Manchus III

1616-1650 CE

From 1616 to 1650 CE, the Manchus forged conquest from the forests of the northeast — Nurhaci uniting the Jurchen tribes under eight banners, his son Hong Taiji adopting Chinese statecraft while keeping warrior discipline, their cavalry waiting as Ming dynasty tore itself apart. When rebel armies seized Beijing and the last Ming emperor hanged himself, a desperate general opened the Great Wall's gates, and the Qing dynasty rode through to claim the Mandate of Heaven.