There is a figure in Chinese history who, despite never ascending the throne, shaped an empire over five reigns, resolved two succession crises to avoid civil war, educated and guided two young emperors, and helped forge multi-ethnic alliances that allowed the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) to rule a vast kingdom.
That figure was a woman called Borjigit Bumbutai, better known as Empress Xiaozhuangwen.
Xiaozhuangwen was born in 1613 into the Borjigit clan, a direct lineage of Genghis Khan, as a daughter of the Khorchin Mongol nobility. Her father, Jaisang, held the title of Beile, a noble rank signifying a tribal lord or prince.
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