The Shunzhi Emperor (March 15, 1638–February 5, 1661?) was the second emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper from 1644 to 1661.

Early years

---

He ascended to the throne aged five (six according to traditional Chinese age reckoning) in 1643 upon the death of his father, Huang Taiji, but actual power during the early part of his reign lay in the hands of the appointed regents, Princes Dorgon and Jirgalang. With the Qing pacification of the former Ming provinces almost complete, he died still a young man, although in circumstances that have lent themselves to rumour and speculation. In the midst of much upheaval, the Manchus seized control of Beijing in June 1644, and in October of the same year the Shunzhi emperor's uncle, the chief regent Prince, proclaimed the Qing dynasty to be the legitimate successor to the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, although the Shunzhi emperor was not the founder of the Qing dynasty, he was the first Qing emperor of China.

His mother was the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang who was an excellent politician during the period. The young emperor disliked his uncle, the chief regent Prince Dorgon, and after Dorgon's death in 1650 the emperor stripped both him and Dorgon's brother, Dodo, of their titles, although he was only 12 years old at the time.

Brief reign

---

During his short reign, the Shunzhi emperor encouraged the Han Chinese to participate in government activities. He was a scholar and employed Han Chinese to teach his children. He was also an open minded emperor and relied on the advice of Johann Adam Schall von Bell 湯若望, a Jesuit from Germany, for guidance ranging from astronomy, technologies, to tips for governing an empire. Shunzhi also elevated Schall to his personal mentor and was given free access to the palace.

The emperor married his mother's niece, but demoted the empress several years later. In 1661, Shunzhi's favourite concubine Dong suddenly died as a result of grief over the loss of a child. Overwhelmed with grief himself, Shunzhi contracted smallpox and died shortly thereafter. He was only 24. Before he died, he appointed four regents govern for his child son, Hiowan Yei - Oboi, Sonin, Suksaha, and Ebilun. According to official sources, the Shunzhi Emperor died in 1661 of smallpox. It was also believed by some that the young emperor did not pass away but left the palace to become a monk. He was interred in the Eastern Qing Tombs (清東陵), 125 kilometers/75 miles east of Beijing, in the Xiaoling (孝陵) mausoleum complex (known in Manchu as the Hiyoošungga Munggan).

Huang Taiji had changed the name of the dynasty from Later Jin to Qing in 1636 because of the fraternal struggles and skirmishes between brothers and half brothers for the throne. According to Taoist philosophy, the name Jin has the meaning of metal and fire in its constituent, thereby igniting the tempers of the brothers of the Manchu Royal household into open conflicts and wars. Huangtaiji therefore adopted the new name of Qing 清, the chinese character of which has the water symbol 3 strokes on its left hand side. The name, which means clear and transparent, with its water symbol was hoped to put out the feud among the brothers of the Manchu Royal household.

Family

---

• Father: Huang Taiji, emperor of Manchuria (of whom Fulin was the 9th son)

• Mother: concubine Zhuang, who later became the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang (Manchu: Hiyoošungga Ambalinggū Genggiyenšu Hūwanghu), the daughter of a Mongol prince of the Borjigit clan (the descendants of Chinggis Khan's brother Jöchi Khasar)
• Grandmother: Empress Monggu, from the Yehenara clan.
• Grandfather: Nurhaci, founder of the Later Jinn dynasty (Qing)
• Consorts:

1. The Demoted Empress (廢后), from the Borjigit clan, niece of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, demoted in 1653
2. Empress Xiaohui Zhang (; Manchu: Hiyoošungga Fulehun Eldembuhe Hūwanghu) (d. 1718) from the Borjigit clan, made empress in 1654
3. Concubine from the Tunggiya clan (1640-1663). Her family was of Jurchen origin but lived among Chinese for generations. It had Chinese family name Tong (佟) but switched to the Manchu clan name Tunggiya. She was made Empress Dowager Cihe (慈和皇太后) in 1661 when Kangxi became emperor. She is known posthumously as Empress Xiaokang Zhang (; Manchu: Hiyoošungga Nesuken Eldembuhe Hūwanghu).
4. Wanru, Concubine from the Donggo clan (d. 1660), the concubine with whom Shunzhi was madly in love, posthumously raised to Empress Xiaoxian Duanjing (孝獻端敬皇后).

• Famous Concubine:

The famous concubine, nee Wanru from the Donggo clan, was the person that all the other concubines and the empress were the most jealous of. She was not a pure blooded Manchu or Mongol and was older than the emperor by seven years, but she was the one that the emperor loved the most. Her son died after a month of birth because the empress/another concubine gave him items from a prince who was sick with small pox, to prevent "tainting of the blood line". Then the young cocubine later died of over exhaustion and extreme depression over her lost son. A short while after she died, the emperor died of small pox. But it is rumored that he became a monk.

• Children:
  • 8 sons (4 died young) 2nd Fuquan, 3rd Xuanye, 4th (son of Wanru, Concubine from the Donggo clan), 5th Changning.
  • 6 daughters (5 died young)

External links

---

1638 births | 1661 deaths | Qing Dynasty emperors

Shunzhi | Emperador Shunzhi | Shunzhi | 순치제 | Sungteius | Shunzhi | 順治帝 | 顺治帝