Guangxu Emperor

Guangxu Emperor 光緒帝
Emperor of the Qing dynasty
Reign	25 February 1875 – 14 November 1908
Predecessor	Tongzhi Emperor
Successor	Xuantong Emperor
Regent	Empress Dowager Ci'an (1875–1881) Empress Dowager Cixi (1875–1908)
Born	(1871-08-14)14 August 1871 (同治十年 六月 二十八日) Prince Chun's Mansion, Beijing
Died	14 November 1908(1908-11-14) (aged 37) (光緒三十四年 十月 二十一日) Hanyuan Temple, Yingtai Island, Zhongnan Lakes, Beijing
Burial	Chong Mausoleum, Western Qing tombs
Consort	Empress Xiaodingjing ​ ​ (m. 1889)​
Names Aisin-Gioro Zaitian (愛新覺羅·載湉) Manchu: Dzai tiyan (ᡯᠠᡳ ᡨᡳᠶᠠᠨ) Era dates Guangxu (光緒): 6 February 1875 – 21 January 1909 Manchu: Badarangga doro (ᠪᠠᡩᠠᡵᠠᠩᡤᠠ ᡩᠣᡵᠣ) Mongolian: Бадаргуулт төр (ᠪᠠᠳᠠᠷᠠᠭᠤᠯᠲᠤ ᠲᠥᠷᠥ) Posthumous name Emperor Tongtian Chongyun Dazhong Zhizheng Jingwen Weiwu Renxiao Ruizhi Duanjian Kuanqin Jing (同天崇運大中至正經文緯武仁孝睿智端儉寬勤景皇帝) Manchu: Ambalinggū hūwangdi (ᠠᠮᠪᠠᠯᡳᠩᡤᡡ ᡥᡡᠸᠠᠩᡩᡳ) Temple name Dezong (德宗) Manchu: Dedzung (ᡩᡝᡯᡠᠩ)
House	Aisin-Gioro
Dynasty	Qing
Father	Yixuan, Prince Chunxian of the First Rank
Mother	Yehe-Nara Wanzhen

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The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908),^[1] also known by his temple name Emperor Dezong of Qing, personal name Zaitian,^[2] was the tenth emperor of the Qing dynasty,^[3] and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign was largely dominated by his maternal aunt Empress Dowager Cixi. He initiated the radical Hundred Days' Reform but was abruptly stopped when the Empress Dowager launched a coup in 1898, after which he was held under virtual house arrest until his death.

Emperor Guangxu was the second son of Prince Chun, Yixuan (a son of the Daoguang Emperor), and his mother, Yehenara Wanzhen, was the sister of Empress Dowager Cixi. After Emperor Tongzhi's death in 1874, he was supported by the two Empress Dowagers (Ci'an and Cixi) to succeed the throne, being adopted at the age of three by Emperor Xianfeng and the two Empress Dowagers, thereby inheriting the throne. During the early years of his reign, the two dowagers jointly handled state affairs. As Ci’an passed away in 1881, Cixi continued to act as the sole regent. In 1889, Guangxu got married and announced his personal rule. After the failure of the Hundred Days’ Reform in 1898, he was confined by Cixi in the Yingtai Pavilion of Zhongnanhai, completely losing his ruling power. In November 1908, he died of arsenic poisoning at Yingtai. He reigned for 34 years, dying at the age of 38 without leaving any descendants, and was buried in the Chongling Mausoleum of the Western Qing Tombs.

The emperor’s life was turbulent and full of hardships. He was not originally the heir to the throne but was forcibly elevated after Emperor Tongzhi died without an heir. From a young age, he was forced to leave his home and enter the palace, where he was strictly controlled and disciplined by Cixi, enduring many hardships and sorrows. Even after he reached adulthood and began his personal rule, Cixi was unwilling to relinquish her control over state power, making him continue to be a puppet, unable to enjoy the majesty and power of a monarch. During his reign, the Qing dynasty became increasingly impoverished and weak. The Sino-French War, the First Sino-Japanese War, and the Boxer Rebellion followed one after another, causing the dynasty to cede territory and pay indemnities, losing sovereignty and humiliating the nation, leaving the people in misery. Seeing the country’s decline, Guangxu allied with intellectuals to launch the Hundred Days’ Reform, attempting to save and rejuvenate the nation. However, this movement was immediately suppressed by the conservative forces led by Cixi, resulting in his confinement and loss of political power and personal freedom until his untimely death. His tragic fate is rare among emperors. Although historians do not deny the failures and limitations during his reign, he is still regarded as a relatively progressive and enlightened monarch of the dynasty. His image in historical research and literary works is also mostly positive.