The Heavenly King: The Madman Who Started History's Deadliest War

By Chris Simmons

The Largest and Bloodiest Civil War in Human History

Between 1850 and 1864, a failed civil servant who believed he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ nearly brought the mighty Qing Dynasty to its knees. His name was Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King. His war-the Taiping Rebellion-killed between 20 and 30 million people. More people died in this conflict than in the First World War, the Napoleonic Wars, or the American Civil War. Yet outside China, this catastrophe remains largely forgotten.

In The Heavenly King, historian Chris Simmons tells the dramatic story of one of history's most devastating conflicts. Follow Hong Xiuquan from his humble beginnings in a Hakka village and repeated failures in the imperial examinations to the religious visions that transformed him into a revolutionary leader. Witness the rise of the God Worshipping Society, the capture of Nanjing, the creation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the brutal campaigns that plunged China into chaos.,

Discover how social inequality, government corruption, ethnic tensions, and religious zeal combined to create a movement that attracted millions of followers and threatened the survival of the Qing Empire. Explore the disastrous Northern Expedition, the bloody Tianjing Incident, and the final years of the rebellion as internal divisions, starvation, and relentless military pressure brought the Heavenly Kingdom to collapse.

Drawing on historical records, contemporary accounts, and modern scholarship, this book examines the causes, course, and consequences of the Taiping Rebellion. It reveals how a single encounter with a Christian pamphlet helped inspire one of the largest uprisings in human history and how the conflict reshaped China for generations to come.

The Taiping Rebellion was more than a civil war. It was a struggle over faith, power, social justice, and the future of an empire. This is the story of Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King, and the rebellion that became the deadliest civil war the world has ever known.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H4GKKHXT
• ISBN13: 9798199188302
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"