Wu Zetian : China's Only Empress

A woman's place is in the home. Many cultures and time periods have embraced that thought, and traditional Confucian societies were no exception, so it comes as something of a surprise to find that a woman broke tradition and became China's only empress. It happened during the Tang Dynasty (618-906), a notable period during which women had many freedoms, art and culture flourished, the Silk Road brought commerce and contact with the outside world and Buddhism began to take hold. It was probably the most open time period in Chinese history, and taken in that light, a woman as empress doesn't seem quite so odd.

Wu Zetian was born in 625 to a wealthy and noble family. Footbinding would not be fashionable for another 600 years or so and women even played polo upon horseback. Wealthy women were often well educated and accordingly Wu Zetian had a solid grounding in music and literature. By the time she was a teenager her intelligence, vivacity and looks had become well known and at the age of fourteen she entranced the Emperor Taizong and soon found herself his favorite concubine.

Fourteen years later when Taizong died, she found that her ambition did not die along with the emperor, though she did spend a short time afterward at Ganye Temple as a nun. Previously, she had managed to catch the eye of the new emperor, Taizong's son, Gaozong, and he soon had her brought back to court. There she gave birth to his heirs and rose so high in his estimation that he replaced his wife, Empress Wang, with Wu Zetian, much to the outrage of many officials. Wu Zetian soon silenced her opposition with cunning and the full force of her newly found power, and when Gaozong was left crippled by a stroke in 660, she took charge of the court. Many who voiced objections were soon eternally unable to object to anything at all when they found themselves imprisoned or dead.

For the next 23 years Wu Zetian ruled in all but name. Gaozong died in 683 and Wu Zetian's power continued undiminished. She kept firm control of her sons as they reigned and then had them deposed. Her obvious next step was to be declared Empress, which she did in 690, however, she also had a Confucian tradition which did not allow for women rulers to contend against. The growing popularity of Buddhism helped, as did the orchestrated movement to highlight famous women and their achievements among scholars.

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