|
| |
Oct 19, 690 <sup><small><small>4</sup></small></small>
|
| |
Feb 22, 705 <sup><small><small>5</sup></small></small>
|
| |
Zhou (周)
|
| |
Mei² (媚), later Zhao³ (曌)
|
| |
None<sup><small><small>6</sup></small></small>
|
| |
Empress Zetian<sup><small><small>7</sup></small></small> (則天皇后)
|
(武則天 -
December 16 ,
705 ), personal name '''Wu Zhao''' (武曌), was the only female emperor in the
History Of China , founding her own dynasty, the '''Zhou''' (周), and ruling under the name '''Emperor Shengshen''' (聖神皇帝) from
690 to
705 . Her rise and reign has been criticized harshly by
Confucian historians but has been viewed under a different light after the
1950s .
Her family was from
Wenshui (文水), part of Bingzhou (幷州) prefecture (now called
Taiyuan in
Shanxi province). Wenshui is now a county (文水县) inside Lüliang prefecture (吕梁地区) and located 80 km.(50 miles) southwest of Taiyuan. Her father was Wu Shihuo (武士彠) (
577 -
635 ), a member of a renowned aristocratic family of Shanxi, and an ally of
Li Yuan , the founder of the
Tang Dynasty , in his conquest of power (Li Yuan was himself from a renowned aristocratic family of Shanxi). Her mother was Lady Yang (楊氏) (
579 -
670 ), a woman from the
Sui imperial family. Wu Zetian was not born in Wenshui, as her father was a high ranking civil servant serving in various posts and locations along his life. The most serious claimant for her birth place is Lizhou (利州) prefecture, now the
Prefecture-level City of
Guangyuan (广元市), in the north of
Sichuan province, some 800 km.(500 miles) southwest of Wenshui, but other places have been proposed, including the capital
Chang'an .
She entered ), and was made a ''
Cairen '' (才人), i.e. one of the nine concubines of the fifth rank. Emperor Taizong gave her the name Mei (媚), meaning "charming, beautiful", and the young empress is generally known inside China as Wu Meiniang (武媚娘, i.e. "Miss Wu Mei").
In
649 , Taizong died, and as was customary for concubines Wu Meiniang had to leave the imperial palace and enter a
Buddhist nunnery where she had her hair shaved. Not long afterwards, most probably in
651 , she was reintegrated into the imperial palace by
Emperor Gaozong , son of Taizong, who had been struck by her beauty while visiting and worshipping in the nunnery. Gaozong's
Empress Consort , from the Wang (王) family, played a key role in the reintegration of Wu Meiniang in the imperial palace. The emperor at the time was greatly attached to a concubine from the Xiao (蕭) family, and the empress hoped that the arrival of a new beautiful concubine would divert the emperor from the concubine
Née Xiao. Modern historians dispute this traditional history, and some think that the young Wu Zetian never actually left the imperial palace, and that she was probably already having an affair with the crown prince (who became Emperor Gaozong) while Emperor Taizong was still alive. Wherever the truth lies, it remains certain that by the early 650s Wu Zetian was a concubine of Emperor Gaozong, and she was titled ''zhaoyi'' (昭儀), i.e. the highest ranking of the nine concubines of the second rank. The fact that the emperor had taken one of the concubines of his father as a concubine, and what's more a nun if traditional history is to be believed, was found utterly shocking by Confucian moralists.
Wu Zetian soon revealed her talent at manipulation and intrigue. She first had the concubine née Xiao out of the way, and then her next target was the empress consort herself. In the year
654 , Wu Zetian's baby daughter was killed. Empress Wang was allegedly seen near the child's room by eyewitnesses. She was suspected of killing the girl out of jealousy and was persecuted. Legend has it that Wu Zetian actually killed her own daughter, but the allegation may have been made up by her opponents or by Confucian historians. Soon after that, she succeeded in having the emperor create for her the extraordinary title of ''chenfei'' (宸妃), which ranked her above the four concubines of the first rank and immediately below the empress consort. Then eventually, in November
655 , the empress née Wang was demoted and Wu Zetian was made empress consort. Wu later had Wang and Xiao executed in a cruel manner -- their arms and legs were battered and broken, and then they were put in large wine urns and left to die after several days of agony.
After Gaozong started to suffer from . Indeed she was the only woman in the 2100 years of imperial China ever to sit upon the dragon throne, and this again utterly shocked Confucian elites.
Traditional
Chinese Political Theory (see the similar
Salic Law ) did not allow a woman to ascend the throne, and Empress Wu was determined to quash the opposition and promote loyal officials within the bureaucracy. Her regime was characterized by
Machiavellian cleverness and brutal
Despotism . During her reign, she formed her own Secret Police to deal with any opposition that might arise. She was also supported by her two lovers, the Zhang brothers (Zhang Yizhi, 張易之, and his younger brother Zhang Changzong 張昌宗). She gained popular support by advocating
Buddhism but ruthlessly persecuted her opponents within the royal family and the nobility. In October
695 , after several additions of characters, her imperial name was definitely set as Emperor Tiance Jinlun Shengshen (天冊金輪聖神皇帝), a name which did not undergo further changes until the end of her reign.
On
February 20 ,
705 , now in her early 80s and ailing, Empress Wu was unable to thwart a coup, during which the Zhang brothers were executed. Her power ended that day, and she had to step down while
Emperor Zhongzong was restored, allowing the
Tang Dynasty to resume on
March 3 ,
705 . Empress Wu died nine months later, perhaps consoled by the fact that her nephew
Wu Sansi (武三思), son of her half-brother and as ambitious and intriguing as she, had managed to become the real master behind the scenes, controlling the restored emperor through his empress consort with whom he was having an affair.
Although short-lived, the Zhou dynasty, according to some historians, resulted in better
Equality between the
Sexes during the succeeding Tang Dynasty.
Considering the events of her life of preaching
Compassion while simultaneously engaging in a pattern of
Corrupt and vicious behavior, and ruling by pulling strings in the background.
The noted french author
Shan Sa , born in
Beijing , wrote a biographical novel called "Impératrice" (french for Empress) based on Empress Wu´s life.
