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Entry 174 of 240Reform

The Kangxi Succession Struggle

1722 CE/East Asia/Qing China
Today Qing China (Beijing)Span Qing dynasty · 1644–1912 CE

The Kangxi Emperor, one of the longest-reigning and ablest rulers in Chinese history, left a poisonous legacy: his many sons plotted for decades over the succession, and his eventual heir ruled under a permanent cloud of suspicion that he had seized the throne by forgery or murder. The very strength of the ruler made his replacement dangerous. The more absolute the ruler, the more perilous the moment he had to be replaced.

◆ Worth knowingTo end the deadly plotting, the next Qing emperor invented a secret system: he wrote his chosen successor's name and sealed it in a box hidden behind a plaque above the throne, to be opened only upon his death.
◆ The mechanismSuccession / legitimacy crisis

The orderly transfer of power fails because no rule or claimant is accepted as legitimate.

Also: Institutional sclerosis

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