Tongzhi Emperor
Emperor of China from 1861 to 1875) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875),[1] also known by his temple name Emperor Muzong of Qing, personal name Zaichun,[2] was the ninth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1861 to 1875, which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was largely overshadowed by the rule of his mother, Empress Dowager Cixi. Although he had little influence over state affairs, the events of his reign gave rise to what historians call the "Tongzhi Restoration", an unsuccessful modernization program.
Tongzhi Emperor 同治帝 | |||||||||||||||||
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Emperor of the Qing dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
Reign | 11 November 1861 – 12 January 1875 | ||||||||||||||||
Predecessor | Xianfeng Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
Successor | Guangxu Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
Regents | Jingshou (1861) Muyin (1861) Kuangyuan (1861) Du Han (1861) Jiao Youying Zaiyuan (1861) Duanhua (1861) Sushun (1861) Empress Dowager Ci'an (1861–1875) Empress Dowager Cixi (1861–1875) | ||||||||||||||||
Born | (1856-04-27)27 April 1856 (咸豐六年 三月 二十三日) Chuxiu Palace, Forbidden City, Beijing, Qing dynasty | ||||||||||||||||
Died | 12 January 1875(1875-01-12) (aged 18) (同治十三年 十二月 五日) Hall of Mental Cultivation, Forbidden City, Beijing, Qing dynasty | ||||||||||||||||
Burial | Hui Mausoleum, Eastern Qing tombs | ||||||||||||||||
Consort | |||||||||||||||||
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House | Aisin Gioro | ||||||||||||||||
Dynasty | Qing | ||||||||||||||||
Father | Xianfeng Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
Mother | Empress Xiaoqinxian |
The only surviving son of the Xianfeng Emperor, Tongzhi ascended the throne at the age of five under a regency headed by his mother and Empress Dowager Ci'an. The Self-Strengthening Movement began during his reign, in which Qing officials pursued radical institutional reforms following the disasters of the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion. Tongzhi assumed personal rule over the Qing government in 1873 and immediately came into conflict with his ministers, but was outmaneuvered by the empresses dowager.
In 1875, Tongzhi succumbed to smallpox at the age of 18 following unsuccessful medical treatments, creating a succession crisis as he died without a male heir. In contravention of Qing's dynastic custom, the empresses dowager installed Cixi's nephew as his successor, who assumed the throne as the Guangxu Emperor.