Strange, strange, really strange. As the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing Dynasty has never been able to find out who the founding emperor is. What caused this ending, Emperor Taiji, Dolgun and Shunzhi, which one could qualify as the founding emperor?
Pictured: Statue of Nurhaci
Who was the Founding Emperor? Silly is not clear
The founding emperor refers to those who rely on their own ability to end the chaotic situation and unify, and successfully create a country with the "name of the country". To put it bluntly, it is the founder and founder of the dynasty. All the dynasties in Chinese history have followed this law. Whether it was Liu Bang, who founded the World of the Han Dynasty, or Zhu Yuanzhang, who ended the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, this was the case.
However, the Qing Dynasty took a different path, and when the country was founded, it was confused, and it has not yet confirmed who the founding emperor really is. Some people here will argue that Huang Taiji was the founding emperor, although he did not enter the Central Plains alive, but the name of the Qing Dynasty was founded by him, and he sat on the emperor's throne for 17 years. If this is not considered a founding of the country, then who counts?
It is worth noting here that the predecessor of the Great Qing Dynasty was Houjin. Around 1400 AD, the Jurchens in the north gradually developed and grew, and Nurhaci was one of them. Later, through his wise divine martial arts, he conquered the four sides, and finally established the Later Jin regime in 1616.
However, after Nurhaci's death, Emperor Taiji changed the name of the country established by his father to "Daqing" in 1636, not to mention that it was changed to the name of the country, not the name of the country. Therefore, if it must be said that the founder of the country is the founding emperor, then it is undoubtedly Nurhaci. And this can be seen from the temple number of the two people, the father's temple number is "Taizu", and the Emperor Taiji is only "Taizong".
In addition, although Huang Taiji was outstanding, he did not really bring the Qing army into The Pass, nor was he able to establish a unified dynasty by himself. Therefore, the claim that Huang Taiji was the founding emperor of the country is somewhat untenable.
So Huang Taiji is not, is Dolgun not?
According to historical records, Emperor Taiji took advantage of Wu Sangui's personal grudges and lured him with interests to successfully open the door to the Central Plains. After that, he quickly unified the whole of China by his own thunderous means.
Most importantly, after Shunzhi ascended the throne, he not only used means to obtain the power of the emperor, but also posthumously honored him as "Emperor Chengzongyi".
According to the conditions of the founding emperor mentioned above, Dorgon was capable, had the name of an emperor, and completed unification. So is he the founding emperor?
Pictured: Stills of Dolgun
Of course not, the reason is very simple, because although he had the power of the emperor before his death, he did not have the name of the emperor, and the name of the country of the Great Qing was not founded by him, so he can only be regarded as the head of the founding heroes at most.
The last Shunzhi Emperor was even less likely. When he became emperor, he was still a little doll, and all his success came from the efforts of his father and uncle.
Yes, the Qing Dynasty is so strange, it looks like everyone is like the founding emperor, but no one is. If The Emperor Taiji can survive until he enters the Central Plains, then all this is not a problem.
Since it is impossible to say who is the real founding emperor, who among these 3 people is more qualified?
Pictured: Shunzhi stills
Who is most qualified to be the founding emperor?
If so, Shunzhi was excluded first of the three. The rest of the Emperor Taiji and Dolgun were analyzed according to their merits. As mentioned earlier, the condition for becoming the founding emperor is to become the founder and founder of a feudal dynasty. Of the two of them, Huang Taiji was barely the founder, but Dorgon was the founder. The establishment and stability of the Qing Dynasty depended on the efforts of Dorgon.
According to the history books and today's analysis, we can find that the turning point in the establishment of the Qing Dynasty lies in whether it can enter the customs, and only by entering the Central Plains can it be smoothly unified. According to this point of view, Dorgon's contribution was obviously greater than that of Emperor Taiji.
Pictured: Stills of Dorgon and the infant Shunzhi
After entering the Central Plains, the unification of the whole country was also a difficult point. At that time, there were many rebel armies in the country, including Li Zicheng, and their strength should not be underestimated, not to mention that after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Yu Party gathered in the south to form the Southern Ming.
With so many opponents, Dorgon was able to sweep away one by one, which led to the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China for 276 years. So all kinds of indications show that if you have to say who is qualified to become the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Dolgun should not give in. Of course, if it is to discuss its roots, Nurhaci is the most qualified to become the founding emperor, after all, he is the founder of houjin.
So what do you think? In the case of not being able to tell who the founding emperor was, who do you think is most qualified?
References: History of the Ming Dynasty, Draft History of the Qing Dynasty