The Qing dynasty was first established in 1636 by the Manchus to designate their regime in Manchuria (now the Northeast region of China). In 1644 the Chinese capital at Beijing was captured by the rebel leader Li Zicheng, and desperate Ming dynasty officials called on the Manchus for aid
Hong Taiji, sometimes written as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, was the second khan of the Later Jin and the founding emperor of the Qing dynasty
"Hong Taiji (皇太極)"
Emperor of the Qing dynasty
Reign 1636 – 21 September 1643
Predecessor Himself as the Khan of Later Jin
Successor Fulin, Shunzhi Emperor
Khan of Later Jin
Reign 20 October 1626 – 1636
Predecessor Nurhaci
Successor Himself as the Emperor of the Qing dynasty
Hong Taiji was the eighth son of Nurhaci, whom he succeeded as the second ruler of the Later Jin dynasty in 1626. Although it was always thought of as gossip, he was said to be involved in the suicide of Prince Dorgon's mother, Lady Abahai in order to block the succession of his younger brother. This is speculated because at the time of Nurhaci's death, there were four Lords/Beile with Hong Taiji as the lowest rank, but also the most fit one. Originally, at the end of Nurhaci's reign, Hong Taiji got hold of the two White Banners, but after Lady Abahai's death, he switched his two banners with Dorgon and Dodo's two Yellow banners (Nurhaci gave his two Yellow Banners to the two). In the end, Hong Taiji had control over the two strongest/highest class banners- the Plain and Bordered Yellow Banners and the most influence. From there, he slowly got rid of his competitor's powers. Later, he would also receive the Plain Blue Banner from his fifth brother Manggūltai, which was the third strongest banner. Those three banners would officially become the Upper Three Banners during the early part of the Qing dynasty.
