Empress Dowager Cixi

Empress Dowager Cixi was born on November 29, 1835 in Beijing, China. She was one of the concubines under the Xianfeng emperor. However, she was the only one to produce an heir to the throne. When her son as 6 years old, Xianfeng died. Her son became to be known as the Tongzi emperor and she became one of his councilors. He died at an early age so she adopted her three year old nephew that would keep her in power. She maintained her regent position which she shared with someone named Ci'an. But, Ci'an died and she became the only one with enough power to declare herself as Empress Dowager in 1881. At this time of her rise to power, the Qing dynasty was rapidly declining and needed to industrialize and modernize. She became everything China didn't need in order to maintain power and peace. She reversed advances by reverting back to old ways of thinking in regards to Confucianism. Her ultimate fall was humiliating. Her role was weakened by the Boxer Rebellion and she eventually was forced out of Beijing. She returned in 1902 and died on November 15, 1908.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cixi