Emperor Nuarchi, His Son, and Then His Son

The Manchurian Leaders

Emperor Nurachi was born in Hetu Ala located east of current day Shenyang city in 1559. This was the heart of the rolling hills in ancient Manchuria. He was born to royalty and later ascended to the thrown claiming his birthright as "Khan" in 1612 of the Late Jin Dynasty which later became the "Qing" controlled by his offspring.

Emperor Nurachi

His 8th son, Hong Taiji, took over after his father died in 1626 as the second ruler of the Late Jin Dynasty. Although Beijing was not officially the capital of the Qing Dynasty until 1644, Hong Taiji ruled over Inner Mongolia and Manchuria before the Later Jin took over the rest of the country. Hong Taiji renamed the Late Jin and established the Qing Dynasty in 1636. Unfortunately, Hong Taiji died in 1643 before Beijing could become the last capital of Imperial China.

Hong Taiji

As soon as Hong Taiji passed, Emperor Shunzhi took over and settled the battered capital of Beijing. He was the 9th son of Hong Taiji and was pre-chosen by a committee many years before his father's death. Nurachi's 14th and 15th sons were still alive and wanted the thrown also. Nurachi's brothers were strong military leaders were recognized, uniting the dynasty, and given seniority in decision making. Shunzhi was not interested in the mundane tasks of running the government. Shunzhi was technically the 2nd emperor of the Qing Dynasty but the first one to rule over what we know today as China.

Emperor Shunzhi