Timeline April 1645

Events in April 1645 3

• 1601 – 1645 Shi Kefa (1601-1645) Died April 1645, aged 44 Shi Kefa, a Ming loyalist general, was captured and executed after leading a doomed defense of Yangzhou against besieging Qing forces. His death during the subsequent massacre made him a lasting symbol of loyalty to the fallen Ming dynasty.
• 1645 New Model Army Created Parliament reorganises its forces for the English Civil War The New Model Army ordinance and the Self-Denying Ordinance restructured Parliament's forces into a single professional, nationally funded army under Sir Thomas Fairfax, with Oliver Cromwell as his cavalry commander. The reform barred sitting MPs from military command and produced the force that won at Naseby weeks later. It marked a turning point toward Parliamentary military professionalism.
• 1645 Yangzhou Massacre Qing forces storm the city after Shi Kefa's defense After a brief but fierce defense led by Ming loyalist general Shi Kefa, Qing forces under Prince Dodo breached Yangzhou's walls and massacred much of the population in reprisal for the resistance. The sack became one of the most infamous atrocities of the Qing conquest and a lasting symbol for later Ming loyalism.