The story of wu zetian It is without a doubt, one of the most surprising among the great powers of ancient China, since it is the first and only woman who was considered emperor of China. If you want to be able to know the story of an incredible and surprising woman for her time, keep reading because we will explain below in detail, who she was Wu Zetian: The Empress of China.
Wu Zetian: The Empress of China
Wu Zetian was born on February 17, 624 in Lizhou, China. She grew up in an aristocratic family rich and her father was a high-ranking minister in the government. Unlike many girls of her time, Wu received a good education. They taught him to read, write and play music. Wu was a smart and ambitious girl who learned everything she could about politics and how the government worked.
The Imperial Palace
When Wu was fourteen years old, he moved into the imperial palace to serve Emperor Taizong. She continued her education at the palace until the emperor died in 649. As was the custom, when the emperor died, she was sent to a convent to become a nun for the rest of her life. Wu had other plans, however. She did not hesitate to become the emperor’s concubine, Emperor Gaozong, and she soon found herself back in the imperial palace as consort (as a second wife) of the emperor.
the empress of china
back in the palace, Wu began to gain influence over the emperor. She became one of his favorite wives. The main wife of the emperor, empress wang, got jealous and the two women became bitter rivals. When Wu’s daughter died, she hatched a plan against the Empress. She told the emperor that Empress Wang had killed her daughter out of jealousy. The emperor believed him and had Empress Wang arrested. He then promoted Wu to be the new Empress.
During the following years, Wu established himself as a significant power behind the throne. She formed strong allies in the government and eliminated rivals. When the emperor fell ill in 660, she began to rule through him.
becoming emperor
In 683Emperor Gaozong passes away and Wu’s son becomes emperor. Wu became regent (as a temporary ruler) while his son was still young. Although he still did not have the title of emperor, he had all the power. In 690, Wu forced his son to abdicate as emperor. He then declared a new dynasty, the dynasty zhouand officially took the title of emperor. She was the first and only woman to become emperor of China.
reign of terror
When Wu is proclaimed emperor, he begins an attempted coup. As one might imagine, some government officials did not approve of taking orders from a woman. Although she was able to put down the criticism quite easily at first, when she was faced with the reality that others were attacking her, she set out to eliminate them.
The next three years saw the rcomplete reorganization of the dynastic succession, as she systematically eliminated each and every claimant to the throne. In one year alone, she destroyed fifteen family lines, mostly through executions, false charges of treason, and forced suicides, in which the executed were summoned to the throne room and forced to commit suicide in front of her.
Secret police
It was difficult for a woman to hold power in ancient China. Wu achieved this by using the secret police to spy on people.. She developed a large system of spies who helped determine who was loyal and who was not. Wu rewarded those found loyal, but she did not hesitate to kill her enemies.
This secret police were not shy about employing brutal torture. In fact, two of them Lai Jungchen and Wan Gaojun they were actually authors of an instruction guide called Entrapment Manual. Among the poetically named horrors found in it are “pierce the hundred veins”, “die with the melancholy of pigs” and “call for the slaughter of my entire family”.
Chinese government
Another reason Wu was able to maintain power was because she was a very good emperor. made smart decisions who helped China to prosper. He surrounded himself with competent and talented people by promoting people based on their abilities and not their family history.
Perhaps despite his inquisition, by destroying thousands of lives, he was able to eradicate a large amount of institutional corruption, and implemented standards to steer the government more towards a meritocracy thereafter. He opened up civil rights to a wider variety of people, which allowed for more diversity in local and regional governments. From the laity’s point of view, she was actually a good ruler
Also during her reign, Empress Wu expanded China’s borders by conquering new lands in Korea and Central Asia. He also helped improve the lives of peasants by cutting taxes, building new public works, and improving farming techniques.
death of the empress
Wu died in 705. His son, Emperor Zhongzong assumed the position of emperor and re-established the Tang dynasty.
The truth or not by Wu Zetian
When it comes to Wu, it’s almost impossible to tell what was true and what wasn’t. Generations of scholars have done their best to unravel the stories, and the consensus after synthesizing many writings about her is that, while she was almost undeniably ironclad, she was not quite the monster she was often made out to be.
Many of the most diabolical parts of his reign, like murdering your own baby, are almost certainly false. One of the most likely explanations was that the baby died of monoxide poisoning, a serious hazard due to charcoal braziers and poor ventilation. Whether she took advantage of the death for personal gain is hard to say.
When it comes to the horrors perpetrated by your secret police, that’s shady. Copies of the aforementioned torture manual apparently survive, although no one has been able to confirm its validity. Modern historians tend to view the claims with extreme suspicion. To the extent that the secret police existed, it is not certain how involved Wu was with its day-to-day operations. Some historians claim that the bureaucratic purge of him was purely out of self-interest, others say it was for the good of the people. The truth is likely to be a mix of the two.
At the foot of Wu’s undisturbed tomb rests a large slate. Unlike her husband’s whiteboard, which lists her many accomplishments, his it is blank. According to tradition, her successor had to decide what to do with her. No one could find the words.
Interesting facts about Empress Wu Zetian
- Because Confucianism did not allow women to rule, Wu raised the religion of Buddhism as the state religion in China.
- Three of Wu’s sons ruled as emperors sometime.
- Some scholars believe that Wu killed his own daughter. to accuse Empress Wang.
- His birth name was Wu Zhao. Emperor Taizong gave her the nickname “Mei”, which means “pretty”.