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    Empress Wu Zetian

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    Wu Zetian was the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor, reigning during the Tang dynasty. She rose from a concubine to Emperor Gaozong's favorite wife. When Gaozong suffered a stroke, Wu Zetian took control of administrative duties and outmaneuvered her sons to install her youngest son on the throne while effectively ruling herself. In 690, she declared herself emperor and established her own Zhou dynasty. Though her rise to power was ruthless, her reign proved relatively benign, as she found capable ministers to run the government competently and instituted policies to help peasants and scholars. Wu Zetian promoted Buddhism and the arts before abdicating in 705

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    Empress Wu Zetian

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    Wu Zetian was the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor, reigning during the Tang dynasty. She rose from a concubine to Emperor Gaozong's favorite wife. When Gaozong suffered a stroke, Wu Zetian took control of administrative duties and outmaneuvered her sons to install her youngest son on the throne while effectively ruling herself. In 690, she declared herself emperor and established her own Zhou dynasty. Though her rise to power was ruthless, her reign proved relatively benign, as she found capable ministers to run the government competently and instituted policies to help peasants and scholars. Wu Zetian promoted Buddhism and the arts before abdicating in 705

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    Wu Zetian was the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor, reigning during the Tang dynasty. She rose from a concubine to Emperor Gaozong's favorite wife. When Gaozong suffered a stroke, Wu Zetian took control of administrative duties and outmaneuvered her sons to install her youngest son on the throne while effectively ruling herself. In 690, she declared herself emperor and established her own Zhou dynasty. Though her rise to power was ruthless, her reign proved relatively benign, as she found capable ministers to run the government competently and instituted policies to help peasants and scholars. Wu Zetian promoted Buddhism and the arts before abdicating in 705

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    224 views2 pages

    Empress Wu Zetian

    Uploaded by

    api-353535455
    Wu Zetian was the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor, reigning during the Tang dynasty. She rose from a concubine to Emperor Gaozong's favorite wife. When Gaozong suffered a stroke, Wu Zetian took control of administrative duties and outmaneuvered her sons to install her youngest son on the throne while effectively ruling herself. In 690, she declared herself emperor and established her own Zhou dynasty. Though her rise to power was ruthless, her reign proved relatively benign, as she found capable ministers to run the government competently and instituted policies to help peasants and scholars. Wu Zetian promoted Buddhism and the arts before abdicating in 705

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    Empress Wu Zetian

    Even though according to the Confucian beliefs having a woman rule would be as
    unnatural as having a "hen crow like a rooster at daybreak," during the most glorious years of the
    Tang dynasty a woman did rule, and ruled successfully. She was Wu Zetian, the only female in
    Chinese history to rule as emperor. To some she was an autocrat, ruthless in her desire to gain
    and keep power. To others she, as a woman doing a "man's job," merely did what she had to do,
    and acted no differently than most male emperors of her day. They also note that she managed to
    effectively rule China during one of its more peaceful and culturally diverse periods.
    The Tang dynasty (618-906 AD) was a time of relative freedom for women. They did not
    bind their feet nor lead submissive lives. It was a time in which a number of exceptional women
    contributed in the areas of culture and politics. So it is no surprise that Wu, born into a rich and
    noble family, was taught to play music, write, and read the Chinese classics. By thirteen years of
    age she was known for her wit, intelligence, and beauty, and was recruited to the court of
    Emperor Tai Tsung. She soon became his favorite concubine. But she also had eyes for his son,
    Kao Tsung.
    When the emperor died and Kao Tsung took over, Wu was now twenty seven years old.
    In time she became a favorite concubine of the new emperor, giving birth to the sons he wanted.
    As mother of the future emperor of China, she grew in power. She managed to eliminate Kao
    Tsung's wife, Empress Wang, by accusing her of killing Wu's newborn daughter. Kao Tsung
    believed Wu, and replaced Empress Wang to marry the up and coming Wu Zetian.
    Within five years of their marriage, Emperor Kao Tsung suffered a crippling stroke. The
    Empress Wu took over the administrative duties of the court, a position equal to the emperor. She
    created a secret police force to spy on her opposition, and cruelly jailed or killed anyone who
    stood in her way, including the unfortunate Empress Wang. With the death of Emperor Kao
    Tsung, Wu managed to outflank her eldest sons and moved her youngest, and much weaker son,
    into power. She in effect ruled, telling him what to do.
    In order to challenge Confucian beliefs against rule by women, Wu began a campaign to
    elevate the position of women. She had scholars write biographies of famous women, and raised
    the position of her mother's clan by giving her relatives high political posts. She moved her court
    away from the seat of traditional male power and tried to establish a new dynasty. She said that
    the ideal ruler was one who ruled like a mother does over her children.
    In 690, Wu's youngest son removed himself from office, and Wu Zetian was declared
    emperor of China. In spite of her ruthless climb to power, her rule proved to be benign. She
    found the best people she could to run the government, and treated those she trusted fairly. She
    reduced the army's size and stopped the influence of aristocratic military men on government by
    replacing them with scholars. Everyone had to compete for government positions by taking
    exams, thus setting the practice of government run by scholars. Wu also was fair to peasants,
    lowering oppressive taxes, raising agricultural production, and strengthening public works.
    During her reign, Empress Wu placed Buddhism over Daoism as the favored state
    religion. She invited the most gifted scholars to China and built Buddhist temples and cave
    sculptures. Chinese Buddhism achieved its highest development under the reign of Wu Zetian.
    As she grew older, Empress Wu lessened the power of her secret police. But she become
    increasingly superstitious and fearful. Sorcerers and corrupt court favorites flattered her. Finally,
    in 705, she was pressured to give up the throne in favor of her third son, who was waiting all
    these years in the wings. Wu Zetian died peacefully at age eighty the same year.

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