The Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China, founded by the Manchu leader Nurhaci, who established the state that preceded it in the north-east. His successors renamed it Qing and, in 1644, took advantage of the collapse of the Ming dynasty to seize Beijing and conquer the whole of China. Under emperors such as Kangxi and Qianlong the empire reached its greatest size, including Tibet, Xinjiang and Mongolia. In the nineteenth century it was weakened by the Opium Wars, the Taiping Rebellion and the pressure of foreign powers. After the revolution of 1911, the child emperor Puyi abdicated in 1912, ending two thousand years of imperial rule.
Before and after
- 7 April 1614Death of El Greco
- from 8 November 1614 to 1 June 1615Siege of Osaka
- 13 March 1615Birth of Innocent XII
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- from 1616 to 1912Qing dynasty
- 22 April 1616Death of Miguel de Cervantes
- 23 April 1616Death of William Shakespeare
- from 1618 to 1648Thirty Years' War
- 1619Manneken Pis
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 15th century to 18th centuryAge of Discovery
- from 15th century to 18th centuryEarly modern period
- from 1525 to 1947Prussia
- from c. 1583 to 1997British Empire
- from 16th century to 18th centuryBaroque
- from 22 October 1721 to 1 September 1917Russian Empire
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.