Critical

Taiping Rebellion

Massive civil war in Qing China between imperial forces and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Timeline
1850-1864
Duration
15 years
Region
East Asia
Record
Static archive

Historical overview

Overview adapted from a Wikipedia summary and stored locally on May 11, 2026.

The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War, Revolution, or Movement, was a civil war in China between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of Taiping-controlled Nanjing—which they had renamed Tianjing —in 1864. The last rebel forces were defeated in August 1871. Estimates of the conflict's death toll range between 20 million and 30 million people, representing 5–10% of China's population at that time. While the Qing ultimately defeated the rebellion, the victory came at a great cost to the state's economic and political viability.

Theater countries

China

Actors

Qing dynastyTaiping Heavenly Kingdom

Tags

civil-warrebellionchina

Border context

1849-1871historical border era

National unification and civil wars

Civil wars, imperial rebellions and European unification wars transform the United States, China, Italy and Germany.

German unification redraws Central Europe. The American Civil War preserves the United States and ends legal slavery.

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