Xinyou Coup

Xinyou Coup (simplified Chinese: 辛酉政变; traditional Chinese: 辛酉政變; pinyin: Xīnyǒu Zhèngbiàn), also known as the Qixiang Coup (祺祥政變 or 祺祥之變) and Beijing Coup (北京政變), was a Chinese palace coup that occurred in November 1861 during the Qing dynasty. It was instigated by Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci'an, and Yixin to seize power after the death of the Xianfeng Emperor. On his deathbed, the emperor had appointed a group of eight regents, led by Sushun, who were adjutants general and grand councillors, to assist his infant son Zaichun (Tongzhi Emperor) in governing the empire. The eight regents, Sushun, Zaiyuan, Duanhua, Jingshou (景壽), Muyin, Kuang Yuan (匡源), Du Han (杜翰) and Jiao Youying (焦祐瀛) were stripped of official positions. Later, several of them were executed or forced to commit suicide.^[1]