One of the most powerful champions of Buddhism in China was the Empress Wu Zetian. The spirit road causeway to Wus still-unopened tomb lies between two low rises, tipped by watchtowers, known as the nipple hills.. Wu Zetian (624-705) | Encyclopedia.com Rothschild describes a confrontation which reflects the feelings of majority of those at court. For centuries she was excoriated by Chinese historians as an offender against a way of life. Having been raised by her father to believe she was the equal of men, Wu saw no reason why women could not carry out the same practices and hold the same positions men could. Wu Zetian's collected writings include official edicts, essays, and poetry, in addition to a treatise to instruct her subjects on moral statecraft. Fitzgeraldwho reminds us that Tang China emerged from 400 years of discord and civil warwrites, Without Wu there would have been no long enduring Tang dynasty and perhaps no lasting unity of China, while in a generally favorable portrayal, Guisso argues that Wu was not so different from most emperors: The empress was a woman of her times. After suppressing this revolt, the empress dowager began to purge her opponents at court. had been organized in a systematic way by the year 669. In spite of all of her reforms and the prosperity she brought to the country, Wu was remembered mainly for her crimes against friends and family members - especially the murder of her daughter - and people did not think she was worthy of an inscription. Ruizong was also a disappointment to her and so she forced him to abdicate in 690 CE and proclaimed herself Emperor Zeitan, ruler of China, the first and only woman to sit on the Dragon Throne and reign in her own name and by her own authority. She attracted the attention of many of the young men at court and one of these was the Prince Li Zhi, son of Taizong, who would become the next emperor, Gaozong. Empress Wu Zetian (Empress Consort Wu, Wu Hou, Wu Mei Niang, Mei-Niang, and Wu Zhao, l. 624-705 CE, r. 690-704 CE) was the only female emperor of Imperial China. Just how accurate this picture of Wu is remains a matter of debate. Buddhism was carried into East Asia by merchants and Buddhist monks traveling the Silk Road from Northern India, Persia, Kashmir and Inner Asia. Thus the Wu family was now elevated to the imperial house. They ruled as divine monarchs until Gaozong's death in 683 CE. Thank you for your help! "Empress Wu Zetian." Historical Significance: Empress Wu was very significant in the Tang Dynasty. Empress Wu is the only female to have ever ruled in her own name in China. Cookie Policy ." On the Korean peninsula Empress Wu supported the unification movement under the state of Silla. Wu Zetian died within a year. No-one knows what secrets it holds, for like many of the tombs of the most celebrated Chinese rulers, including that of the First Emperor himself, it has never been plundered or opened by archaeologists. Chen, Jo-shui. Terms of Use Her patronage of Buddhism also expanded to other temples and sects, and much work was done on the cave temples at Longmen on her orders. Two brothers, known as the Zhang Brothers, were her favorites and she spent most of her time in closed quarters with them. ." As an effective woman ruler, she challenged the traditional patriarchical dominance of power, state, sovereignty, monarchy, and political ideology. Taizong forced the abdication of his own father and disposed of two older brothers in hand-to-hand combat before seizing the throne. In defiance of convention Emperor Gaozong started an affair with her, and she bore him a son in 652. She reigned during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and was one of the most effective and controversial monarchs in China's history. The China that Wu Zetian was born in was the Tang Dynasty (618906), a strong and unified empire after four centuries of political discord and foreign interaction. Favoring the power base in the Northeast, the royal family finally moved to Luoyang in 683. Wu Zetian established her dynasty - the Zhou dynasty. Her upright Confucian minister, Di Renjie (d. 700, the protagonist of Robert van Gulik's popular Judge Dee detective novels), convinced her to bring back her son, the deposed emperor Zhongzong, to be appointed as her successor. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. World History Encyclopedia. Her reforms and policies lay the foundation for the success of Xuanzong as emperor under whose reign China became the most prosperous country in the world. Lu Zhi was an instantly recognizable villain to the people of China, and linking Wu with her through the murders worked to destroy Wu's reputation. Born: February 17, 624 Lizhou, China Died: December 16, 705 in Luoyang, China Reign: October 16, 690 to February 22, 705 Best known for: The only woman to be Emperor of China Biography: Empress Wu Zetian by Unknown [Public Domain] Growing Up Wu Zetian was born on February 17, 624 in Lizhou, China. The only woman ever to rule as emperor of China, Wu Zhao (Wu ZeTian) was born in 624 C.E. This spy system served her well in giving her early warning of any plots in the making and enabled her to take care of threats to her reign before they became actual problems. Chapter 2 SOURCES FOR THE LIFE AND CAREER OF WU TSE-T'IEN The chief primary sources for the life of the Empress Wu are her annals in the two dynastic histories of the T'ang, her biography in the New T'ang History, and the numerous references to her in Ssu-ma Kuang's Comprehensive Mirror.^ In some of the large official compilations of later ages, One of the most powerful champions of Buddhism in China was the Empress Wu Zetian. Long a supporter of Buddhism through her mother's devotion and her own refuge in the nunnery after her first husband Taizong's death, Wu Zetian counted on Buddhist ideology to legitimize her reign and her dynasty. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. ." The horrible deaths of empress Wang and the Pure Concubine, for example, are nowhere mentioned in Luo Binwangs fearless contemporary denunciation, which suggests that Wu was not blamed for them during her lifetime. Empress Wu is one of the most controversial leaders in Chinese history for her method of rule and the means she likely used to rise to power. To consolidate her power, in 657 Wu designated Luoyang as a second capital. 181. Wu, characteristically, admired the virtuosity of Luos style and suggested he would be better employed at the imperial court. The development of the examination system during her reign was a critical step in the eventual transformation of the aristocracy to a meritocracy in the government. Wang was the last person seen in the room and had no alibi. Gaozong had caught a disease which affected his eyes (possibly a stroke) and needed to have reports read to him. 2231). Kumarajiva's influence on Chinese Buddhist thought was crucial. Web. However, despite establishing an autocratic and centralised state, Emperor Wu adopted the principles of Confucianism as the state philosophy and code of ethics for his empire and started a school to teach future administrators the Confucian classics. And does she deserve the harsh verdict that history has passed on her? One explanation for Wus success is that she listened. There must also be some doubt as to whether Wu really was guilty of some of the most monstrous crimes that history has charged her with. Ho-shen (1750-1799) was a high Manchu official in the government of the Ch'ing dynasty in China and a close associate of Emperor Ch'ien-lung.. Scanned using Book ScanCenter 5033 - Western Washington University Encyclopedia.com. Even though many at court congratulated her on being favored by the gods, many others did not. In 704 CE, court officials could no longer tolerate Wu's behavior and had the Zhang brothers murdered. She herself would thus be seen as a restorationist of the Zhou Dynasty, with the Wu family replacing the Li-Tang family. At a nunnery she established, Empress Komyo sponsored the creation of a statue of the Bodhisattva Kannon which, like Wu Zetians statue at Longmen, was felt to be done in her likeness. The Analects of Confucius Primary Source Activity - Google Drive - Print & Digital. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. World Eras. Traditionally, only the emperor, as the son-of-heaven, could communicate with heaven and carry out sacrifices to heaven and earth. To justify her rule, Wu used selected Buddhist scriptures and led the way in the creation of numerous visual representations of the Buddha. During her reign she ordered the erection of temples in every province to explain the Dayunjingy which predicted the emergence of a female world ruler seven hundred years after the passing of the Buddha. Wu began her life at court taking care of the royal laundry but one day dared to speak to the emperor when they were alone and talked about Chinese history. Image taken from An 18th-century album of portraits of 86 emperors of China, with Chinese historical notes. She improved the public education system by hiring dedicated teachers and reorganizing the bureaucracy and teaching methods. His son Li Longji succeeded him, ruling as Emperor Xuanzong (r. 712-756 CE). Wu Zetian's tough character and good equestrian skills were perceived by observers even when she was a teenager. Sima, Guang. Empress Wu proved to be a wise monarch, and in her reign of twenty years she continued many policies and practices of her predecessors. Guisso, Richard W. Empress Wu Tse-t'ien and the Politics of Legitimation in T'ang China. This is very similar to the story of the Empress Lu Zhi (l. 241-180 BCE) of the Han Dynasty who got rid of her rival Qizi in the same way (although Qizi was drowned in a pigsty and had her eyes gouged out as well). Most historians believe Wu became intimate with the future Gaozong emperor before his fathers deatha scandalous breach of etiquette that could have cost her her head, but which in fact saved her from life in a Buddhist nunnery. Carlton further notes, "While ostensibly for her great concern over the condition of her people, the box mainly served the purpose of obtaining information on seditious subjects (3)."