Wu Zetian
founding empress of Zhou dynasty (r. 690–705); de facto ruler of Tang dynasty from 665 to 690
Wu Zetian (Wu Tse-tien; simplified Chinese: 武则天; traditional Chinese: 武則天; pinyin: Wǔ Zétiān; c. 625 AD – 705 AD),[1] was the first female monarch of China. She ruled under the name of her self-proclaimed Zhou Dynasty, from 690 to 705. She had previously been a member of the Tang Dynasty. Wu was a concubine of Emperor Taizong. After his death, she married his successor and 9th son, Emperor Gaozong in 655. After Gaozong's stroke in 660, Wu Zetian ruled as effective sovereign until 705.[1] She is the only woman to have ruled China in her own right.
Wu Zetian | |||||||||
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Empress of Zhou Dynasty | |||||||||
Reign | 16 October 690 – 22 February 705 | ||||||||
Predecessor | none, Emperor Ruizong as Emperor of Tang Dynasty | ||||||||
Successor | dynasty abolished, Emperor Zhongzong as Emperor of Tang Dynasty | ||||||||
Empress Regent of Tang Dynasty | |||||||||
Reign | 660-690 | ||||||||
Successor | Empress Wei | ||||||||
Empress consort of Tang Dynasty | |||||||||
Reign | 655–683 | ||||||||
Predecessor | Empress Wang | ||||||||
Successor | Empress Wei | ||||||||
Born | Lizhou, Sichuan Province, Tang Dynasty | 17 February 624||||||||
Died | 16 December 705 Luoyang, Tang Dynasty | (aged 81)||||||||
Burial | 706 | ||||||||
Spouse | Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Gaozong of Tang | ||||||||
Issue | Li Hong, Emperor Yizong Li Xian, Crown Prince Zhanghuai Princess Si of Anding Li Xian, Emperor Zhongzong Li Dan, Emperor Ruizong Princess Taiping | ||||||||
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House | Wu (by birth) House of Li (by marriage) | ||||||||
Father | Wu Shihuo, Duke Ding of Ying | ||||||||
Mother | Lady Yang |
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Paludan, Ann (1998). Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial China. New York, New York: Thames and Hudson. pp 96–100. ISBN 0-500-05090-2