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The Empress Wu Zetian (690-704 CE) is the only female ruler in the history of China. The political success of Wu Zetian indicates that the attributes needed in diplomacy and rulership were not restricted to men. Princess Taiping had shielded Li Longji from her mother when he was young and supported him in his efforts to take the throne. She wanted to make it clear that a new kind of ruler had taken the throne of China and a new order had arrived. Her reforms and policies lay the foundation for the success of Xuanzong as emperor under whose reign China became the most prosperous country in the world. She was the power behind the throne from Gaozong's death in 683 CE until she proclaimed herself openly in 690 CE and ruled as emperor of China until a year before her death in 705 CE, at the age of 81. First emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Quin Shi Huang-di (259 B.C.-210 B.C.) published on 22 February 2016. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. The emperor believed her story, and Wang was demoted and imprisoned in a distant part of the palace, soon to be joined by the Pure Concubine. Wus memorial tablet, which stands near her tomb, was erected during her years as empress in the expectation that her successors would compose a magnificent epitaph for it. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! Wu Zetian's politics can be considered as feminist initiatives to reinforce the legitimacy of women in the political arena. The only woman ever to rule as emperor of China, Wu Zhao (Wu ZeTian) was born in 624 C.E. But several years later, she returned to the palace as Gaozong's concubine and gave birth to sons. Download Full Size Image. She also dealt ruthlessly with a succession of rivals, promoted members of her own family to high office, succumbed repeatedly to favoritism, and, in her old age, maintained what amounted to a harem of virile young men. Not only do we pay for our servers, but also for related services such as our content delivery network, Google Workspace, email, and much more. Empress Wu is the only female to have ever ruled in her own name in China. C.P. She ordered farming manuals to be written and distributed. Empress Wu (died September or October 245), [a] personal name Wu Xian ( Chinese: ), formally known as Empress Mu (literally "the Just Empress"), was an empress of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. Under Xuanzong's reign, China became the most affluent country in the world at the time. Wu Zetian argued that since mothers were indispensable to the birth and nourishment of infants, the three years when the infant totally depended on the mother as caregiver should be requited with three years of mourning her death. Vol. "Wu Zetian (624705) Buddhism was carried into East Asia by merchants and Buddhist monks traveling the Silk Road from Northern India, Persia, Kashmir and Inner Asia. In defiance of convention Emperor Gaozong started an affair with her, and she bore him a son in 652. A third problem is that the empress, who was well aware of both these biases, was not averse to tampering with the record herself; a fourth is that some other accounts of her reign were written by relatives who had good cause to loathe her. After Mount Felicity appeared, and Wu claimed it as an omen favoring her, one of her ministers wrote: Your Majesty, a female ruler improperly has occupied a male position, which has inverted and altered the hard and soft, therefore the earth's emanations are obstructed and separated. across from her husband, the emperor. Political Propaganda and Ideology in China at the End of the Seventh Century. Belmont: Wadsworth, 1989, pp. Empress Wu is one of the most controversial leaders in Chinese history for her method of rule and the means she likely used to rise to power. provided her with a string of virile lovers such as one lusty, big-limbed lout of a peddler, whom she allowed to frequent her private apartments. The China that Wu Zetian was born in was the Tang Dynasty (618906), a strong and unified empire after four centuries of political discord and foreign interaction. When a mountain seemed to appear following the earthquake, this was also interpreted as nature itself revolting against the reign of Wu. To consolidate her power, in 657 Wu designated Luoyang as a second capital. You're hard-pressed to find any historical documents that don't have some sort of bias, especially when dealing with a controversial figure like Wu Zetian. . She herself would thus be seen as a restorationist of the Zhou Dynasty, with the Wu family replacing the Li-Tang family. She reigned during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and was one of the most effective and controversial monarchs in China's history. Her supposed method, moreoveramputating her victims hands and feet and leaving them to drownsuspiciously resembles that adopted by her most notorious predecessor, the Han-era empress Lu Zhia woman portrayed by Chinese historians as the epitome of all that was evil. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/empress-wu-wu-zhao. 04 Mar 2023. She replaced Zhongzong with her second son, who became Emperor Ruizong. Founder of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuang-yin (927-976) ended the practice of frequent military coups, which had exhausted China for mor, https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/wu-zetian-624-705, Mandate from Heaven: The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang. https://www.worldhistory.org/Wu_Zetian/. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. According to Anderson, servants. Encyclopedia.com. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. On the Korean peninsula Empress Wu supported the unification movement under the state of Silla. Wu Zhao: China's Only Woman Emperor - World History Encyclopedia is held up in Chinese histories as the prototype of all that is wicked in a female ruler. In 654 CE, Wu had a daughter who died soon after birth. Mutsuhito Still, this did not mean the women were not jealous of the favor the emperor showed Wu now that she had given birth to two sons in a row. 290332. Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout (University of Wisconsin), Merlot (California State University), OER Commons and the School Library Journal. The critical Anderson concedes that, under Wu, military expenses were reduced, taxes cut, salaries of deserving officials raised, retirees given a viable pension, and vast royal lands near the capital turned over to husbandry.. She was in very poor health anyway by this time and died a year later. 127148. Wu was given the privileged position of first concubine even though by law she should have been left in the temple as a nun. Taizong was so impressed at her intellectual abilities, he took her out of the laundry and made her his secretary. Theodora. One of these served as her new personal name, Zhao, which articulates the fundamental Buddhist notion of universal emptiness. Cold, ruthless, and ambitious, the Han dynasty dowager murdered her rival, the beautiful concubine Lady Qi, by amputating all her limbs, turning her into a human swine and leaving her to die in a cesspit. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Wu disposed of her enemies, first the former empress and then the high-ranking officials, who had strongly opposed her rise. 77116. New Haven: YUP, 2008; Jonathan Clements. The Shiji The Tang emperor Taizong was the first to promote Wu, whom he gave the nickname Fair Flatterera reference not to her personal qualities but to the lyrics of a popular song of the day. After the latter died in 684, she took on four or five lovers, including a monk whom she ordered executed when weary of his greed and abuse of power. Wu Zetian's collected writings include official edicts, essays, and poetry, in addition to a treatise to instruct her subjects on moral statecraft. The empress even promoted what might loosely be termed womens rights, publishing (albeit as part of her own legitimation campaign)Biographies of Famous Women and requiring children to mourn both parents, rather than merely their father, as had been the practice hitherto. We contribute a share of our revenue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we offset our team's carbon footprint. It was Lu Zhi who, in 194 B.C., wreaked revenge on a rival by gouging out her eyes, amputating her arms and legs, and forcing her to drink acid that destroyed her vocal chords. Paul, Diana Y. Although modern historians, both east and west, have revised the ancient depiction of Wu Zetian as a scheming usurper, that view of her reign still persists in much that is written about her. . Wu placed her first son on the throne who took the royal title Zhongzong. Your Privacy Rights Abdication. 21/11/2022. Bellingham : EAS Press, 1978; Robert Van Gulik. Wu Zhao listened to her minister and considered his argument and then, Rothschild writes, "Wu Zhao, with no intention whatsoever of 'leading the quiet life of a widow', rejected this interpretation and promptly exiled the man to the swampy, disease-ridden, Southland" (109). How did Empress Wu Zetian come to rule China, as a woman? Her significance as an emperor and founder of a new dynasty lies in her redefining of the gender-specific concepts of the emperorship and the Confucian state. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. But already in 666 when Wu Zetian was empress to the reigning Gaozong, she had prepared for her imperial ambitions by defying tradition and mockery as she led the unprecedented procession of imperial ladies to sacrifice to earth, believed to be a female deity. According to Wu's own account, they conspired against her but, according to other historians, Wu started and finished the problems she had with them. souls of those who died in the atomic bomb attacks, Wu also reformed the military by mandating military exams for commanders to show competency, which were patterned on her imperial exams given to civil service workers. Wu also took back lands which had been invaded by the Goturks under the reign of Taizong and distributed them so that they were not all held by the aristocrats. (February 22, 2023). Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished. I always think that's the most interesting things about primary sources - the bias. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. Hidden Power: The Palace Eunuchs of Imperial China. In 652 CE, Wu gave birth to a son, Li Hong, and in 653 CE had another son, Li Xian. "Empress Wu and the Historians: A Tyrant and Saint of Classical China," in Nancy Auer Falk and Rita M. Gross, eds., Unspoken Worlds: Religious Lives of Women. Gaozongs third son succeeded to the throne in 683 after his death, but Empress Wu became the empress dowager in a few months, after forcing the young emperor to abdicate. 2231). If it still won't be tamed, I'll cut its throat with the knife. Wu, characteristically, admired the virtuosity of Luos style and suggested he would be better employed at the imperial court. Seen from this perspective, Wu did in fact fulfill the fundamental duties of a ruler of imperial China; Confucian philosophy held that, while an emperor should not be condemned for acts that would be crimes in a subject, he could be judged harshly for allowing the state to fall into anarchy. License. Became concubine to Emperor Taizong (640); entered Buddhist nunnery (649); returned to the palace as concubine (654), then as empress (657) to Taizong's son Emperor Gaozong; became empress dowager and regent to her two sons (68489); founded a dynasty (Zhou, 690705) and ruled as emperor for 15 years. Chapter 2 SOURCES FOR THE LIFE AND CAREER OF WU TSE-T'IEN The chief primary sources for the life of the Empress Wu are her annals in the two dynastic histories of the T'ang, her biography in the New T'ang History, and the numerous references to her in Ssu-ma Kuang's Comprehensive Mirror.^ In some of the large official compilations of later ages, Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. Rise to Power. The insurrections had received little popular support and in the years that she dominated politics as empress, empress dowager, and finally as emperor, there were no widespread military unrests. An official under the former Han dynasty, he took the Han throne and founded his own, CHARLEMAGNE And does she deserve the harsh verdict that history has passed on her? How did she hold on to power? She was the daughter of a minor general called Duke Ding of Ying, and came to the palace as a concubine in about 636an honor that suggests that she was very beautiful, since, as Jonathan Clements remarks, admission to the ranks of palace concubines was equivalent to winning a beauty contest of the most gorgeous women in the medieval world. But mere beauty was not sufficient to elevate the poorly connected teenage Wu past the fifth rank of palace women, a menial position whose duties were those of a maid, not a temptress. When she was an infant dressed in boy's clothes, Wu Zetian's potential for emperorship was predicted by an official. Princess Taiping put an end to her plans when she had Wei and her family murdered and put her brother Ruizong on the throne. However, when Li Zhi became emperor and took the name Gaozong, one of the first things he did was send for Wu and have her brought back to court as the first of his concubines, even though he had others and also a wife. She is hated by gods and men alike.. Web. On the question of succession after her death, Wu Zetian entertained notions of an heir from a Wu and Li marriage. Even today, Wu remains infamous for the spectacularly ruthless way in which she supposedly disposed of Gaozongs first wife, the empress Wang, and a senior and more favored consort known as the Pure Concubine. Wu Zhao viewed the situation differently: she claimed the mountain was a good omen which reflected the Buddhist mountain of paradise, Sumeru. Unlike most young girls in China at this time, Wu was encouraged by her father to read and write and develop the intellectual skills which were traditionally reserved for males. Jiu Tangshu [Old history of the Tang]. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. "The Real Judge Dee: Ti Jen-chieh and the T'ang Restoration of 705," in Asia Major. The Woman Who Discovered Printing. She appears in influential plays as a feminist and champion of the lower classes while her male rivals are shown to be aristocrats, landlords, and conservatives against the tide of history. Shortly after she took the throne there was an earthquake which was interpreted as a bad omen. Having been raised by her father to believe she was the equal of men, Wu saw no reason why women could not carry out the same practices and hold the same positions men could. Since candidates normally tried to win favor with an examiner prior to the tests, some could use their family connections to send samples of their verse in an effort to impress the men who held the keys to government positions. When she saw she would not be able to control the court as her mother did, she killed herself and Xuanzong decreed that no member of Wu's family would be allowed to hold public office because of their ruthless scheming and underhanded politics. World Eras. Anticipating Wu Zetian's political ambitions, 60,000 flatterersincluding Confucian officials, imperial relatives, Buddhist clergy, tribal chieftains, and commonerssupported the petition to proclaim the Zhou Dynasty with herself as the founding emperor. Just how accurate this picture of Wu is remains a matter of debate. Wu was the daughter of Wu Jin, a commoner in Kaifeng. The poet Luo Binwangone of the Four Greats of Early Tang and best known for his Ode to the Gooselaunched a virulent attack on the empress. Please support World History Encyclopedia. They are regarded as important by historians because they show how far Wu went in trying to create a new world in China under her reign: she even wanted to change the words they used. Her Buddhist supporters interpreted the Madamegha (Great Cloud) sutra to predict a maitreya Buddha (Buddha-to-come) in female form, presumably Wu Zetian herself, who would embody the concept of the cakravartin (wheel-turner, universal emperor, or the ideal man who is king). After rising to power, Wu tried to remove from power the representatives of the northwestern aristocracy, who had controlled the government from the beginning of the dynasty through the medium of the imperial chancellery. In promoting Buddhism over Confucianism and Daoism as the favored state religion, the Empress countered strongly held Confucian beliefs against female rule. Jay, Jennifer W. "Vignettes of Chinese Women in Tang Xi'an (618906): Individualism in Wu Zetian, Yang Guifei, Yu Xuanji and Li Wa," in Chinese Culture. . In 690, she declared herself emperor after deposing her sons and founding her own dynastyZhou. Though Wu was unusually well-read and self-willed for a mere concubine, she had only one real advantage over her higher-ranked rivals: Her duties included changing the imperial sheets, which potentially gave her bedroom access to Taizong. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Even if she took full advantage, however, she must have possessed not only looks but remarkable intelligence and determination to emerge, as she did two decades later, as empress. Web. She was the last wife and the only empress of Liu Bei, the founding emperor of Shu Han, and a younger sister of Wu Yi . Palace ladies of the Tang dynasty, from a contemporary wall painting in an imperial tomb in Shaanxi. She maintained a stable economy and a moderate taxation for the peasantry. Fitzgeraldwho reminds us that Tang China emerged from 400 years of discord and civil warwrites, Without Wu there would have been no long enduring Tang dynasty and perhaps no lasting unity of China, while in a generally favorable portrayal, Guisso argues that Wu was not so different from most emperors: The empress was a woman of her times. If Wu Zetian is judged by the traditional female virtues of chastity and modesty, then she falls short of expectations. As early as 660 CE, Wu had organized a secret police force and spies in the court and throughout the country. Five Historical Plays. Wu Zetian turned to the Buddhist establishment to rationalize her position. She ruled China with complete authority and no one dared to challenge her when she was in control. Empress Wu rose to power through ruthless tactics to move her from the emperor's concubine, to the emperor's consort, and eventually to the position of empress of China. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/wu-zetian-624-705. These criteria no doubt favored the aristocratic families. Vol. Wu either read him whatever she felt like and then made her own decisions or read him the real reports and then still acted on her own. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1975. Empress Wu Zetian and the Spread of Buddhism Running a website with millions of readers every month is expensive. Thus the Wu family was now elevated to the imperial house. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. While serving as his concubine, she risked a death penalty in engaging in an incestuous affair with the crown prince and her stepson, the later Emperor Gaozong (r. 649683). 1, 1990, pp. When Wu could no longer tolerate her daughter-in-law's antics and disrespect, and her son's refusal to discipline her and obey Wu's dictates, she had him charged with treason and banished along with his wife. When Gaozong died in 683, she became empress dowager and ruled on behalf of two adult sons, emperors Zhongzong (r. 684, 705710) and Ruizong (r. 685689, 710712). The other statues (still seen in the Longmen Grottoes) were also made to elevate her status as a divine ruler who knew what was best for the people and was divinely appointed to apply whatever laws or policies she saw fit. It is not likely Wu was involved in the disgrace of Taizongs unpleasant eldest son, Cheng-qian, whose teenage rebellion against his father had taken the form of the ostentatious embrace of life as lived by Mongol nomads. Shanghai: Sibu congkan ed., 1929. If so, their hopes were in vain; Empress Wu Zetian is remembered today as one of the greatest rulers in China's history. Even though there were many important and influential women throughout China's history, only one ever became the most powerful political figure in the country. Empress Wu: Part XV of the Great Patron Series - Khyentse Foundation Sources about Wu Zetian's life are a hodgepodge, which some condemning her as the devil himself and others testifying she was an absolute angel. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. Sunzi/Sun Wu, Eastern Zhou Period (770-221 BCE) Selections from the Sunzi: Art of War [PDF] Agriculture, Han Period. Empress Wu Zetian. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. The founding emperor of a dynasty and his descendants constituted the imperial family, which through male succession produced emperors who were normally the eldest son born to the empress. Submitted by Emily Mark, published on 17 March 2016. had been organized in a systematic way by the year 669. "The Reigns of the Empress Wu, Chung-tsung and Jui-tsung," in Denis Twitchett, ed., Cambridge History of China. Lu Zhi was an instantly recognizable villain to the people of China, and linking Wu with her through the murders worked to destroy Wu's reputation. Before Smithsonian.com, Dash authored the award-winning blog A Blast From the Past. Given Tang Chinas rich history of inter-regional connections and communications with its East Asian neighbors, it is not surprising that Wus sponsorship of Buddhism resulted in a flurry of scholarly exchanges, and the construction of many new pilgrimage Buddhist sites. Overall Wu Zetian was a decisive, capable ruler in the roles of empress, empress dowager, and emperor. By transferring the normal seat of the court from Changan to Luoyang, she was able to escape the control of the great families of the northwestern aristocracy, which played an important role in the rise of the Tang dynasty. "Empress Wu and Proto-Feminist Sentiments in T'ang China," in Frederick P. Brandauer and Chn-chieh Huang, eds., Imperial Rulership and Cultural Change in Traditional China. They ruled as divine monarchs until Gaozong's death in 683 CE. So much for the supposed facts; what about the interpretation? China during Wu Zetian's ReignIan Kiu (CC BY-SA). R. W. L. Guisso, Wu Tse-ten and the Politics of Legitimation in Tang China (Bellingham: Western Washington University, 1978). unified China in 221 B.C. He refused to cooperate well with his mother and his wife, Lady Wei, assumed too much power. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Han Emperor Wen, r. 180-157 BCE . ." Moreover, Wu exhibited one important characteristic that suggests that, whatever her faults, she was no despot: She acknowledged and often acted on the criticisms of loyal ministers, one of whom dared to suggest, in 701, that it was time for her to abdicate. The Fall of Kaifeng [ edit] In 1126, Emperor Huizong abdicated in favor of his son, Emperor Qinzong, the elder brother of Gaozong. When Taizong died, Wu and his other concubines had their heads shaved and were sent to Ganye Temple to begin their lives as nuns. Encyclopedia.com. Taizong forced the abdication of his own father and disposed of two older brothers in hand-to-hand combat before seizing the throne. The system of Neo-Confucianism of which Chu Hsi is regarded as the spo, Mutsuhito Her travel writing debuts in Timeless Travels Magazine. Tang China during the 7th century was a period of military strength and cultural attainments, its empire stretching into Central Asia and Southwest Asia and ruled by the Li-Tang imperial family from the capital city of Xi'an (Xian), Shanxi province. This mountain, so born of the sudden convulsion of earth, represents a calamity. (It was common for poor Chinese boys to voluntarily undergo emasculation in the hope of obtaining a prestigious and well-remunerated post in the imperial service). Wu Zhao: Ruler of Tang Dynasty China - Association for Asian Studies Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. ." When the Turkic ruler asked for a marriage arrangement, she sent her nephew's son to become the groom to the chieftain's daughter. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Wu Zetian's father was a successful merchant and military official who reached ministerial ranks. Terms of Use She was very beautiful and was selected by emperor Taizong (r. 626 - 649 CE) as one of his concubines when she was 14 years old. Under the administration of Empress Wu, Tang territory expanded through constant fighting with other peoples, particularly the Tibetans. While Confucian historians condemned her usurpation, extravagance, and scandal, Wu Zhao has been credited for providing strong leadership and ruling during an age of relative peace and prosperity. Still, Xuanzong continued many of Wu's policies, including keeping her reforms in taxation, agriculture, and education. 22 Feb. 2023
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