Empress Dowager Cixi

Empress Dowager Cixi was a Qing dynasty consort who became China’s dominant political authority after 1861, governing through regencies until her death in 1908.

Xinyou Coup: The 1861 palace coup that removed the regents appointed by the Xianfeng Emperor before his death. It established Cixi’s regency alongside Empress Dowager Ci’an.
Self-Strengthening Movement: A Qing reform program that adopted selected Western military and industrial technologies while preserving Confucian institutions. Cixi’s court supported parts of this effort to strengthen the dynasty after internal and foreign crises.
Qing dynasty: China’s last imperial dynasty, ruled by the Manchu Aisin-Gioro house from 1644 to 1912. Cixi’s authority and reforms unfolded within the dynasty’s imperial court.
Prince Gong: A Qing imperial prince and statesman who helped organize the 1861 coup and led foreign affairs for decades. He allied with Cixi in the coup, then became a powerful court official whose influence she curtailed.
Guangxu Emperor's reforms: The 1898 reform measures issued under the Guangxu Emperor to modernize Qing administration, education, and institutions. Their rapid program collided with Cixi’s preference for retaining control over the court and pace of change.
Tongzhi Emperor: The Qing emperor who reigned from 1861 to 1875, succeeding his father, the Xianfeng Emperor. Cixi governed during his minority and remained influential after he assumed formal rule.
Hundred Days' Reform: A failed 1898 reform program that sought rapid institutional and educational change under the Guangxu Emperor. Cixi ended the reform drive and placed the emperor under confinement.
Xianfeng Emperor: The Qing emperor who reigned from 1850 to 1861 during the Taiping Rebellion and the Second Opium War. As his consort and the mother of his heir, Cixi gained a position at the succession crisis of 1861.
Li Hongzhang: A Qing statesman and military commander who led regional armies and pursued diplomatic and industrial projects. Cixi relied on his statecraft during crises while his regional power shaped the limits of central rule.
Chinese constitutional movement: A late Qing political movement seeking constitutional government, provincial assemblies, and eventual representative institutions. Its demands tested the limits of Cixi’s court-led reforms and the dynasty’s willingness to share power.

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