Born: 29 November 1835 · Died: 15 November 1908 · Age at death: 72
How old was Empress Dowager Cixi when she died?
Empress Dowager Cixi died aged 72. She was born on 29 November 1835 and died on 15 November 1908.
Powerful regent who effectively ruled China for nearly fifty years
Did you know?She first arrived at the imperial court as a low-ranking concubine before rising to become the most powerful woman in China.
Quick facts
Date of birth29 November 1835
Date of death15 November 1908
Age at death72
NationalityChinese
BirthplaceBeijing, China
Occupationpolitician, queen regnant, painter
Editor's Take:
Empress Dowager Cixi began as a low-ranking concubine and became the most powerful woman in China. She ruled through her son and then her nephew. Old histories blamed her for the dynasty's decline. They pointed to her crushing of reform in 1898 and her support for the disastrous Boxer uprising. Some modern historians argue she also backed railways, schools and legal change. Her rule remains hotly debated. Three years after her death, the Qing dynasty fell.
Key Milestones
1861: Becomes co-regent after a palace coup
1875: Installs her nephew as the Guangxu Emperor
1898: Ends the Hundred Days' Reform
1900: Supports the Boxers against foreign powers
Empress Dowager Cixi (Mandarin pronunciation:; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who periodically controlled the government of the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent from 1861 until her death in 1908.
Empress Dowager Cixi's birthday is November 29. She was born on November 29, 1835 in Beijing, China.
How old was Empress Dowager Cixi when she died?
Empress Dowager Cixi died on November 15, 1908, aged 72.
Who shares a birthday with Empress Dowager Cixi?
Famous people who share Empress Dowager Cixi's November 29 birthday include Jacques Chirac, C. S. Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Garry Shandling and Ryan Giggs.
