Hong Taiji

Who was Hong Taiji?

Hong Taiji, also transliterated as Huang Taiji based on the Chinese language transcription of his name and referred to as Abahai in Western literature, was an Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He was responsible for consolidating the empire that his father Nurhaci had founded. He laid the groundwork for the conquering of the Ming dynasty, although he died before this was accomplished. He was also responsible for changing the name of his people from Jurchen to Manchu in 1635, as well as that of the dynasty from Later Jin to Qing in 1636. The Qing dynasty would last until 1912.

Because his father Nurhaci did not assume imperial dignity while alive, Hong Taiji is sometimes considered to be the first Qing emperor, but because Nurhaci was posthumously awarded the imperial title, Hong Taiji is usually called the second emperor of the Qing.