#352 - Taiping 26: Two Seals and a Coffin

Podcast: The History of China Podcast · Chris Stewart

Opublikowano: 2026-10-30

In the summer of 1861, the Xianfeng emperor died at 30, in exile, beyond the Great Wall. He left behind a 5-year-old heir, 8 men to run the empire in the boy’s name… and 2 tiny, little seals out of his personal art collection that are completely unimportant to the rest of this story, so don’t even worry about them. It was the most airtight succession the dynasty had ever arranged. All they had to get through was the imperial funeral... Time Period Covered: Dec. 1860–Dec. 1861 CE Major Historical Figures: The Qing: The Xianfeng Emperor [1831–1861] Yixin, Prince Gong [1833–1898] Yehenala, afterward the Empress Dowager Cixi...