Jiashen Incident

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Jiashen Incident
Part of Qing conquest of Ming
20th-century illustration showing Li Zicheng's army burning and looting Beijing
Date February 1644 – 25 April 1644 Location Beijing, China Result Ming dynasty overthrown; Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide; Rebels occupied Beijing
Belligerents
Ming dynasty	Shun dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Chongzhen Emperor †	Li Zicheng
Strength
250,000 (excluding 100,000 reinforcements)	1,300,000
Casualties and losses
40,000 killed (included 25,000 Jinyiwei agents);

The Jiashen Incident (simplified Chinese: 甲申之变; traditional Chinese: 甲申之變), also known as the Battle of Beijing, took place between February and April 1644 in the areas surrounding Beijing, and was fought between forces of the Ming dynasty and rebel Shun dynasty forces led by Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng led his rebel army to attack the Ming capital Beijing from two directions (north and south). The eunuch official (杜之秩) ordered the Ming forces defending Beijing to open the city gates and let Li Zicheng's army in. After the fall of Beijing, the last Ming ruler, the Chongzhen Emperor, committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree near the Forbidden City. No actual battle was fought in Beijing itself because the rebels marched on the capital unopposed, and even after occupying Beijing, the rebels did not face any resistance. Li Zicheng's short-lived Shun dynasty would be subsequently defeated by forces of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty would go on to rule China proper until 1912.

See also[]

• Juyongguan
• Battle of Shanhai Pass
• History of Beijing