Empress Wu Zetian

It turns out Wu Zetian was exceptionally clever even as a child!

Wu Zetian was born into an official family during the Tang Dynasty. Clever from a young age and strikingly beautiful, her life was far from smooth sailing.

As a young woman, Wu Zetian was selected for the palace and became a concubine of Emperor Taizong. But she failed to win his special favor and was instead left out in the cold. During this time, however, she quietly observed the power struggles in the palace and learned the arts of political maneuvering.

After Taizong’s death, Wu Zetian entered Ganye Temple as a nun, as was customary. But she and Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi had been involved in the past, and Li Zhi brought her back to the palace. Once there, Wu Zetian began her difficult struggle for power. Empress Wang and Consort Xiao viewed her as a thorn in their side, but with her intelligence and decisiveness, Wu Zetian eliminated one obstacle after another and ultimately became empress.

Becoming empress did not satisfy Wu Zetian. She began taking part in state affairs and demonstrated outstanding political ability. Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi was in poor health, and Wu Zetian gradually gained more power.

After Gaozong’s death, Wu Zetian’s son Li Xian ascended the throne, but was soon deposed. Li Dan became emperor, while Wu Zetian continued to rule from behind the scenes as empress dowager. Court officials resented her growing power and opposed her, but Wu Zetian crushed the opposition with an iron hand. Finally, in 690, she declared herself emperor, changed the country’s name to Zhou, and became the only legitimate female emperor in Chinese history.

During her reign, Wu Zetian introduced a series of reforms that promoted economic growth and cultural prosperity. But her rule also