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Constantine VI (771-804) was the only child of Emperor Leo IV and Empress Irene. He was crowned co-emperor in 776, and became sole emperor in 780, aged only nine. Due to his young age, his mother Irene and her chief minister Staurakios ruled in his stead. However, even when Constantine was of age at sixteen, his mother still refused to hand over executive authority to him.
Constantine VI (771-804) was the only child of Emperor Leo IV and Empress Irene. He was crowned co-emperor in 776, and became sole emperor in 780, aged only nine. Due to his young age, his mother Irene and her chief minister Staurakios ruled in his stead. However, even when Constantine was of age at sixteen, his mother still refused to hand over executive authority to him.<br/><br/> Constantine was to marry Rotrude, the daughter of the future Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, in 788, but his mother broke off the engagement and instead supported Charlemagne's enemies. When Irene attempted to get official recognition as empress in 790, the plan backfired and Constantine was finally given the throne through military support, though his mother was still allowed to keep the title of empress.<br/><br/> Constantine soon proved he was not a capable leader however, suffering humiliating defeats at the hands of the Arabs and Bulgarians. When his uncle was favoured to replace him, he had his eyes put out and the tongues of his other uncles torn off. He became vastly unpopular, and in 797 was himself blinded and imprisoned by his mother's supporters. Irene was then crowned as Constantinople's first Empress Regnant. Constantine's date of death is unknown, though it was definitely before 805. Irene herself ruled until she was overthrown in 802, where she was then exiled to Lesbos and died the following year.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Western descriptions of Chinese emperors, royalty and nobles often mention fingernails long enough to mark the person above any possibility of manual labor. These fingernail protectors, or guards, might be worn as a single jewel on the hand or in multiple sets.<br/><br/> According to the San Diego Museum of Art: 'Fingernail protectors were worn by a very elite group–Manchu court ladies of the late Qing dynasty. Although scholars of Chinese costumes usually date fingernail protectors to the Qing dynasty, they are in fact characteristic only of the late 19th century. Portraits of early Qing court ladies show natural fingernails. Late Qing rulers, however, pursued a life of absolute luxury. For example, photographs and portraits of Empress Jixi (1835-1908) show her wearing two or three nail shields on each of her hands–a sign of her ability to rely upon servants to carry out any of her wishes, as she herself could perform no manual tasks'.<br/><br/> The wearing of fingernail protectors was specifically associated with the Manchurian high culture of the Qing Dynasty. Han men were forced by law to wear Manchu clothing and to groom themselves by Manchu custom, whereas Han women were free to continue wearing traditional Han fashions. Manchu women felt that long fingernails were a status symbol they protected with fingernail covers that might be finely carved and inlayed with gold silver and gem.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Foot binding (pinyin: chanzu, literally 'bound feet') was a custom practiced on young girls and women for approximately one thousand years in China, beginning in the 10th century and ending in the first half of 20th century. There is little evidence for the custom prior to the court of the Southern Tang dynasty in Nanjing, which celebrated the fame of its dancing girls, renowned for their tiny feet and beautiful bow shoes.<br/><br/> What is clear is that foot binding was first practised among the elite and only in the wealthiest parts of China, which suggests that binding the feet of well-born girls represented their freedom from manual labor and, at the same time, the ability of their husbands to afford wives who did not need to work, who existed solely to serve their men and direct household servants while performing no labor themselves. Bound feet were considered intensely erotic in traditional Chinese culture. Qing Dynasty sex manuals listed 48 different ways of playing with women's bound feet.<br/><br/> Some men preferred never to see a woman's bound feet, so they were always concealed within tiny 'lotus shoes' and wrappings. Feng Xun is recorded as stating, 'If you remove the shoes and bindings, the aesthetic feeling will be destroyed forever' - an indication that men understood that the symbolic erotic fantasy of bound feet did not correspond to its unpleasant physical reality, which was therefore to be kept hidden. For men, the primary erotic effect was a function of the lotus gait, the tiny steps and swaying walk of a woman whose feet had been bound.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) was originally created during the Ming Dynasty, but was designed in its current form by Qing emperor Qianlong (r. 1736 - 1795). It is however Qianlong’s mother, the Qing Dowager Empress Cixi who is most irrevocably linked to the palace, since she had it restored twice during her reign, once in 1860 after it was plundered by British and French troops during the Second Opium War, and again in 1902 when foreign troops sought reprisals for the Boxer Rebellion, an anti-Christian movement.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
The Empress Xiaozhuang (March 28, 1613 - January 27, 1688), known for most of her life by the title 'Grand Empress Dowager', was the concubine of Emperor Huang Taiji, the mother of the Shunzhi Emperor and the grandmother of the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty in China.<br/><br/> She wielded significant influence over the Qing court during the rule of her son and grandson. Known for her wisdom and political ability, Xiaozhuang has become a largely respected figure in Chinese history, strictly in contrast to the despotic reputation of Empress Dowager Cixi. Empress Xiao Zhuang Wen was a daughter of a prince of Borjigit clan of the Khorchin Mongols, Prince Jaisang, and thus was a descendant of Genghis Khan's younger brother Jochi Khasar. Her given name was Bumbutai.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi (Wade–Giles: Tz'u-Hsi, 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) of the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
The Empress Xiaozhuang (March 28, 1613 - January 27, 1688), known for most of her life by the title 'Grand Empress Dowager', was the concubine of Emperor Huang Taiji, the mother of the Shunzhi Emperor and the grandmother of the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty in China. She wielded significant influence over the Qing court during the rule of her son and grandson. Known for her wisdom and political ability, Xiaozhuang has become a largely respected figure in Chinese history, strictly in contrast to the despotic reputation of Empress Dowager Cixi. Empress Xiao Zhuang Wen was a daughter of a prince of Borjigit clan of the Khorchin Mongols, Prince Jaisang, and thus was a descendant of Genghis Khan's younger brother Jochi Khasar. Her given name was Bumbutai.
Empress Dowager Xiaochun, consort of the 15th Ming Emperor Taichang (r. 1620), mother of 17th Ming Emperor Chongzhen (r. 1627-1644).
Empress Dowager Xiaohe, consort of the 15th Ming Emperor Taichang (r. 1620), mother of 16th Ming Emperor Tianqi (r. 1620-1627).
Empress Dowager Xiaochun, consort of the 15th Ming Emperor Taichang (r. 1620), mother of 17th Ming Emperor Chongzhen (r. 1627-1644).
The Eight Immortals (Chinese: Baxian; Pa-hsien) are a group of legendary 'xian' (immortals; transcendents; fairies) in Chinese mythology. Each Immortal's power can give life or destroy evil. Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang Dynasty or Song Dynasty. They are revered in Daoism (Taoism) and are also a popular element in secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea which includes Penglai Mountain-Island. The Immortals are:<br/><br/> 1. Immortal Woman He (He Xiangu)<br/><br/> 2. Royal Uncle Cao (Cao Guojiu)<br/><br/> 3. Iron-Crutch Li (Tieguai Li)<br/><br/> 4. Lan Caihe<br/><br/> 5. Lu Dongbin, (leader) 6. Philosopher Han Xiang (Han Xiang Zi)<br/><br/> 7. Elder Zhang Guo (Zhang Guo Lao)<br/><br/> 8. Han Zhongli (Zhongli Quan)<br/><br/> In literature before the 1970s, they were sometimes translated as the Eight Genies. First described in the Yuan Dynasty, they were probably named after the Eight Immortal Scholars of the Han.
Empress Xiao Duan Wen (May 13, 1600 - May 17, 1649), personal name Borjigit. She was the principal Empress Consort of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Huang Taiji of China. Empress Xiao Duan Wen was a daughter of Manjusri Noyan, the First Prince Fu of the Borjigit clan, descended from the Mongol Horchin clan. Borjigit married the Tai Zong Emperor Huang Taiji of the Manchu Later Jin on May 28, 1614, and became his official wife and later Empress in 1636 when the Qing Dynasty was established. Both her nieces Bumbutai (later Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang) and Hai Lan Zu were married to the Emperor as well. Borjigit was posthumously styled with the title 'Empress Xiao Duan Wen' after her death.
The Empress Xiaozhuang, (pinyin: Xiàozhuāngwén Huánghòu; Manchu: Hiyoošungga Ambalinggū Genggiyenšu Hūwanghu; March 28, 1613 - January 27, 1688), known for the majority of her life under the title 'Grand Empress Dowager', was the concubine of Emperor Huang Taiji, the mother of the Shunzhi Emperor and the grandmother of the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty in China. She wielded significant influence over the Qing court during the rule of her son and grandson. Known for her wisdom and political ability, Xiaozhuang has become a largely respected figure in Chinese history, strictly in contrast to the despotic reputation of Empress Dowager Cixi.<br/><br/> Empress Xiao Zhuang Wen was a daughter of a prince of Borjigit clan of the Khorchin Mongols, Prince Jaisang, and thus was a descendant of Genghis Khan's younger brother Jochi Khasar. Her given name was Bumbutai.
The Empress Xiaozhuang (March 28, 1613 - January 27, 1688), known for most of her life by the title 'Grand Empress Dowager', was the concubine of Emperor Huang Taiji, the mother of the Shunzhi Emperor and the grandmother of the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty in China.<br/><br/> She wielded significant influence over the Qing court during the rule of her son and grandson. Known for her wisdom and political ability, Xiaozhuang has become a largely respected figure in Chinese history, strictly in contrast to the despotic reputation of Empress Dowager Cixi. Empress Xiao Zhuang Wen was a daughter of a prince of Borjigit clan of the Khorchin Mongols, Prince Jaisang, and thus was a descendant of Genghis Khan's younger brother Jochi Khasar. Her given name was Bumbutai.
The Qing Dynasty, also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 (with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917). It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China.<br/><br/> The dynasty was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro in modern northeast China (also known as Manchuria). Starting in 1644 it expanded into China proper and its surrounding territories, establishing the Empire of the Great. Complete pacification of China was accomplished around 1683 under the Kangxi Emperor.<br/><br/> During its reign the Qing Dynasty became highly integrated with Chinese culture. The dynasty reached its zenith in the 18th century, during which both territory and population were increased. However, its military power weakened thereafter and, faced with massive rebellions and defeat in wars, the Qing Dynasty declined after the mid-19th century.<br/><br/> The Qing Dynasty was overthrown following the Xinhai Revolution, when Empress Dowager Longyu abdicated on behalf of the last emperor, Puyi, on February 12, 1912.