Wu Sangui
Chinese general and rebel (1612–1678) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wu Sangui (Chinese: 吳三桂; pinyin: Wú Sānguì; Wade–Giles: Wu San-kuei; 8 June 1612 – 2 October 1678), courtesy name Changbai (長白) or Changbo (長伯), was a Chinese military leader who played a key role in the fall of the Ming dynasty and the founding of the Qing dynasty. In Chinese folklore, Wu Sangui is regarded as a disreputable Han Chinese traitor for his surrender to the Manchu invaders, suppression of the Southern Ming resistance and execution of the Yongli Emperor. Wu eventually double-crossed both of his masters, the Ming and the Qing dynasties.
Wu Sangui | |||||||||||||||||
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Emperor of the Wu Zhou dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
Reign | March 1678 – 2 October 1678 | ||||||||||||||||
Successor | Wu Shifan | ||||||||||||||||
Born | (1612-06-08)8 June 1612 Suizhong, Liaoxi, Ming dynasty | ||||||||||||||||
Died | 2 October 1678(1678-10-02) (aged 66) Hengyang, Hunan, Qing dynasty | ||||||||||||||||
Consorts | Empress Zhang Chen Yuanyuan | ||||||||||||||||
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House | Wu | ||||||||||||||||
Dynasty | Wu Zhou | ||||||||||||||||
Father | Wu Xiang | ||||||||||||||||
Mother | Lady Zu |
Wu Sangui | |||||||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 吳三桂 | ||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 吴三桂 | ||||||||||||||||||
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In 1644, Wu was a Ming general in charge of garrisoning Shanhai Pass, the strategic choke point between Manchuria and Beijing. After learning that Li Zicheng's rebel army had conquered Beijing and captured his family, including his father Wu Xiang and concubine Chen Yuanyuan, Wu invited the Manchu to enter China proper through Shanghai Pass to drove Li from Beijing, where the Manchu then set up the Qing dynasty. For his aid, the Qing rulers awarded him a fiefdom consisting of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, along with the title "Prince Who Pacifies the West" (平西王).
In 1674, Wu decided to rebel against the Qing. In 1678, Wu declared himself the new Emperor of China and the ruler of Zhou, only to die within months. For a time, his grandson Wu Shifan succeeded him. The revolt was quelled in 1681.