The Failed Civil Service Candidate Who Decided He Was the Younger Brother of Jesus Christ and Started a Civil War That Killed 20 Million People
Hong Xiuquan failed the Qing civil service examination four times. After his 1837 nervous breakdown he became convinced he was the second son of the Christian God and the younger brother of Jesus. The 1850-1864 Taiping Rebellion he led against the Qing dynasty killed approximately 20 million people — the deadliest civil war in human history.
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