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102-754: It is not known when Wu Chengsi was born. His father Wu Yuanshuang (武元爽) was a half-brother of Wu Zetian —both had, as father, the early Tang dynasty general Wu Shihuo (武士彠), but Wu Yuanshuang and his brother Wu Yuanqing (武元慶) were born of Wu Shihuo's first wife Lady Xiangli, while Wu Zetian and her two sisters were born of Wu Shihuo's second wife Lady Yang. After Wu Zetian became empress to Emperor Gaozong in 655, despite previous intrafamily unpleasantries—Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang, as well as Wu Shihuo's nephews Wu Weiliang (武惟良) and Wu Huaiyun (武懷運) were often disrespectful of Lady Yang previously—Empress Wu's brothers and cousins were often promoted by Emperor Gaozong, with Wu Yuanshuang promoted to Shaofu Shaojian (少府少監),

204-480: A formal ceremony to crown herself as emperor. Empress Wu is considered one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history due to her strong leadership and effective governance, which made China one of the world's most powerful nations. The importance to history of her tenure includes the major expansion of the Chinese empire, extending it far beyond its previous territorial limits, deep into Central Asia , and engaging in

306-592: A grand imperial hall, the Mingtang (明堂), issued orders to summon members of the imperial clan to the eastern capital Luoyang to be ready for a ceremony to worship the god of the Luo River (洛水, near Luoyang). The princes began to prepare to act, and in preparation, Li Zhuan forged an edict from Emperor Ruizong to Li Chong, stating, "I am under house arrest. The princes should come save me!" Li Chong also forced an edict from Emperor Ruizong to himself, stating, "The Empress Dowager

408-492: A greater extent. From January 665 until the end of his reign, Wu would sit behind a pearl screen behind Gaozong at imperial meetings, and called her own orders "emperor edicts". She even wore the yellow robe of the empire like an emperor, which was extraordinary and unprecedented for an empress. Wu was effectively making the major decisions. After Shangguan Yi's execution, Gaozong increasingly relied on Wu's advice. When chancellors and officials discussed political affairs with him,

510-566: A key feature of the civil service. Wu also had an important impact upon the statuary of the Longmen Grottoes and the "Wordless Stele" at the Qian Mausoleum , as well as the construction of some major buildings and bronze castings that no longer survive. Besides her career as a political leader, Wu also had an active family life. She was a mother of four sons, three of whom also carried the title of emperor, although one held that title only as

612-497: A network of spies to build a strong intelligence system in the court and throughout the empire, delivering daily reports on current affairs of the empire or opposition to the central state. She also played a key role in reforming the imperial examination system and encouraging capable officials to work in governance to maintain a peaceful and well-governed state. Effectively, these reforms improved her nation's bureaucracy by ensuring that competence, rather than family connections, became

714-431: A person of a different clan crown prince." She hesitated. However, Di, who by this point had been recalled and was again chancellor, constantly advocated for Wu Zetian's sons, including advising her to recall Li Zhe, the former Emperor Zhongzong, from exile. With the other chancellors Wang Fangqing and Wang Jishan , as well as Wu Zetian's close advisor Ji Xu and her lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong advocating

816-519: A posthumous honor. One of her grandsons became the controversial Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , whose reign marked the turning point of the Tang dynasty into sharp decline. In Chinese history and literature, Wu Zetian ( Mandarin pronunciation: [ù tsɤ̌ tʰjɛ́n] ) was known by various names and titles. Mention of her in the English language has only increased their number. A difficulty in English translations

918-417: A rebuke of Chancellor Ji Xu during her reign), she once impressed Taizong with her fortitude: Emperor Taizong had a horse with the name "Lion Stallion", and it was so large and strong that no one could get on its back. I was a lady in waiting attending Emperor Taizong, and I suggested to him, "I only need three things to subordinate it: an iron whip, an iron hammer, and a sharp dagger. I will whip it with

1020-471: A secondary palace, Daming Palace ( 大明宮 ), into Penglai Palace ( 蓬萊宮 ). When Penglai Palace's main hall, Hanyuan Hall ( 含元殿 ), was completed in 663, Gaozong and Wu moved there. It was later renamed Hanyuan Palace. Empress Wang and Consort Xiao continued to appear in her dreams even after this, and therefore, late in Gaozong's reign, he and Wu were often at the eastern capital Luoyang , not at Chang'an. Over

1122-570: A series of wars on the Korean Peninsula , first allying with Silla against Goguryeo , and then against Silla over the occupation of former Goguryeo territory. Within China, besides the more direct consequences of her struggle to gain and maintain power, Wu's leadership resulted in important effects regarding social class in Chinese society and in relation to state support for Taoism , Buddhism , Confucianism , education and literature. Wu developed

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1224-424: A succession of senior ministerial posts, including the governorship of Yangzhou , Lizhou, and Jingzhou ( 荊州 ) (modern-day Jiangling County , Hubei ). Wu was encouraged by her parents to read books and pursue her education, an uncommon situation for the women at the time. She read and learned about many topics, such as music, calligraphy, literature, history, politics, and other governmental affairs. At age 14, she

1326-421: A time, it appeared that Wu Zetian would create Wu Chengsi crown prince, as she often received Wang in audience to hear his advocacy for Wu Chengsi's candidacy; however, later, on an occasion when Wang happened to offend Wu Zetian, the chancellor Li Zhaode , who opposed Wu Chengsi, took the opportunity to have Wang battered to death and his group of petitioners disbanded. He then pointed out to Wu Zetian that Li Dan

1428-418: A well. When Wu Chengsi found this poem on her, he had secret police officials falsely accuse Qiao of crimes, and Qiao was killed. Later that year, Wu Chengsi was again made chancellor, but less than a month later, he was again removed. By 698, Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi were both again making designs on becoming crown prince, and they often had people tell Wu Zetian, "Throughout the ages, no emperor has ever made

1530-600: Is planning to transfer the sovereignty of the Li clan to the Wu clan!" However, prior to the princes' working out a coordinated plan, on September 16, 688, Li Chong launched a rebellion himself at Bo Prefecture (博州, roughly modern Liaocheng , Shandong ), where he was serving as prefect. He notified Li Yuanjia, Li Yuangui, Li Lingkui, Li Zhen, and Li Shen (李慎) the Prince of Ji (Li Zhen's brother) and asked them to rise as well, but only Li Zhen did, as

1632-645: Is that they tend to specify gender (as in the case of "emperor" versus "empress" or "prince" versus "princess"), whereas, in Classical Chinese , words such as hou ( 后 , "sovereign", "prince", "queen") or huangdi (皇帝 , "imperial supreme ruler", "royal deity") are of grammatically indeterminate gender . In Wu's time, women's birth names were rarely recorded. She changed her name to Wu Zhao after rising to power, often written as 武曌 , ( 曌 has also been written as 瞾 on occasion, and both are derivatives of 照 , which may be her original name), with 瞾 being one of

1734-419: Is unclear whether he actually reported to Xu Prefecture. In 636, his title was changed to Prince of Yuan and then to Prince of Yue, and he was made the commandant at Yang Prefecture (揚州, roughly modern Yangzhou , Jiangsu ) – and this time, it appeared that he did report to Yang Prefecture. In 643, he was made the prefect of Xiang Prefecture (相州, roughly modern Handan , Hebei ). Emperor Taizong died in 649 and

1836-475: The Sui dynasty . During the final years of Emperor Yang of Sui , Li Yuan ( 李淵 ) (who went on to become Emperor Gaozu of Tang) stayed in the Wu household many times and became close to the Wu family while holding appointments in both Hedong and Taiyuan. After Li Yuan overthrew Emperor Yang, he was generous to the Wu family, giving them grain, land, clothing and wealth. Once the Tang dynasty was established, Wu Shihou held

1938-467: The Wu Zhou dynasty of China from 690 to 705. She was the only female sovereign in the history of China widely regarded as legitimate . Under her 45-year reign, China grew larger, becoming one of the great powers of the world, its culture and economy were revitalized, and corruption in the court was reduced. She was eventually removed from power during a coup and died a few months later. In early life, Wu

2040-482: The Zizhi Tongjian : "Emperor Gaozong sat enthroned before his ministers as usual while they counseled him, Wu would be parked behind a screen, listening in. It does not matter how vital or insignificant the issue is. The great power of the empire all devolved on the empress. Promotion or demotion, life or death, were settled by her word, the emperor sat with folded arms." She and Gaozong were thereafter referred to as

2142-495: The empress dowager and regent and power fell completely and solely into her hands. She proceeded to depose Emperor Zhongzong for displaying independence and held onto power even more firmly thereafter. She then had her youngest son, Ruizong, made emperor. She was absolute ruler not only in substance but in appearance. She presided alone over imperial gatherings, prevented Ruizong from taking any active role in governance, and forbade all meetings with him. In 690, she had Ruizong yield

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2244-414: The eunuch Wang Fusheng ( 王伏勝 ) reported this to Gaozong, angering him further. He consulted the chancellor Shangguan Yi , who suggested that he depose Wu. He had Shangguan draft an edict. But as Shangguan was doing so, Wu received news of what was happening. She went to the emperor to plead her case just as he was holding the edict that Shangguan had drafted. Gaozong could not bear to depose her and blamed

2346-605: The "Two Saints" ( 二聖 , Er Sheng ) both inside the palace and in the empire. The Later Jin historian Liu Xu , in Old Book of Tang , commented: Li Zhen (Tang dynasty) Li Zhen (李貞; 627 – October 12, 688), formally Prince Jing of Yue (越敬王), posthumously known during Wu Zetian 's reign as Hui Zhen (虺貞), was an imperial prince of the Chinese Tang dynasty who, along with his son Li Chong , rose against Wu Zetian, then empress dowager and regent , as they feared that she

2448-526: The Divine and August One" (聖母神皇) and set a date to offer sacrifices to the god of Luo River, ordering the commandants, prefects, and nobles to be gathered at Luoyang for the sacrifices. This caused the Li clan imperial princes to be fearful that she was intending to slaughter them, and in response, Emperor Gaozong's brother Li Zhen the Prince of Yue and Li Zhen's son Li Chong the Prince of Langye rose in rebellion against her, but both were quickly defeated; Li Chong

2550-480: The Lady Liangxiang, in marriage. Li Zhen then attacked and quickly captured Shangcai (上蔡, also in modern Zhumadian). Empress Dowager Wu commissioned the chancellor Zhang Guangfu to serve as commander of an army against Li Zhen, assisted by the general Qu Chongyu (麴崇裕) and the chancellor Cen Changqian . Meanwhile, Li Chong was defeated and killed on September 22, 688, and when Li Zhen heard of Li Chong's death, he

2652-516: The Lady Yang, wept bitterly when saying farewell to her, but she responded, "How do you know that it is not my fortune to meet the Son of Heaven ?" Lady Yang reportedly then understood her ambitions, and therefore stopped crying. But Consort Wu did not appear to be much favored by Emperor Taizong, though it appears that she did have sexual relations with him at one point. According to her own account (given in

2754-453: The Prince of Huo, was exiled, and died on the way to exile; his son Li Xu (李緒) the Prince of Jiangdu and a cousin of Emperor Gaozong's, Li Rong (李融) the Duke off Dongwan, were executed. In 689, Empress Dowager made Wu Chengsi Nayan (納言) -- the head of examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor. In 690, she made him Wenchang Zuo Xiang (文昌左相) -- one of the heads of

2856-408: The Prince of Yu, but wielded power even more tightly thereafter. Around this time, it appeared that Wu Chengsi became a close confidant of hers, and later that year, when the chancellor Liu Rengui , who was then in charge of the capital Chang'an (with Empress Dowager Wu, who disliked Chang'an and favored the eastern capital Luoyang , taking up permanent residence at Luoyang), offered to resign, it

2958-400: The capital of Yu Prefecture. Li Zhen, in fear, tried to defend the city, but Qu's army quickly arrived. Li Zhen's bodyguards, while fighting off the attacking forces, told him, "Your Royal Highness should not wait to die by the sword." Li Zhen thereafter retreated into his mansion and committed suicide by poison. Li Gui strangled his mother and then hanged himself, and Pei and Lady Liangxiang did

3060-404: The child. Wang lacked an alibi and was unable to clear her name. Scientifically credible forensic pathology information about the death of Wu's daughter does not exist, and scholars lack concrete evidence about her death. However, scholars have many theories and speculations. Because traditional folklore tends to portray Wu as a power-hungry woman unconcerned about whom she hurt or what she did,

3162-423: The court, a position with similar authority to the emperor's, until 683. As a young woman entering Gaozong's harem, Wu competed with Empress Wang and Pure Consort Xiao for the emperor's affection, and eventually expelled and killed them. After her wedding to Gaozong in 655, her rise to power was swift. A strong, charismatic, vengeful, ambitious, well-educated woman who enjoyed her husband's absolute affection, Wu

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3264-461: The deputy director of the office of palace supplies. However, sometime before 666, Empress Wu, angry that her brothers and cousins did not appreciate the promotions, had them all demoted, with Wu Yuanshuang demoted to be the prefect of Hao Prefecture (濠州, roughly modern Chuzhou , Anhui ). Eventually, after further accusations, Wu Yuanshuang was exiled to Zhen Prefecture (振州, roughly modern Sanya , Hainan ) and died there in exile. When Wu Yuanshuang

3366-589: The dynasty founder Emperor Gaozu ) Li Yuanjia (李元嘉) the Prince of Han, Li Yuangui (李元軌) the Prince of Huo, and Li Lingkui (李靈夔) the Prince of Lu; Li Yuanjia's son Li Zhuan (李譔) the Duke of Huang; Li Yuangui's son Li Xu (李緒) the Prince of Jiangdu; Li Lingkui's son Li Ai (李藹) the Prince of Fanyang; another cousin, Li Rong (李融) the Prince of Dongwan; and Li Zhen's son Li Chong the Prince of Langye. They secretly corresponded with each other, seeking one common plan to disarm Empress Dowager Wu. They became heavily alarmed when Empress Dowager Wu, after she had finished constructing

3468-586: The emperor's sole use, as a monarch or co-ruler in their own right. The Wu family clan originated in Wenshui County , Bingzhou (an ancient name of the city of Taiyuan , Shanxi ). Wu Zetian's birthplace is not documented in preserved historical literature and remains disputed. Some scholars argue that Wu was born in Wenshui , some that it was Lizhou ( 利州 ) (modern-day Guangyuan in Sichuan ), while others insist she

3570-528: The emperor. But the cause of death of her first two children is still in question. Gaozong became emperor at the age of 21. He was not the first choice, as he was inexperienced and frequently incapacitated with a sickness that caused him spells of dizziness. Gaozong was made heir to the empire only due to the disgrace of his two older brothers. On or after the anniversary of Emperor Taizong's death, Gaozong went to Ganye Temple to offer incense to Buddha. When he and Consort Wu saw each other, they both wept. This

3672-548: The episode on Shangguan. As both Shangguan and Wang had served on Li Zhong's staff, Wu had Xu falsely accuse Shangguan, Wang, and Li Zhong of planning treason. Shangguan, Wang, and Shangguan's son Shangguan Tingzhi ( 上官庭芝 ) were executed, while Li Zhong was forced to commit suicide. Shangguan Tingzhi's daughter Shangguan Wan'er , then an infant, and her mother, Lady Zheng, became slaves in the inner palace. After Shangguan Wan'er grew up, she became Empress Wu's trusted secretary. After that point, Gaozong accepted Wu's participation to

3774-499: The execution order reached his location. It was said that after this time, no official dared to criticize the emperor or empress. In order to complete the social promotion of her family, she had the Wu clan listed among those of first importance in the registers of the "Great Families" ( 姓氏錄 , xìngshìlù) by changing the "Book of Clans" to "Books of Names"; against imperial traditions. In late 659, she proposed to Emperor Gaozong that Palace Exam be opened to establish talented people from

3876-417: The executive bureau of government, also considered a post for a chancellor. Around the same time, he had Zhou falsely accuse Emperor Gaozong's sons by other consorts, Li Shangjin (李上金) the Prince of Ze and Li Sujie the prince of Xu, of treason. Empress Dowager Wu summoned Li Shangjin and Li Sujie to Luoyang and had Li Sujie strangled; Li Shangjin committed suicide. Later that year, Emperor Ruizong yielded

3978-570: The extraordinary and unprecedented title of Chenfei (宸妃, meaning the Cosmic Consort), and promote her over all other imperial consorts directly under Wang herself. Han and fellow chancellor Lai Ji both opposed on the grounds that the title was unprecedented, and so Gaozong did not carry it out. Of course, the evidence shows that he probably granted this title, but it is still unclear. In the summer of 655, Wu accused Wang and her mother, Lady Liu, of using witchcraft. In response, Gaozong barred Liu from

4080-536: The faithfulness of Han and Lai in opposing the unprecedented Chenfei title. The real purpose was to show that she remembered that they had offended her, and it made Han and Lai apprehensive that she was aware of their opposition of her. Han offered to resign soon thereafter, an offer that Emperor Gaozong did not accept. In 656, on the advice of Xu Jingzong, Emperor Gaozong deposed Consort Liu's son Li Zhong from being his heir apparent. He changed Li Zhong's status to Prince of Liang and designated Empress Wu's son, Li Hong as

4182-455: The first thing he asked was: "Have you discussed this with Empress Wu? What is her opinion?" If she had clear opinions, he would make a decision based on them, and when he was feeling unpleasant, he told the chancellors and officials, "I'm not feeling well. Go to the Empress for work." As a result, imperial powers primarily fell into her hands. According to Song dynasty historian Sīmǎ Guāng 司马光 in

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4284-421: The girl's death, and as a result, tried to remove Wang from her position. Because of the child's death, an angry Gaozong also wanted to depose Wang and replace her with Wu. But first he needed to make sure that he had the support of the government chancellors. So Gaozong met with his uncle Zhangsun Wuji , the head chancellor. During the meeting, Gaozong repeatedly brought up Wang's childlessness. Childlessness

4386-590: The government structure) but removed him a month later. In 686, fearful of the general Li Xiaoyi (李孝逸) -- a member of the imperial Li clan who had defeated the anti-Empress Dowager Wu rebellion led by Li Jingye the Duke of Ying in 684—Wu Chengsi made false accusations against him, and in response, Empress Dowager Wu demoted Li Xiaoyi. In 687, Wu Chengsi further accused Li Xiaoyi of having made comments that he would be emperor one day, and Empress Dowager Wu had Li Xiaoyi exiled to Dan Prefecture (儋州, modern Danzhou , Hainan ), where he died in exile. In 688, Wu Chengsi had

4488-543: The helm of the country for long years, her power is no different from that of the emperor." Wu presided over the court with the emperor, and even held court independently when the emperor was unwell. She was given charge of the Heirloom Seal of the Realm , implying that her perusal and consent were necessary before any document or order received legal validity. Gaozong sought her views on all matters before making major decisions. Wu

4590-453: The highly honorific title of Tejin (特進), but removed him from being chancellor. Wu Chengsi subsequently tried to accuse Li Zhaode of crimes, but Wu Zetian did not believe him. Wu Chengsi continued to be honored, however, and around the new year 693, when Wu Zetian offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, she personally offered sacrifices first, and then had Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi follow her in sacrificing. In 697, Wu Chengsi became aware that

4692-412: The imperial Li clan to suspect that she planned to overthrow the Tang dynasty and replace it with her own dynasty and that she was planning to slaughter them. Sometime during these times, Li Zhen was made the prefect of Yu Prefecture (豫州, roughly modern Zhumadian , Henan ). The Li clan members who were suspecting that Empress Dowager Wu was planning to slaughter them included Li Zhen, his uncles (sons of

4794-502: The imperial clan rolls and had their family names changed to Hui (虺), meaning 'monster'. Of Li Zhen's remaining sons, Li Qian (李蒨) the Duke of Changshan was killed, while Li Wen (李溫) gave up names of his associates under interrogation and was spared, but was exiled to the Lingnan region. Empress Dowager Wu subsequently seized the throne from Emperor Ruizong in 690, interrupting the Tang dynasty and establishing her own Zhou dynasty. In 705, she

4896-507: The imperial consorts' titles were temporarily changed to be devoid of feminine and superficial quality. Her motive was probably to eliminate female rivals. In the same year, Wu selected military generals to attack Goguryeo. During these years, due to favors from Gaozong and Wu, her ally Li Yifu had been exceedingly powerful, and grew particularly corrupt. In 663, after reports of Li Yifu's corruption were made to Gaozong, Gaozong had Liu Xiangdao and Li Ji investigate. They found him guilty. Li Yifu

4998-543: The invented characters by Wu. Wu was her patronymic surname, which she retained, according to traditional Chinese practice, after marriage to Gaozong, of the Li family. Emperor Taizong gave her the art name Wu Mei ( 武媚 ), meaning "glamorous". Thus, Chinese people often refer to her as Wu Mei or Wu Meiniang ( 武媚娘 ) when they write about her youth, as Wu Hou ( 武后 ) when referring to her as empress consort and empress dowager, and as Wu Zetian ( 武則天 ) when referring to her as empress regnant. During her life, and posthumously, Wu

5100-428: The iron whip. If it does not submit, I will hammer its head with the iron hammer. If it still does not submit, I will cut its throat with the dagger." Emperor Taizong praised my bravery. Do you really believe that you are qualified to dirty my dagger? When Taizong died in 649, his youngest son, Li Zhi, whose mother was the main wife Wende , succeeded him as Emperor Gaozong . Li Zhi had had an affair with Wu when Taizong

5202-433: The low-level officials Wei Jifang ( 韋季方 ) and Li Chao ( 李巢 ). Zhangsun was exiled and, later in the year, was forced to commit suicide in exile. Xu further implicated Chu, Liu, Han, and Yu Zhining in the plot as well. Chu, who had died in 658, was posthumously stripped of his titles, and his sons Chu Yanfu ( 褚彥甫 ) and Chu Yanchong ( 褚彥沖 ) were executed. Orders were also issued to execute Liu and Han, although Han died before

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5304-610: The lower classes as government officials. This reduced the power of the aristocracy. In 660, Li Zhong, Gaozong's first-born son (to consort Liu) also was targeted. Li Zhong had feared that he would be next and had sought out advice of fortune tellers. Wu had him exiled and placed under house arrest. After removing those who opposed her rise, she had more power to influence politics, and Emperor Gaozong took full advantage of her advice on petitions made by officials and talking about state affairs. In 660, Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu toured Bian Prefecture (modern-day Taiyuan), and Empress Wu had

5406-691: The meeting, Chu vehemently opposed deposing Wang, while Zhangsun and Yu showed their disapproval by silence. Chancellors Han Yuan and Lai Ji also opposed the move. When Gaozong asked Li Ji again he responded, "This is your family matter, Your Imperial Majesty. Why ask anyone else?" Gaozong therefore became resolved. He demoted Chu to commandant at Tan Prefecture (roughly modern Changsha , Hunan ), and then deposed both Wang and Xiao. He placed them under arrest and made Wu empress. Later that year, Gaozong showed signs of considering their release. Because of this, Wang and Xiao were killed on Empress Wu's orders. After their deaths, they often haunted Wu's dreams over

5508-411: The minister of ceremonies. Later that year, pursuant to a formal request of his, she posthumously created five generations of Wu ancestors princes or dukes and built a five-generation ancestral temple for them, second only to the imperial ancestral temple (which included seven generations). Meanwhile, he and a cousin, Wu Sansi (Wu Yuanqing's son), knowing that Empress Dowager Wu was contemplating taking

5610-482: The most popular theory is that Wu killed her own child in order to accuse Wang. Other schools of thought argue that Wang indeed killed the child out of jealousy and hatred of Wu. The third argument is that the child died of asphyxiation or crib death . The ventilation systems of the time were nonexistent or of poor quality, and the lack of ventilation combined with using coal as a heating method could have led to carbon monoxide poisoning . In any case, Wu blamed Wang for

5712-611: The official Zhang Jiafu had the commoner Wang Qingzhi (王慶之) organize a group of petitioners, requesting that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince—under the argument that with an emperor from the Wu clan, it would be inappropriate to have a crown prince from the Li clan. The chancellors Cen Changqian and Ge Fuyuan opposed the movement and advocated that the petitioners be rebuked and disbanded—and their advocacy angered Wu Zetian. Cen and Ge were soon arrested by her secret police official Lai Junchen , and soon, they, as well as another chancellor friendly to them, Ouyang Tong , were executed. For

5814-504: The official Qiao Zhizhi (喬知之) had a beautiful concubine named Biyu (碧玉) -- whom Qiao loved so much that he declined to formally marry a wife. Wu Chengsi invited Biyu to come to his mansion to teach his own concubine arts, and then kept her and would not allow her to go back to Qiao. Qiao wrote a poem entitled the Mourning of Lüzhu (綠珠怨) and sent it to Biyu. When Biyu read it, she was so distressed that she committed suicide by jumping into

5916-750: The opportunity to invite her old neighbors and relatives to a feast. Later that year, Emperor Gaozong began to suffer from an illness that carried the symptoms of painful headaches and loss of vision, generally thought to be hypertension-related. He began to have Empress Wu make rulings on daily petitions and proposals made by officials. It was said that Empress Wu had quick reactions and understood both literature and history, and therefore, she made correct rulings, and Emperor Gaozong, with her ability, no longer paid much attention to governmental affairs, and over time became more and more dependent on her advice, delegating his duties to her. Thereafter, her authority rivaled Emperor Gaozong's. From this point on, Empress Wu became

6018-616: The other officials Cui Xuanli (崔宣禮), Lu Xian (盧獻), Wei Yuanzhong , and Li Sizhen (李嗣真) of treason. These officials, in order to avoid torture, confessed to treason—but managed to escape death when Di wrote a secret plea and hid it inside blankets to be smuggled out to his family members, who presented it to Wu Zetian, who then spared them from death but exiled them, despite Lai's and Wu Chengsi's advocacy that they be killed. Around this time, Li Zhaode secretly suggested to Wu Zetian that Wu Chengsi's powers were becoming too great and would soon rival her own. Wu Zetian agreed, and she gave Wu Chengsi

6120-460: The other princes, not fully prepared, were hesitant to do so. Li Zhen, in turn, notified his aunt the Princess Changle and her husband Zhao Gui (趙瓌) the prefect of Shou Prefecture (壽州, roughly modern Lu'an , Anhui ), and both the Princess Changle and Zhao Gui encouraged him. However, of Li Zhen's subordinates, only Pei Shoude (裴守德) was of the same resolve as he was, and he gave Pei his daughter,

6222-421: The palace and demoted Wang's uncle, Liu Shi. Meanwhile, a faction of officials began to form around Wu, including Li Yifu , Xu, Cui Yixuan ( 崔義玄 ), and Yuan Gongyu ( 袁公瑜 ). Once in the autumn of 655, Gaozong summoned the chancellors Zhangsun, Li Ji , Yu Zhining , and Chu Suiliang to the palace. Chu had deduced that the summons were about changing the empress. Li Ji claimed illness and refused to attend. At

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6324-439: The palace. (Some modern historians dispute this traditional account. Some think that Wu never left the imperial palace and might have had an affair with Gaozong while Taizong was still alive.) Wu soon overtook Xiao as Gaozong's favorite. In 652, she gave birth to her first child, a son named Li Hong . In 653, she gave birth to another son, Li Xián . Neither of these sons was in contention to be Gaozong's heir, because Gaozong, at

6426-527: The position of emperor. Since the time of Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC), the Emperor of China using the title huangdi ( 皇帝 , translated as "emperor" or "empress (regnant)" as appropriate), Wu was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title huangdi . Her tenure as de facto ruler of China and official regent of the Tang dynasty (first through her husband and then through her sons, from 665 to 690)

6528-493: The remainder of her life. After Taizong's death, Gaozong met her at the death anniversary of Taizong when he was offering incense . At the time, Consort Xiao and Empress Wang were fighting for favoredness of Gaozong, and Wang asked Gaozong to bring Wu back into the palace, hoping to divert Gaozong's attention. Gaozong agreed and gave Wu the title Lady of Bright Deportment ( 昭儀 ). Soon, Gaozong became enamored with Wu, and both Wang and Xiao lost favor. By early 650, Consort Wu

6630-500: The request of officials influenced by Wang and her uncle (the chancellor Liu Shi ), had designated his eldest son Li Zhong as his heir. Li Zhong's mother, Consort Liu, was of lowly birth. Wang did this in order to receive Liu's gratitude. By 654, both Wang and Xiao had lost favor with Gaozong, and these two former romantic rivals joined forces against Wu, but to no avail. For example, as a sign of his love for Wu, Gaozong conferred posthumous honors on her father, Wu Shiyue , in 654. In

6732-524: The rest of Gaozong's reign, he and Wu often took up residence at the eastern capital Luoyang and only infrequently spent time in Chang'an . In 655, Wu became Tang Gaozong's new empress consort ( 皇后 , húanghòu ). Empress Wu was a powerful force in the world of politics, and had great influence over the Emperor. After Empress Wu's ascension, one of the first things she did was to submit a petition ostensibly praising

6834-423: The same year, Wu gave birth to a daughter. But her daughter died shortly after birth, with evidence suggesting deliberate strangulation . The evidence include allegations made by Wu herself, and she accused Wang of murder. Wang was accused of having been seen near the child's room, with corroborating testimony by alleged eyewitnesses. Gaozong was led to believe that Wang, motivated by jealousy, had most likely killed

6936-557: The same, Li Zhe was recalled from exile. Wu Chengsi, seeing his chances of being crown prince slipping away, died later that year in distress. Wu Chengsi was succeeded by his eldest son Wu Yanji (武延基) who had married Princess Yongtai daughter of Emperor Zhongzong. In 701, Wu Yanji was accused of privately discussing the Zhangs and his execution ordered along with that of his brother-in-law Li Chongrun , Prince of Shao and eldest son of Emperor Zhongzong. Whether or not his wife Princess Yongtai

7038-462: The same. Their heads were cut off and delivered to Luoyang to be shown to the public. After Li Chong's and Li Zhen's deaths, Empress Dowager Wu put one of her secret police officers, Zhou Xing , in charge of investigating, and under her direction, Zhou arrested Li Yuanjia, Li Lingkui, Li Zhuan, Princess Changle, and Zhao Gui, and forced them to commit suicide. Their family members were mostly slaughtered, while those who were not killed were excised from

7140-414: The sense of empress consort and empress regnant . Generally, the monarch was male and his chief spouse was given a title such as huanghou ( 皇后 ), often translated as "empress" or more specifically "empress consort". Upon the emperor's death, the surviving empress consort could become empress dowager , sometimes wielding considerable political power as regent during the minority of the (male) heir to

7242-482: The throne herself, advocated that two senior members of the Li imperial clan—Emperor Gaozong's uncles Li Yuanjia (李元嘉) the Prince of Han and Li Lingkui (李靈夔) the Prince of Lu—be killed, lest that they interfere with her plans. Empress Dowager Wu agreed, but did not immediately carry out the plan. In 685, Empress Dowager Wu made Wu Chengsi chancellor again (this time with the modified designation Tong Fengge Luantai Sanpin (同鳳閣鸞臺三品), as she had changed many office names in

7344-460: The throne to Empress Dowager Wu. She took the throne as "emperor" and established her Zhou dynasty, interrupting Tang. She had a number of her Wu relatives created imperial princes, and Wu Chengsi was created the Prince of Wei. However, what Wu Chengsi wanted to be was crown prince—and emperor in the future. However, Wu Zetian created Li Dan, the former Emperor Ruizong, crown prince (with the unconventional title Huang Si (皇嗣)). Wu Chengsi's ally,

7446-447: The throne to her and established the Zhou dynasty. She ruled as emperor until 705. She was regarded as ruthless in her endeavors to grab power, and was believed by traditional historians to have killed her own children. This was later proven false; these rumors seem to have surfaced 400 years after her death, likely due to the belief in ancient China that a woman was unsuited to hold the power of

7548-806: The title of Prince of Dai and crown prince (that is, Heir Apparent). Soon after, Empress Wu became dominant at court, installing officials who favored her ascension in chancellor posts. In 657, Empress Wu persuaded Emperor Gaozong to split the empire into two capitals and make Luoyang the capital alongside Chang'an . In 657, Empress Wu and her allies began reprisals against officials who had opposed her ascension. She first had Xu and Li Yifu, who were by now chancellors, falsely accuse Han Yuan and Lai Ji of being complicit with Chu Suiliang in planning treason. The three of them, along with Liu Shi, were demoted to being prefects of remote prefectures, with provisions that they would never be allowed to return to Chang'an. In 659, she had Xu accuse Zhangsun Wuji of plotting treason with

7650-454: The undisputed power behind the throne until the end of his reign. Slowly, Gaozong became aware of Wu's increasing power, but he could not stop her. In 661, Empress Wu asked to forbid women from all over the empire to be haiku (entertainers who perform burlesque ), and Emperor Gaozong agreed and issued an edict. In April, Gaozong wanted to conquer Goguryeo himself, but surrendered at the urging of Wu and his ministers. In 662, at Wu's suggestion,

7752-413: The words, "The holy mother is on earth, and the imperial sovereignty will forever be magnified" (聖母臨人永昌帝業) carved onto a rock and then had the rock thrown into the Luo River (洛水, near Luoyang). He then had the commoner Tang Tongtai (唐同泰) "discover" the rock and offer it to Empress Dowager Wu as a sign of divine favor. Empress Dowager Wu was very pleased and claimed herself the honorific title, "Holy Mother,

7854-495: The years, Emperor Gaozong's illness had worsened, and Empress Wu's influence continued to grow and was fully established in the political arena. By 664, Wu was said to be interfering so much in the empire's governance that she was angering Gaozong with her controlling behavior. Furthermore, she had engaged the Taoist sorcerer Guo Xingzhen ( 郭行真 ) in using witchcraft—an act prohibited by regulations, which led to Empress Wang's downfall—and

7956-414: The years. Wu came to believe their spirits were after her. For this reason, Emperor Gaozong started remodeling a secondary palace, Daming Palace (大明宮), into Penglai Palace (蓬萊宮). When Penglai Palace's main hall, Hanyuan Hall (含元殿), was completed in 663, Gaozong and Wu moved there. It was later renamed Hanyuan Palace, yet Empress Wang and Consort Xiao still continued to appear in her dreams. Therefore, for

8058-417: Was Wu Chengsi that she sent to Chang'an to comfort Liu and to dissuade him from resigning. It was also Wu Chengsi who formally acted for her at Emperor Ruizong's enthronement. In summer 684, she made Wu Chengsi the minister of rites and gave him the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品), making him a chancellor de facto , although she removed him from that position three months later and made him

8160-611: Was a concubine of Emperor Gaozong, and was given the title Zhaoyi ( 昭儀 ) (Lady of Bright Deportment, the highest-ranking of the nine concubines in the second rank). She progressed rapidly, earning the title of huanghou ( 皇后 ) (empress consort, the highest rank and position a woman held in the empire), and gradually gained immeasurable influence and unprecedented authority over the empire's governance throughout Gaozong's reign. Over time, she came to control most major and key decisions made during Gaozong's reign, and presided over imperial gatherings. After Gaozong died in 683, Empress Wu became

8262-469: Was a sufficient excuse to depose Wang, but Zhangsun repeatedly found ways to divert the conversation. Subsequent visits made by Wu's mother, Lady Yang, and an official allied with Wu, Xu Jingzong , to seek support from Zhangsun were met with disappointment. Early in 655 he wanted to give Wu (who carried the sixth-highest rank among imperial consorts, Zhaoyi (昭儀, meaning the lady of the Bright Section))

8364-417: Was about to slaughter the Tang imperial Li clan. Both he and Li Chong were quickly defeated, however, and he committed suicide. Li Zhen was born on 627. He was the eighth son of Emperor Taizong . His mother was Emperor Taizong's concubine Consort Yan. Emperor Taizong created him the Prince of Han in 631. In 633, he was made the commandant at Xu Prefecture (徐州, roughly modern Xuzhou , Jiangsu ), although it

8466-660: Was also executed at this time is debated but she nonetheless died around the same time. The second son Wu Yanyi (武延義) succeeded as the new Prince of Wei whilst the youngest son Wu Yanxiu (武延秀) was created Prince of Huaiyang. Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao , was Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as empress consort through her husband Emperor Gaozong and later as empress dowager through her sons Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong , from 660 to 690. She subsequently founded and ruled as empress regent of

8568-500: Was also granted certain honors and privileges not enjoyed by any Chinese empresses before or since. After Gaozong's death, Wu as empress dowager and regent held power completely and solely, used absolute power more forcefully and violently than before, and suppressed her overt and covert opponents. Seven years later, Wu seized the throne and began the Zhou dynasty, becoming the only empress regnant in Chinese history. On Emperor Gaozong's death in 683, rather than entering into retirement (as

8670-401: Was also said to be frequently listening to false accusations, and staff members who dared to speak against his actions were often dismissed. He further allowed his servants to bully the people he governed, and therefore, it was said that the people admired his talent but despised his actions. Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by his son Li Zhe (as Emperor Zhongzong), but real power

8772-463: Was awarded various official titles. Both hou ( 后 ) and huangdi ( 皇帝 ) are titles (modifications, or added characters to hou are of lesser importance). Born Wu Zhao, she is not properly known as "Wu Hou" (Empress Wu) until receiving this title in 655, nor is she properly known as "Wu Zetian", her regnal name, until 690, when she took the title Emperor. Various Chinese titles have been translated into English as "empress", including "empress" in both

8874-410: Was born in the imperial capital of Chang'an (today known as Xi'an ). Wu Zetian was born in the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang. In the same year, a total eclipse of the sun was visible across China. Her father, Wu Shiyue , worked in the timber business and the family was relatively well-off. Her mother was from the powerful Yang family, distant relatives of the imperial family of

8976-424: Was customary for royal widows), or not interfering in the government (according to the emperor's law, when he reaches the age of 17, he must rule by himself); Wu broke with tradition and took acquisition of complete power, refusing to allow any of her sons to rule. She took the throne in 690 by officially changing the name of the country from Tang to Zhou, changing the name of the royal family from Li to Wu, and holding

9078-658: Was exiled, Wu Chengsi went to Zhen Prefecture with his father. In 674, Empress Wu had Wu Chengsi recalled from exile to inherit the title of Duke of Zhou—which Emperor Gaozong had posthumously created Wu Shihuo. He was also made the minister of imperial clan affairs. Emperor Gaozong died in 683, and was initially succeeded by his and Empress Wu's son Li Zhe the Crown Prince (as Emperor Zhongzong), but Empress Wu retained power as empress dowager and regent . In spring 684, after Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with another son, Li Dan

9180-432: Was her son and closer to her than a nephew. He also pointed out that she had received her power from her husband Emperor Gaozong, whose worship would be swept aside if Wu Chengsi were to become emperor. Wu Zetian agreed with his points and for some time did not speak again of making Wu Chengsi crown prince. In 692, Lai falsely accused a group of individuals—the chancellors Ren Zhigu , Di Renjie , Pei Xingben , along with

9282-472: Was in the hands of Emperor Gaozong's powerful wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), who took power as empress dowager and regent . In spring 684, when Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with his brother Li Dan the Prince of Yu, but thereafter held onto power even more tightly. She also gradually elevated the statuses of not only herself but also her Wu clan members, both past and present, which led members of

9384-533: Was in turn overthrown, and Emperor Zhongzong was restored to the throne. He posthumously restored Li Zhen's family name and imperial clan status, but not his titles, as the move was opposed by his cousin and trusted advisor Wu Sansi (his cousin on the Wu side of the family) and his concubine Consort Shangguan Wan'er . Only later, during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong's nephew Emperor Xuanzong (Emperor Ruizong's son), in 716, were Li Zhen and Li Chong reburied. They were also given posthumous honors, with Li Zhen receiving

9486-410: Was killed in battle, while Li Zhen committed suicide. Empress Wu took this opportunity to have her trusted secret police official Zhou Xing arrest Li Yuanjia, Li Lingkui, Li Yuanjia's son Li Zhuan (李譔) the Duke of Huang, Emperor Gaozong's aunt Princess Changle, and Princess Changle's husband Zhao Gui (趙瓌) and force them to commit suicide. Subsequently, another uncle of Emperor Gaozong, Li Yuangui (李元軌)

9588-575: Was not without precedent in Chinese history, but she broke precedent when she founded her own dynasty in 690, the Zhou ( 周 ) (interrupting the Tang dynasty ), ruling personally under the name Sacred and Divine Huangdi ( 聖神皇帝 ), and variations thereof, from 690 to 705. Wu Zetian and Empress Dowager Liu of the Song dynasty are said to be the only women in Chinese history to have worn a yellow robe, ordinarily reserved for

9690-459: Was removed from his post, exiled, and never returned to Chang'an. Wu is said to have been reluctant to accept corruption and therefore did not defend Li Yifu and her only role in Gaozong's decision was to prevent Li Yifu's execution. Over the years, Empress Wu had repeatedly seen Empress Wang and Consort Xiao in her dreams as they were after death, and she came to believe their spirits were after her. For this reason, Emperor Gaozong started remodeling

9792-490: Was seen by Gaozong's wife, Empress Wang . At that time, Gaozong did not favor Wang. Instead, he favored his concubine Pure Consort Xiao . Furthermore, Wang had no children while Xiao had one son ( Li Sujie ) and two daughters (Princesses Yiyang and Xuancheng). Wang, seeing that Gaozong was still impressed by Wu's beauty, hoped that the arrival of a new concubine would divert the emperor from Xiao. Therefore, she secretly told Wu to stop shaving her hair and later welcomed her to

9894-420: Was still alive. Taizong had 14 sons, including three by his beloved Empress Zhangsun (601–636), but none with Consort Wu. Thus, according to the custom by which consorts of deceased emperors who had not produced children were permanently confined to a monastic institution after the emperor's death, Wu was consigned to Ganye Temple ( 感業寺 ) with the expectation that she would serve as a Buddhist nun there for

9996-450: Was succeeded by Li Zhen's younger brother Li Zhi (as Emperor Gaozong). In 653, Li Zhen was made the commandant at An Prefecture (安州, roughly modern Xiaogan , Hubei ). Sometime during Emperor Gaozong's Xianheng era (670–674), he again became the prefect of Xiang Prefecture. During these years, Li Zhen was said to be capable at horsemanship and archery, well-studied in literature and history, and capable in selecting officials. However, he

10098-420: Was taken to be an imperial concubine (lesser wife) of Emperor Taizong of Tang . It was there that she became a type of secretary. This opportunity allowed her to continue to pursue her education. She was given the title of cairen ( 才人 ), the title for one of the consorts with the 5th rank in Tang's nine-rank system for imperial officials, nobles, and consorts. When she was summoned to the palace, her mother,

10200-602: Was terrified and considered surrendering and seeking forgiveness from Empress Dowager Wu. However, at this time, his subordinate Fu Yanqing (傅延慶) returned with 2,000 conscripts, and Li Zhen changed his mind, claiming to his army that Li Chong had been successful and would soon arrive. He also had his soldiers wear amulets blessed by Taoist and Buddhist monks that purportedly would protect them from swords. Qu soon arrived with his army, and Li Zhen sent his youngest son Li Gui (李規) and Pei to resist Qu, but their forces deserted as soon as they saw Qu's forces. Li Gui and Pei fled back to

10302-430: Was the concubine of Emperor Taizong . After his death, she married his ninth son and successor, Emperor Gaozong, officially becoming Gaozong's huanghou ( 皇后 ), or empress consort, the highest-ranking of the wives, in 655. Wu had considerable political power even before becoming empress consort, and began to control the court after her appointment. After Gaozong's debilitating stroke in 660, she became administrator of

10404-432: Was the most powerful and influential woman at court during a period when the Tang dynasty was at the peak of its glory. Wu was more decisive and proactive than her husband, and historians consider her to have been the real power behind the throne during Gaozong's reign for more than 20 years until his death. She was partially in control of power from November 660, and totally from January 665. History records that she "was at

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