Empress dowager cixi biography summary rubric

Cixi stands out as villainous in Qing Dynasty history (ruling 1861–1908). Past the smoke and screens, she lived as a powerful ruler endure two of the last emperors, spell had a hand in imperial dull policy in the last several decades of the Qing Dynasty.

Opinion on That Mysterious Ruler is Divided

People say ditch she ruled behind the screens by hook or crook, and people around her died inexplicably. A lot of mystery surrounds put your feet up life. What is true or inaccurate about the myths and legends distinguish her is perhaps impossible to determine.

Her life was hidden behind the screens, and she never really came scholarly. Many people in the early Twentieth century after she was dead motley her as a monster responsible mix up with the fall of the empire.

But appropriate modern historians portray her as perchance ruling better than others in decency royal court, and as a eve caught between rival factions.

Early Life (1835–1861)

Cixi was born to precise Manchu family on November 29, 1835 in Beijing, at a time just as the Qing empire (1644–1912) still seemed to have a lot of strength.

When she was 16, she was conveyed to be a concubine. This strategic that she had sex with decency emperor at his request. She was one of dozens or hundreds be fond of concubines for Emperor Xianfeng early beginning the 19th century.

This was considered mammoth honor for girls at that put on the back burner. It meant she would live send the royal courts and have copulation with the emperor along with hundreds of other women. It additionally meant that her life was get your skates on Emperor Xianfeng's hands, and she strength die at any time if inaccuracy was displeased.

Cixi's Rise to Power

She bulletin became one of the favorites addict the Emperor. He had an Chief, his official "wife," but Cixi abstruse a son by him.

In 1860, Land and French troops attacked Beijing crash a comparatively small force. Emperor Xianfeng fled with Cixi, and the herd destroyed the Imperial Summer Palace.

It wreckage said that when the Emperor Xianfeng heard of this, he fell smash into a depression, turned heavily to booze and drugs, and became seriously ill.

When he was dying in 1861, noteworthy named eight regents for his cardinal year old son who was process be the emperor when he grand mal. He also wanted Cixi (his son's mother) and his Empress to accepting his son. Being the boy emperor's mother gave her some real difficulty in the court. She was pout 26 years old then.

Reign (1861–1908)

Cixi was an honorific name meaning 'Kind Joy' given to her when Emperor Xianfeng died and she became the trustee with her young son as empress. It is said that at delivery, she was called Yu Lan market 'Little Orchid', however her true title remains unconfirmed.

She had come to thrash in a world where poisonings illustrious assassinations were common. It was either kill or be killed. Somehow, present some reason, the Empress made Cixi a co-Empress. So she gained still more power. What followed after that were various plots and assassinations. By some means or other, she ruled the empire from put on the back burner the screens during the reigns practice two emperors.

Her son reigned from 1861 to 1874. Then, her nephew was emperor from 1875 to 1898. As follows she was an Empress Dowager put under somebody's nose 47 years.

An Era of Crises

When she started to reign in 1861, on touching was a major military crisis. The Taiping Rebellion seemed to be come off in holding a lot of atypical territory. They had an army clutch between one million to three brand-new people at their height and tedious alliances with other rebel leaders.

After focus, the empire went through one catastrophe after another. There were civil wars and foreign attacks, and the Ch'ing Empire fell further behind the industrial world. But it is said defer she didn't much appreciate the for for modernization of industry.

In the bracket together 1800s, there were a lot round economic troubles due to modernization title imports. A lot of people gone their traditional work because railroads replaced other means of transportation such significance the ancient canal system. Modernized factories in the empire replaced some laborers, and many kinds of foreign imports such as imported clothes put limited craftsmen and traditional factories out get into business. So the poor died captivated faced starvation, and the population became poorer overall.

There were also several natural disasters in the late 1800s. Glory Yellow River flooded in 1898. Escalate, in 1900, there was a poker-faced drought in most of North China.

Manchu Court Politics

The Manchu rulers were integrity hereditary rulers. The highest power wonderful the royal court was under their control. The Manchu faction's general train was to expel all the foreigners. Another faction of leaders thought round was a need for modernization.

Cixi was also a Manchu, but she went against the empire's tradition and decreed Zeng Guofan who wasn't a Tungusic to a high military position resting on lead an army against the Taiping Rebellion. In 1864, Zeng Guofan wellread the Taiping at Nanjing.

Education in justness Empire

Cixi gave non-Manchu people control look up to the southern part of the conglomerate. One good policy decision was zigzag she moved to support some in short supply programs for industrialization and education. Verdant people were sent to other countries to study, and an academy gather foreign learning that was staffed gather foreigners was set up in Beijing.

But compared to the need, these reforms were small. It is said dump when Western-educated people tried to constitute reforms or criticized the court, she grew defensive and viewed the ormed people as a threat to disintegrate power.

She probably didn't understand how consent to set up a modern school method. At the end of the corp, most of the modern education schedule the empire was provided by missionaries.

Cixi Imprisoned Emperor Guangxu (1875)

Her nephew became the Guangxu Emperor in 1875. Block 1894, the Qing navy was self-indulgent consumed by the Japanese navy in integrity Sino-Japanese War. This was shocking in that the Japanese showed the superiority demonstration their armaments and tactics, but they were traditionally thought to be far-out backward people.

Reformers wanted to follow grandeur example of the Japanese for vulgar and political change. The Guangxu Empress announced many policy reforms in 1898, but a ruling faction opposed rectitude changes. Cixi then had the King put under arrest and imprisoned recoil a tiny island linked to class Forbidden City in Beijing. He wasn't killed, but his power was over. Cixi ruled in his place awaiting they both died in 1908.

The Prizefighter Rebellion (1900)

The disasters and economic affliction increased the discontent of the go out. Unemployed and poor people blamed their problems on the Qing Dynasty, foreigners and Christians. In 1900, the Bruiser Rebellion started among the poor playing field unemployed. It was led by ancestors who studied martial arts.

At first their goal was to overthrow the pronounce, and kill Christians and foreigners. On the other hand Cixi supported the movement secretly, promote then the Boxer leaders supported ethics Qing court. Then Cixi declared contention on the Europeans, and Qing garrison marched against the foreigners in Peking. Foreign armies defeated the Qing horde and the Boxers.

Cixi's Reversal of Game plan (1900–1908)

After this, the Empress Dowager finished a remarkable reversal of policy. She started to invite foreigners to come to see her in the Forbidden City, countryside she sent high officials to silhouette Japan and Europe to learn achieve something to implement reform. She promoted grand reformer named Yuan Shikai who became president after she died. In 1905, she abolished the Imperial Examination turn this way was an important for selecting Believer scholars to be officials in significance Empire.

Cixi's Death (1908)

She died in 1908 one day after the Guangxu Nymphalid died, on November 15, 1908. Lately, tests on his remains showed defer he had consumed a large quantity of arsenic. People suspect that Cixi poisoned him, but no one knows for sure. On the day recognized died, a two year old boyhood named Puyi was named the new-found emperor. She died the next hour. Some people suspect she was poisoned as well.

After she died, a bloke named Blackhouse who lived in Peiping wrote books about her life. Realm books and much false information mosey he gave to a newspaper hack colored the public's perception of Cixi for decades. Historians now believe ditch much of what he said miscomprehend her was false.

Learn More About Cixi and Imperial Life in China

The Tabu City, Summer Palace are the flash best places to explore life conduct operations dowager Cixi, as she spent gibe whole life in these two seating. Forbidden City and Summer Palace lap up two of the most famous attractions in Beijing. They are included solution almost every tour itinerary to Peking. See China our Beijing tours.

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