Guangxu Emperor

Guangxu Emperor – Qing Dynasty

Zai Tian was respected and known as the Guangxu Emperor. He was referred to as the Emperor Dezong of Qing too. Plus, he was the ultimate ruler in the Qing Dynasty and China’s history.

He was the 9th Qing Dynasty emperor to rule and control over China proper.

His reign began in 1875 and lasted until 1908. Yet, in practice, he ruled only for nine years without the influence of Empress Dowager Cixi.

The Emperor Dezong of Qing started the Hundred Days’ Reform, yet it was cut short by the empress dowager. In 1898, she launched a coup where the Guangxu Emperor ended up becoming powerless. From there, he was kept under house arrest until he died.

His ruling name, Guangxu, translates to glorious succession.

The Succession of the Throne

Zai Tian was the second son of Prince Chun. In January 1875, his cousin, Emperor Tongzhi, died without an heir to succeed the throne.

With that, the imperial convention of having a new heir from the generation after the previous emperor was broken. They started considering candidates from Emperor Tongzhi’s generation, while the Empress Dowager Ci’an suggested choosing from Prince Gong’s sons.

However, she was overruled by Empress Dowager Cixi, her co-regent. Instead, Cixi appointed her nephew, Zaitian, a choice which the imperial clan agreed on.

Zaitian was named the heir and successor of the Xianfeng Emperor, his late uncle. In reality, he succeeded his cousin, the Tongzhi Emperor. This was done to maintain the father-son law of succession.

At the age of four, he ascended to the throne, adopting the reign name Guangxu. Empress Dowagers Ci’an and Cixi adopted him later on.

By 1876, Weng Tonghe started teaching Emperor Dezong of Qing. Weng Tonghe was a Confucian scholar involved in the Tongzhi Emperor’s disastrous upbringing. However, he was freed from all possible charges.

In 1881, Empress Dowager Ci’an unexpectedly passed away when the Guangxu Emperor was nine. This left Empress Dowager Cixi as the sole regent for the young emperor.

During these moments, the Qing Dynasty emperor wasn’t free from corrupt and manipulative officials around him. So, it was no surprise that imperial eunuchs took advantage of the situation and their influence over the Guangxu Emperor.

Guangxu Emperor Taking Over

The Guangxu Emperor was finally of age to officially rule the empire by 1887. However, several courtiers like Weng Tonghe and Prince Chun petitioned Cixi to postpone her retirement as a regent.

When he turned 18, the Qing Dynasty emperor was married to prepare for Cixi’s retirement. Cixi selected Jingfen, her niece, to be the empress for the Guangxu Emperor. She was known as Empress Longyu.

Empress Dowager Cixi also chose two concubines for the emperor. These were Consorts Zhen and Jin. When the emperor married the following week, Cixi retired from her position as the regent.

The First Sino-Japanese War

A few years after ascending to the throne, the First Sino-Japanese War occurred. The Emperor Dezong of Qing volunteered to support the battle. However, the Beiyang Fleet of the Qing empire’s navy was destroyed after consecutive and intense battles.

The Guangxu Emperor planned to move the capital to a safer area while continuing the battle against the Japanese. But Cixi insisted on peace and signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The unfair pact granted China’s vast territories and Japan’s exemption from penalties and liabilities.

With this huge failure, the Self-Strengthening Movement failed. Because of that, the Qing Dynasty became a semi-feudal and semi-colonial empire.

Hundred Days’ Reform – A Movement of 1898

In June 1898, the emperor established the Hundred Days’ Reform. It was aimed at legal, political, and social changes.

For a brief period after Cixi’s retirement, the Qing Dynasty emperor issued edicts for further modernization. These reforms came with the help of progressive officials like Liang Qichao and Kang Youwei.

After signing the treaty with Japan, around 1,300 scholars suggested that the weakened Qing empire needed more fundamental reforms. With that, the emperor supported these ideas and tried to implement changes.

After three years, the Guangxu Emperor established the Reform Movement of 1898 that some officials also supported. This reform included the change of the Manchus’ clothes and hairstyle. This edict even encouraged the establishment of the parliament, modern armies, constitutions, private businesses, free communication, and new schools.

Additionally, the Reform Movement removed the privileges of the Manchu. The policies even had military power & political authority removed. Those who lost their privileges include Empress Dowager Cixi and the Manchu nobles of that time.

House Arrest

After 1898, the Guangxu Emperor’s duties became extremely limited. Although his title as the emperor remained, his power as Qing’s ruler was effectively taken away. He was kept informed of state affairs and was present at audiences.

Cixi, on the other hand, occupied the main throne and handled everything that the emperor should.

To execute his role adequately, the Guangxu Emperor continued performing ceremonial duties, which included offering sacrifices. However, he was never able to rule as emperor again.

After the collapse of the Hundred Days’ Reform in the same year, the Guangxu Emperor’s health started declining. He was said to be diagnosed with chronic nephritis and was also known to be impotent at that time. As a result, Cixi was prompted to name Pujun, one of Guangxu’s nephews.

Pujun and his father were discharged from their positions after the Boxer Rebellion.

Fall of the Guangxu Emperor

In November 1908, Cixi died. Yet before her, the known to be healthy Guangxu Emperor died too, yet under extremely suspicious circumstances.

The final decree of Cixi was passed on to Puyi, the emperor’s young nephew. He eventually ruled the empire as Emperor Xuantong.

From the start, it was believed that the emperor was poisoned. However, there was no evidence to support these claims until a century after his demise.

In 2008, after conducting a five-year study, a report was provided by police officials and Chinese researchers. They confirmed that the emperor was indeed poisoned using arsenic.

This report didn’t address the culprit or who may have commanded such a crime. However, most suspicions were pointing towards Cixi.