History glossary
Ming dynasty
the Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644, before the Manchu-led Qing.
- Category
- Dynasty
- Region
- China
- Date range
- 1368–1644
What it means
The Ming dynasty was founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu emperor, after the overthrow of Mongol Yuan rule in 1368. Its emperors governed first from Nanjing and later from Beijing. The dynasty oversaw major economic and cultural developments, but its final decades brought financial strain, rebellion, and military pressure. A rebel army took Beijing in 1644, and Manchu-led Qing forces entered soon afterwards. Ming loyalist resistance continued after the fall of the capital.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Qing Dynasty
From Manchu conquest to republican revolution, the Qing dynasty built China's largest empire, oversaw centuries of prosperity, and then struggled to survive foreign intervention, rebellion, and the collapse of imperial legitimacy.
Qin China and Unification
From the Warring States to the rise of the Han, Qin unification ended centuries of interstate rivalry and created the centralised imperial model that shaped Chinese history for more than two thousand years.
