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Empress Dowager Cixi (Mandarin pronunciation: [tsʰɹ̩̌.ɕì]; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 years, from 1861 until her death in 1908.
Chang presents a sympathetic portrait of the Empress Dowager Cixi, who unofficially controlled the Manchu Qing dynasty in China for 47 years, from 1861 to her death in 1908. Chang argues that Cixi has been "deemed either tyrannical and vicious, or hopelessly incompetent—or both", and that this view is both simplistic and inaccurate.
As a result, it became necessary for her to ally herself with other powerful figures, including the late emperor's principal wife, Empress Dowager Ci'an. Cixi suggested that they become co-reigning empress dowagers, with powers exceeding the eight regents; the two had long been close friends since Cixi first came to the imperial household. [2]
Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) (Chinese and Japanese: 皇太后; pinyin: huángtàihòu; rōmaji: Kōtaigō; Korean: 황태후 (皇太后); romaja: Hwang Tae Hu; Vietnamese: Hoàng Thái Hậu (皇太后)) is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarch in the Chinese cultural sphere.
After 1861, she held the title of Mother Empress, Empress Dowager Ci'an. [2] Her posthumous title was Empress Xiaozhenxian. [3] Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), Yehe-Nara Xingzhen (杏贞). The highest title she held during the Xianfeng era was Noble Consort Yi (懿贵妃). [4] From 1861 to 1908, she held the title of Holy Mother, Empress ...
The Empress, on the other hand, as the former Emperor's primary wife and the reigning Emperor's nominal mother, was also elevated to Empress Dowager and honoured as "Mother Empress, Empress Dowager" (母后皇太后) – a title which gave her precedence over Empress Dowager Cixi – and was given the honorific name "Ci'an".
On a thundery night, Consort Li is kidnapped when she is praying for the Emperor's longevity. The Xianfeng Emperor dies in the Summer Resort on the same night. Upon the accession of Zaichun to the throne, the Empress and Noble Consort Yi become empresses dowager with titles "Empress Dowager Ci'an" and "Empress Dowager Cixi".
Empress Dowager fought back by putting the young emperor under house arrest and regained the power at the Court. The Great Powers then showed their support for the emperor, Dowager Cixi fearing that the Guangxu Emperor might fight back with the help of foreigners, issued a royal decree of declaration of war against all eleven of the then Great ...