Nurhaci (February 21, 1559 - September 30, 1626) is an important Manchu chieftain who rises to prominence in the late 16th Century in what is today Northeastern China.

Nurhaci is part of the Aisin Gioro clan, and reigns from 1616 to his death in September 1626.

Nurhaci reorganizes and unites various Manchu tribes, consolidates the Eight Banners military system, and eventually launches an assault on China proper's Ming Dynasty and Korea's Joseon Dynasty.

His conquest of China's northeastern Liaoning province lays the groundwork for the conquest of the rest of China by his descendants, who will go on to found the Qing Dynasty in 1644.

He is also generally credited with the creation of a written script for the Manchu language.