She Became China’s First And Only Female Emperor In 690, With Many Scholars Calling Her One Of The Greatest Rulers In China’s History

aphotostory - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only
aphotostory - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

Did you know that during its 2,000 years of dynasty rule, there was only one female emporer in Chinese history?

Out of over 500 emperors who ruled in China, only one of them was a woman, and it was Wu Zetian.

Although she made some impressive progress while on the throne, her accomplishments are often overlooked because of her interesting and dramatic history.

Wu was born in 624 and received an excellent education as a young girl. By the time she was a teenager, she had become Emperor Taizong’s concubine or companion and learned a lot from his time on the throne. She started educating herself and became more involved in Emperor Taizon’s political affairs, and she was promoted to being his secretary.

Wu worked for Emperor Taizong for around ten years, which put a lot of political experience under her belt, and she became hungry to stay involved in China’s dynasty.

After Emporer Taizong died, she married his son and successor, Emperor Gaozong. She continued to work her way up the ladder and impressively was named empress consort, the highest honor a woman could have.

Once she was empress consort, Wu began getting herself involved in just about any political affairs she could, having a big influence on policy making.

In 683, Wu gained full control over the empire when Emperor Gaozong died, and she became the empress dowager. This was a very interesting moment in history, as it was traditional for royal widows to go into retirement or live the rest of their lives in convents during that period.

For a brief period, Wu had her son, Ruizong, take the throne as emperor. Still, since she continued to hold onto her power and make executive decisions and rulings, she eventually had him hand the throne over.

aphotostory – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

Despite some backlash, Wu officially became China’s first and only female emperor in 690.

During her reign, Wu was known for being very efficient and powerful. She made decisions and rulings more proactively than her husband, which was one of many things that made her stand out as a ruler.

Although some underestimated Wu because of her gender, many scholars argue that she was one of the greatest rulers in China’s history and was responsible for making it one of the world’s most powerful nations during her reign.

Wu helped expand the Chinese empire into central Asia, put great emphasis on education and literature, lowered taxes for the poor, created great opportunities for people of all social classes, etc.

Hundreds of years after her time on the throne had ended, rumors began surfacing that Wu had a private dark side as an emperor.

There were rumors that she had many of her rivals tortured and killed and even had some of her children murdered to stay ahead of the game.

However, not every single rumor has been confirmed, and these rumors were likely spread to smear her reputation as a successful female leader.

In the early 700s, Wu began suffering from ill health and was eventually removed from the throne due to a coup.

She passed away in 705 at 81, and another one of her sons,  Emperor Zhongzong, became her successor.

There has not been another woman who has served as a ruler in China since Wu Zetian’s reign, which, although eventually riddled with conspiracy, was incredibly effective.

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