05/07/2023
Wu Zetian was the first female emperor of China and one of the most influential women of Chinese history. She was born around 624 CE to a high-ranking and wealthy family. Her father had strong ties to the court and he even encouraged his daughter to pursue a proper education (unlike many women from that age). The moment Emperor Taizong met Wu (she was 14 at the time), he made her carin (a title defining a fifth-rank concubine). He also called her "Mei-Niang", meaning "beautiful" or "charming". Despite her status as a concubine, Wu expressed her desire to pursue art and music at the palace and continuing her education this way and not giving up on her interests managed to set her apart from all the other girls from the imperial harem. Actually, she would go on to become the emperor's secretary. Spending time with Taizong this way and handling a number of important documents, she learned about state affairs, something that would become useful later on. When Taizong died in 649, as concubine, Wu was supposed to shave her head and become a nun, but she had earned the affection of Taizong's son, Li Zhi (who would become Emperor Gaozong). When Li Zhi came to Ganye Temple in honor of his father, Wu seduced him and asked him to take her back to court. Gaozong's wife, Empress Wang, had not managed to give her husband any children, a fact which had led to a rift between the spouses. Eventually, Wu was brought back to the royal court and became the zhaoyi (second concubine). She gave birth to two sons, Li Hong and Li Xian, but, after she gave birth to a daughter in 654, the baby was found strangled in the crib. Wu passed the blame on Empress Wang claiming she had been jealous of the child and additionally accused the empress and her mother of witchcraft. Once Empress Wang and Consort Xiao left the royal court, Wu ordered that they be eliminated. There are many speculations about this particular context. A number of historians even uphold the idea that Wu took her daughter's life herself to turn the situation in her favor so that she might become the empress of the Tang dynasty. As soon as her position of power was secured, Wu dispatched a secret police to terminate those who did not support her. Later on, Emperor Gaozong suffered a stroke. Due to the ordeal, he went blind, so a number of significant administrative duties were passed to the empress. However, the emperor was worried in regard to Wu's rising power and influence. He got Shangguan Yi to depose the empress, but she quickly found out and had Yi taken care of. In 683, Emperor Gaozong passed away and Wu arranged everything so that the throne could go to Li Hong, her eldest son. He became Emperor Zhongzong. Still, his wife, Lady Wei, attempted to rise as the new empress. Wu would not have it, so she replaced her eldest son as emperor with Li Dan, her younger son. He became Emperor Ruizong, but, truly, he was no more than a puppet in Wu's hands. In 690, she made him abdicate and rose to power herself. She named herself "Zetian" meaning "Ruler of the Sky" and "Wu" meaning "military" or "weapon". Also, she commissioned statues of the Maitreya Buddha (a Buddhist sage saving suffering beings) to be made in her image and called herself the additional name of Empress Shengsen (meaning "Holy Spirit"). Empress Wu had become a living Buddha. Still, despite the excesses, she was loved and respected by women and commoners. Wu considered those in need and started to lower taxes for farmers and the poor. She built irrigation systems and supported women's rights. Women obtained positions in the courts and scholars were hired to write about the achievements of notable and influential women. Women got more freedoms and possibilities to express themselves and were encouraged to actively take part in politics. Wu became respected and loved by the people. In private, even though she was no longer young, the empress had an affair with the fake monk Huaiyi and, then, with the infamous Zhang brothers. However, Wu got so caught up in her affair with the Zhang brothers that she began to neglect her responsibilities. At this point, the members of the court had had enough. In 705, they ordered that the brothers be eliminated and Wu was forced to abdicate her position as empress. With Zhongzong restored as emperor, the Zhou dynasty came to an end and Wu remained in retirement for the final months of her life until she passed away at 80 or 81 years old. Even though her reign brought many improvements to the lives of her subjects, as a result of the many scandals related to her, her tombstone was left blank. Also, no contemporary images of the empress exist, all known depictions of her having been made later on. Most nations have had at least one significant female leader, but such women were rarely chosen to occupy the ruling position. Usually, they came to power by default or stealth, with a king having no sons or a queen taking power from her incompetent husband. Despite the initial context, it has been harder for women to rule effectively than for men, especially during the earlier ages of history. This was a time when rulers were, first of all, military leaders and power had to be claimed by force. Reigning female rulers had to rule like men and, while doing so, they were not exempt from criticism. Still, out of all these female rulers, Empress Wu stands out. Leaving aside all controversy, she wielded such high amount of power and managed to become the only woman to rule in her own right throughout over 3,000 years of Chinese history. Had she been a man, none of her actions would have sparked any criticism. All Chinese emperors had used violence to gain power and keep it, they had all had concubines, etc. Therefore, there is significant doubt in regard to whether Wu was truly guilty of many of the wicked things history or male historians have attributed to her.