Abstract:

During the late Qing Dynasty, after the death of Emperor Xianfeng (咸丰) on November 2, 1861, the Xinyou Coup (辛酉政变) initiated by Empress Dowager Cixi (慈禧太后), Ci’an(慈安) and Yixin (奕䜣)against the Grand Council led by Su Shun is considered one of the significant palace coups that influenced China's historical process. The Xinyou Coup, which also influenced China's modernization process, is an interesting topic that has not yet been thoroughly studied in our country. The role of Empress Cixi, who rose from concubine to empress and ruled for half a century in Qing history, and the emperor’s brother Yixin, in the Xinyou Coup is important. It occurred as a power struggle during a period when internal and external issues prevailed in the late Qing Dynasty. In 1861, Empress Dowager Cixi and Yixin carried out the Xinyou coup, disrupting the ruling order bequeathed by Emperor Xianfeng. At the end of this coup, Empress Dowager Cixi strengthened her position and took power by proxy instead of her son Tongzhi (同治) and the administration that started behind the curtains continued until 1908, although it was interrupted for about half a century. Yixin was honored with the title of "Yizheng Wang (议政王" and gained an important position in the administration. The eight-man of regency Council (赞襄政务八大臣), formed by Xianfeng, was repealed. The members of the regency council, Su Shun, Zaiyuan (载垣) and Duan Hua (端华), were sentenced to death. In this study, the Xinyou coup resulting in Empress Dowager Cixi taking control behind the curtains (垂帘听政), its causes, and consequences have been examined.

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