Wu Zetian(武则天): The Controversial Empress of China

Wu Zetian’s life was marked by constant drama but, as empress, she was able to strengthen China to heights it had never seen.

The story of Wu Zetian, one of the first empresses of China, is a remarkable and a scandalous one.

Early Life

Wu Zetian was a very beautiful girl and so became one of Emperor Taizong’s concubines at the age of 14. She originally began as the concubine who did the laundry. However, after she impressed the emperor with her intellectual insights, she became his secretary. In this position, she began having an affair with Emperor Taizong’s son, soon-to-be Emperor Gaozong. This was very salacious as she was not supposed to be fraternizing with anybody but the emperor and because Gaozong was married.

First Taste of Power

When Taizong died, she became first concubine to Emperor Gaozong and had two sons and two daughters with him. She killed her first-born daughter and blamed the death on Emperor Gaozong’s wife, Lady Wang. Emperor Gaozong, then, exiled his wife and made Wu Zetian his new wife. While being the emperor’s wife, Wu Zetian ruled from behind the scenes because Gaozong suffered a stroke and was often too sick to rule. As de-facto ruler, she organized a successful military campaign against Korea.

Wu Zetian’s Sons

When Gaozong died, she made her first-born son emperor of China. He took the title Zhongzong. Zhongzong had a wife who took advantage of him because he was weak. She successfully ruled from behind the scenes for a number of years. She wanted power in the same way that Wu Zetian did and Zhongzong would not discipline her like Wu Zetian wanted. So, Wu Zetian had both her son and daughter-in-law banished. She did the same thing with her second-born son when he took the throne.

Time to Rule

Then, at last, Wu Zetian became Empress Wu and ruled China for a number of years. She made a number of reforms. For example, she founded a new dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty. Next, she strengthened the military by mandating military exams that helped the military become a merit-based organization. Also, she hired new, more dedicated teachers to teach the children of China. Moreover, her agricultural reforms led to Chinese crop production being at an all-time-high. Lastly, Wu Zetian appeased peasants by lowering taxes. Many of her reforms were popular because they came from the people of China’s suggestions.

Decline and Lasting Legacy

Eventually, Wu Zetian was forced to abdicate her throne after she became too paranoid and started spending too much time with her young lovers, the Zhang brothers. Zhongzong, her son, took the throne away from her and she died a year after. Wu Zetian’s legacy is a great one. She is known for converting the Chinese bureaucracy into one that was run by scholars and not by wealthy aristocrats. She is also noted for challenging Confucian beliefs and elevating the status of women in China. There is controversy surrounding Wu Zetian’s legacy as many believe that patriarchal Chinese historians unfairly demonized her and sensationalized stories regarding her ruthlessness.

Whatever the case may be, it is clear that Wu Zetian’s name will never be erased from history.

Check These Sources Out:

https://www.ancient.eu/Wu_Zetian/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wuhou

http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine6.html

There is one comment

  1. Jillian Davis

    It’s so cool seeing how much of an impact wu zetian made, against all odds! Her journey to power was so interesting and inspiring.

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