慈禧

Cixi,亦拼作Tz'u-hsi。

以「慈禧太后」闻名

主宰中国清朝近半世纪之皇后。慈禧本来在咸丰皇帝(1850~1861年在位)的妃嫔中位阶甚低,但她於1856年生下皇帝唯一的子嗣,即未来的同治皇帝。咸丰皇帝死後,其子以六岁之龄继位,慈禧乃联合另外两人共同以其子之名义联合摄政。在这段时间,太平天国之乱和捻乱相继平定,政府短暂回复生机。当慈禧之子於1875年逝世,她违反继承法,扶立其收养的侄子继承皇位。摄政体制因此延续下来,慈禧并於1884年成为唯一的摄政者。西元1889年,慈禧名义上放下控制,但她於1898年重掌大权,废止一整套激进的改革,并将其侄子囚禁於皇宫内。她支持的义和团事件终告失败,并为中国留下负面的影响。西元1902年,慈禧开始实施她早先所推翻的改革。她在死前,曾下令毒死其侄子。亦请参阅Zeng Guofan、Zhang Zhidong。

1835~1908年

Cixi

Imperial consort who controlled the Chinese Qing dynasty for almost half a century. A low-ranking concubine of the Xianfeng emperor (r. 1850-61), Cixi bore his only son, the future Tongzhi emperor, in 1856. After the emperor's death, Cixi joined a triumviral regency that governed in the name of her son, who was only 6 at his accession. During this period the Taiping and Nian Rebellions were put down and the government was briefly revitalized. When Cixi's son died in 1875, Cixi violated the laws of succession and had her adoptive nephew enthroned. The regency thus continued, with Cixi becoming sole regent in 1884. In 1889 she nominally relinquished control, but returned in 1898 to undo a set of radical reforms and had her nephew imprisoned in his palace. She supported the unsuccessful Boxer Rebellion, with bad consequences for China. In 1902 she began to implement the reforms she had earlier reversed. Before she died, she ordered her nephew poisoned. See also Zeng Guofan, Zhang Zhidong.

参考文章