Li Zicheng

Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known as the Dashing King (Chuang Wang), was a Chinese rebel leader who helped overthrow the Ming dynasty in April 1644 and claimed the imperial throne as the Yongchang Emperor of the Shun dynasty, which controlled much of North China for a short period before his death a year later. Born into an impoverished family in Shaanxi, Li became part of the growing peasant rebellions in the late Ming period in 1630. Nicknamed "the Dashing King", in the decade that followed he achieved moderate success but also on occasion came close to complete defeat.