In Who Murdered China’s Emperor 100 Years Ago?, scientists revealed that Emperor Guangxu died of acute arsenic poisoning. Although Guangxu’s death cleared the way for his famed successor, Puyi, to ascend to the throne, Puyi abdicated three years later.
Tag: History
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Emperor Pu-Yi Severance Agreement
I love Google’s news archive search. I just discovered a New York Times article from February 13, 1912 announcing that Emperor Pu-Yi had abdicated from the throne. The interesting part, at least for me, was the terms of the abdication. Specifically, the Republicans pledged that “[t]he Emperor shall receive an annual grant of 4,000,000 taels until the currency is reformed, after which he shall receive $4,000,000 Mexican.” Of course, the Republicans referred to in the article are those supporters of the Republic of China, and not the McCain/Palin crowd. Now, almost a 100 years later, pegging a severance payment to the Mexican dollar seems a bit quaint. Just shows how powers ebb and flow over time. A century from now, I wonder of our current US dollar denominated contracts will appear equally quaint to those who are yet to be born.