China Power-Hungry
Empress
The
dowager Cixi (Tsoo-Shee) never ruled in China but she had great power at the
end of the 19th century. She
was a lesser concubine of the Emperor Xianfeng and gained stature as the mother
of his first son. In 1861 the emperor
died; her son was 5 years old and Cixi became one of the regents for the young
emperor.
Her power was ruthless; she
declared her enemies traitors. Another regent, Su Shun was beheaded in the public
market. The Taiping Rebellion in 1864
was crushed with 100,000 rebels slain.
In 1873 Cixi’s son turned 17 and
she was no longer regent. The young emperor died 2 years later. One of his wives was pregnant but died. Cixi adopted her nephew, 4 years old, and
again ruled as his regent.
In 1889 she retired again. Her nephew wanted reforms, but in 1898 army
officers forced him to give up power.
They named Cixi regent again.
Europeans made the Chinese sign a treaty giving up many rights. Many people blamed her for Europeans (and the
Americans) invading China. The ruling
family fled and the Cixi forces were powerless.
Cixi died in 1908 after she named a
new emperor to the throne. He was the
last emperor of China; he ruled only until 1912.
The only other woman in this
reference book of “Merciless Monarchs and Ruthless Royalty” by Miriam Aronin,
2013, (p. 24-27) is Bloody Mary who reigned from 1553 to 1558 in England. She restored Catholicism, burned at the stake
about 300 Protestants and was succeeded by Elizabeth I.
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