Nurhaci, Chinese emperor (b. 1559)
Nurhaci (1559 – 30 September 1626) was a Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late 16th century in Manchuria. He was a member of the House of Aisin-Gioro, and reigned as the founding khan of the Later Jin dynasty from 1616 to 1626. He laid the foundation for the subsequent Qing dynasty conquest of the Ming dynasty.

Nurhaci reorganized and united various Jurchen tribes (the later "Manchu"), consolidated the Eight Banners military system, and eventually launched attacks on both the Ming and Joseon dynasties. His conquest of Ming dynasty's northeastern Liaodong province laid the groundwork for the Qing conquest of the Ming by his descendants, who founded the Qing dynasty in 1636. He is also generally credited with ordering the creation of a new written script for the Manchu language based on the Mongolian vertical script.