A young emperor's 1661 death left a child to lead the Qing Dynasty
The sudden death of the Shunzhi Emperor from smallpox in 1661 thrust a seven-year-old child onto the throne, beginning one of the most prosperous eras in Chinese imperial history.
In 1661, the Qing Dynasty faced a sudden crisis when the Shunzhi Emperor died at the young age of 22. Smallpox was a terrifying and frequent killer in the imperial court, and it was this very disease that dictated the succession. The emperor chose his son, Xuanye, specifically because the boy had already survived smallpox and was therefore considered 'tempered' and immune.
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