100 years ago today, on 14 November 1908, Kuang-Hsu, Emperor of China 1875-1908, died.

He succeeded to the throne at the age of three and reigned almost entirely under the dominance of his aunt, the Dowager-Empress Tzu-Hsi. She first acted as Regent, but refused to hand power over to him when he became of age. His one attempt to seize control in 1898 resulted in her placing him under virtual house arrest in the Imperial Palace. He died suddenly aged 37 in 1908, as Tzu-Hsi lay on her deathbed, she died the following day. Rumours abounded that she had had him murdered to ensure the succession of the boy Emperor Hsuan-Tung, who would reign under the regime she had established. Recent tests on samples of Kuang-Hsu's hair have proven the theory by showing that he died from arsenic poisoning.