Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian (Wu Tse-tien; simplified Chinese: 武则天; traditional Chinese: 武則天; pinyin: Wǔ Zétiān; c. 625 AD – 705 AD),[1] was the first female monarch of China. She ruled under the name of her self-proclaimed Zhou Dynasty, from 690 to 705. She had previously been a member of the Tang Dynasty. Wu was a concubine of Emperor Taizong. After his death, she married his successor and 9th son, Emperor Gaozong in 655. After Gaozong's stroke in 660, Wu Zetian ruled as effective sovereign until 705.[1] She is the only woman to have ruled China in her own right.
| Wu Zetian | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||
| Empress of Zhou Dynasty | |||||||||
| 16 October 690 – 22 February 705 | |||||||||
| Predecessor | none, Emperor Ruizong as Emperor of Tang Dynasty | ||||||||
| Successor | dynasty abolished, Emperor Zhongzong as Emperor of Tang Dynasty | ||||||||
| Empress Regent of Tang Dynasty | |||||||||
| 660-690 | |||||||||
| Successor | Empress Wei | ||||||||
| Empress consort of Tang Dynasty | |||||||||
| 655–683 | |||||||||
| Predecessor | Empress Wang | ||||||||
| Successor | Empress Wei | ||||||||
| Born | 17 February 624 Lizhou, Sichuan Province, Tang Dynasty | ||||||||
| Died | 16 December 705 (aged 81) Luoyang, Tang Dynasty | ||||||||
| Burial | 706 | ||||||||
| Spouse | Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Gaozong of Tang | ||||||||
| Issue | Li Hong, Emperor Yizong Li Xian, Crown Prince Zhanghuai Princess Si of Anding Li Xian, Emperor Zhongzong Li Dan, Emperor Ruizong Princess Taiping | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | Wu (by birth) House of Li (by marriage) | ||||||||
| Father | Wu Shihuo, Duke Ding of Ying | ||||||||
| Mother | Lady Yang | ||||||||
Wu Zetian Media
A depiction of Wu, from Empress Wu of the Zhou, published circa 1690
A depiction of Emperor Gaozong of Tang from An 18th century album of portraits of 86 emperors of China, with Chinese historical notes
The Fengxian cave (c. 675) of the Longmen Grottoes, commissioned by Wu Zetian; the large, central Buddha is representative of the Vairocana
Epitaph for Yang Shun, general to Empress Wu Zetian, China, Luoyang, 693, limestone, Royal Ontario Museum
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, originally built in 652, it collapsed and was rebuilt in 701–704 during the reign of Wu Zetian. The present structure is largely the same as it was in the 8th century, although it used to be three stories taller before the damage caused by the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake
Buddhist statue of Wu Zetian from the 8th century, based on her likeness. Huangze Temple, Sichuan.
The estimated territorial extent of Wu Zetian's empire
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Paludan, Ann (1998). Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial China. New York, New York: Thames and Hudson. pp 96–100. ISBN 0-500-05090-2