasty took control of their territories by 1683.
Gallery
File:Minggunbattle.jpg, Later Jin cavalry charging Ming infantry in the Battle of Sarhū.
File:清 佚名 《清太祖天命皇帝朝服像》.jpg, Official portrait of Nurhaci
Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing, was the founding khan of the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin dynasty.
As the leader of the House of Aisin-Gi ...
, the founder of the Later Jin dynasty.
File:清 佚名 《清太宗崇德皇帝朝服像》.jpg, Official portrait of Hong Taiji, the second khan of the Later Jin dynasty and subsequently the founder of the Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
.
File:Dorgon, the Prince Rui (17th century).jpg, Dorgon, the Prince Rui.
See also
*
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
*
Jin dynasty (1115–1234)
The Jin dynasty (, ), officially known as the Great Jin (), was a Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and empire ruled by the Wanyan clan that existed between 1115 and 1234. It is also often called the ...
*
Jianzhou Jurchens
*
Aisin Gioro
*
Seven Grievances
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jin (1616-1636)
Khanates
Qing dynasty
Dynasties of China
Transition from Ming to Qing
Former countries in Chinese history