Taiping leadership
| Name | Chinese | Title | Role | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Xiuquan | 洪秀全 | Heavenly King (天王) | Founder, supreme religious and political authority | Hong Xiuquan |
| Feng Yunshan | 冯云山 | South King (南王) | Original organizer of the God Worshippers; architect of the early movement | Origins |
| Yang Xiuqing | 杨秀清 | East King (东王) | Supreme military commander and spirit medium ("God speaks through me"); de facto ruler 1851-1856 | Tianjing Incident |
| Xiao Chaogui | 萧朝贵 | West King (西王) | Spirit medium ("Jesus speaks through me"); frontline commander; killed at Changsha 1852 | Campaigns Overview |
| Wei Changhui | 韦昌辉 | North King (北王) | Early backer from a wealthy Hakka family; carried out Yang Xiuqing's purge in 1856 | Tianjing Incident |
| Shi Dakai | 石达开 | Wing King (翼王) | Most capable field commander of the early period; broke with Hong after 1856, campaigned independently until capture in 1863 | Campaigns Overview |
| Hong Rengan | 洪仁玕 | Shield King (干王) | Hong Xiuquan's cousin; arrived 1859; issued 资政新篇 reform program | Hong Rengan |
| Li Xiucheng | 李秀成 | Loyal King (忠王) | Principal late-war commander; led eastern campaigns; wrote famous confession after capture | Li Xiucheng |
| Chen Yucheng | 陈玉成 | Heroic King (英王) | Young field commander (died at ~25); won Sanhe (1858); led Anqing defense; executed 1862 | Campaigns Overview |
| Lin Fengxiang | 林凤翔 | — | Northern Expedition commander 1853-1855; captured and executed | Campaigns Overview |
| Li Kaifang | 李开芳 | — | Northern Expedition co-commander; captured and executed 1855 | Campaigns Overview |
| Qin Rigang | 秦日纲 | Swallow King (燕王) | Mid-level commander; involved in Tianjing Incident purges; later executed | Tianjing Incident |
| Luo Dagang | 罗大纲 | — | Early military leader; former pirate/bandit; died in battle 1855 | Campaigns Overview |
| Lai Hanying | 赖汉英 | — | Hong Xiuquan's brother-in-law; early military commander | Origins |
| Su Sanniang | 苏三娘 | — | Female commander of early Taiping women's units | — |
| Hong Tianguifu | 洪天贵福 | Young Heavenly King (幼天王) | Hong Xiuquan's son, nominal successor (aged 14); captured and executed after Nanjing's fall | Hong Xiuquan |
| Li Shixian | 李世贤 | Attendant King (侍王) | Li Xiucheng's cousin; led remnant forces in Fujian 1864-1865 | Li Xiucheng |
Qing leadership
| Name | Chinese | Role | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeng Guofan | 曾国藩 | Founder and supreme commander of the Xiang Army; architect of the Qing victory strategy | Zeng Guofan |
| Li Hongzhang | 李鸿章 | Founder of the Huai Army; led lower Yangzi campaigns and Suzhou capture (1863) | Li Hongzhang |
| Zuo Zongtang | 左宗棠 | Xiang Army commander; led Zhejiang and Fujian campaigns 1862-1866 | — |
| Sengge Rinchen | 僧格林沁 | Mongol bannerman; Qing field commander who defeated the Northern Expedition (1855); later killed fighting the Nian | — |
| Hu Linyi | 胡林翼 | Xiang Army co-organizer and Hubei governor; key early strategist | Zeng Guofan |
| Xiang Rong | 向荣 | Qing general; established the first Jiangnan Great Camp investing Nanjing; died 1856 after its collapse | Campaigns Overview |
| Zhang Guoliang | 张国梁 | Qing general; co-commanded the Jiangnan Great Camp; killed in 1860 when Li Xiucheng broke the second encirclement | Campaigns Overview |
| Li Xubin | 李续宾 | Xiang Army commander; killed at Sanhe (1858) when Chen Yucheng annihilated his force | Campaigns Overview |
| Peng Yulin | 彭玉麟 | Xiang Army naval commander; led the Yangzi River fleet | Zeng Guofan |
| Ye Mingchen | 叶名琛 | Qing governor-general at Guangzhou; suppressed local unrest but fell to Anglo-French forces in the Arrow War (1857) | — |
Foreign actors (Qing auxiliary)
| Name | Nationality | Role | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Townsend Ward | American | Founder and first commander of the Ever-Victorious Army (Foreign Arms Corps); died 1862 at Cixi | Ever Victorious Army |
| Charles Gordon | British | Commander of the Ever-Victorious Army from 1863; "Chinese Gordon" | Ever Victorious Army |
| Henry Burgevine | American | Briefly commanded the Ever-Victorious Army after Ward; dismissed for insubordination | Ever Victorious Army |
| Augustus Lindley | British | Former British naval officer who joined the Taiping side; author of Ti-ping Tien-kwoh (1866) | Foreign Actors |
Nian and other parallel rebellions
| Name | Chinese | Role | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhang Lexing | 张乐行 | Leader of the Nian Rebellion (捻军) in northern Anhui/Henan; allied with Taiping 1857; captured and executed 1863 | — |
| Du Wenxiu | 杜文秀 | Leader of the Panthay Rebellion (Yunnan Muslim revolt, 1856-1873); declared a sultanate at Dali | — |