Nurhaci, Tianming Emperor

1616–1626 / Liaoning, China

Nurhaci, the Tianming emperor, spearheaded the overthrow of the Ming dynasty. He was leader of the Manchu people of northern China, who were fed up with the famine, silver shortages and tax rises of the early 1600s. He put together a declaration of war known as the ‘seven grievances’, and the result was one of the bloodiest conflicts in recorded history. The Ming dynasty was replaced with the Qing dynasty and, in the process, an estimated 25 million people died. In the battle of Yangzhou, lead by Nurachi’s son, Prince Dodo, 800,000 died.