Dorgon

Dorgon, born on November seventeenth, sixteen twelve, was a prominent Manchu prince and regent during the formative years of the Qing dynasty. As the fourteenth son of Nurhaci, the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, Dorgon embarked on a military career that saw him engage in campaigns against the Mongols, Koreans, and the Ming dynasty under the reign of his elder brother, Hong Taiji.

Following Hong Taiji's death in sixteen forty-three, Dorgon found himself embroiled in a power struggle with Hong Taiji's eldest son, Hooge, over the imperial succession. Ultimately, they reached a compromise that allowed Hong Taiji's ninth son, Fulin, to ascend the throne as the Shunzhi Emperor. Dorgon served as Prince-Regent from sixteen forty-three until his death in sixteen fifty, playing a crucial role in the early reign of the Shunzhi Emperor.

During his regency, Dorgon oversaw the Qing forces' occupation of Beijing, the capital of the fallen Ming dynasty, and led a series of military campaigns that gradually subdued Ming loyalists and other opposing factions across China. He also implemented significant cultural policies, including the controversial mandate requiring Han Chinese men to shave the front of their heads and adopt the Manchu queue hairstyle.

Dorgon's life came to an abrupt end in sixteen fifty during a hunting trip. Although he was posthumously honored as an emperor, his legacy was marred when the Shunzhi Emperor accused him of various crimes, leading to the stripping of his titles and a public exhumation of his remains. However, in seventeen seventy-eight, the Qianlong Emperor rehabilitated Dorgon, restoring his honorary titles and acknowledging his contributions to the Qing dynasty.