1644

1644 was a year marked by dramatic political and military upheavals across several regions, notably in Europe and East Asia, with long-term effects on state formation and power balances.

In Europe, the English Civil War continued between Parliamentarians and Royalists. A major turning point occurred on July 2, 1644, at the Battle of Marston Moor near York, where Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax defeated a Royalist army. The victory helped shift momentum toward the Parliamentary side in the north and influenced subsequent campaigning, even as the war persisted in various theaters and would not be decisively resolved for several years.

In Asia, the Ming dynasty in China collapsed during 1644. Li Zicheng’s peasant rebellion captured Beijing, and the Chongzhen Emperor suicide marked the dynasty’s end. Qing forces, aided by Ming defectors and led by princes such as Dorgon, crossed into China and established Qing rule, inaugurating the Qing dynasty’s governance over China proper and beginning a new era in East Asian history.

Globally, 1644 occurred within the broader context of ongoing conflicts associated with the Thirty Years’ War in Europe and intensified colonial competition among European powers elsewhere. The year thus stands as a critical juncture in both Chinese and European history, reflecting the era’s patterns of dynastic change, shifting allegiances, and regional realignments.