Wu Zetian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 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 | 17 February 624 Lizhou, Sichuan Province, Tang Dynasty |
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| Died | 16 December 705 (aged 81) Luoyang, Tang Dynasty |
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| Burial | 706 Qianling Mausoleum |
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| Spouse | Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Gaozong of Tang |
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| 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) |
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| Father | Wu Shihuo, Duke Ding of Ying | ||||||||
| Mother | Lady Yang | ||||||||
Wu Zetian (Wu Tse-tien; simplified Chinese: 武则天; traditional Chinese: 武則天; pinyin: Wǔ Zétiān; c. 625 – 705), 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. She is the only woman to have ruled China in her own right.
Images for kids
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A painting portraying Emperor Taizong of Tang by painter Yan Liben (c. 600–673).
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A depiction of Wu, from Empress Wu of the Zhou, published circa 1690
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A depiction of Emperor Gaozong of Tang from An 18th century album of portraits of 86 emperors of China, with Chinese historical notes
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The Fengxian cave (c. 675) of the Longmen Grottoes, commissioned by Wu Zetian; the large, central Buddha is representative of the Vairocana
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Epitaph for Yang Shun, general to Empress Wu Zetian, China, Luoyang, 693, limestone, Royal Ontario Museum
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The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, originally built in 652, it collapsed and was rebuilt in 701–704 during the reign of Wu Zetian; the present structure is largely the same as it was in the 8th century, although it used to be three stories taller before the damage caused by the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake
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Estimated territorial extent of Wu Zetian's empire
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Located to the east of Phoenix Gate within the Qianling Mausoleum–built near Chang'an in 706 to house the remains of Tang Gaozong, Empress Wu, and other royal members of the Chinese Tang Dynasty–is the large Blank Tablet or Wordless Stele. This tablet is 6.3 meters tall and weighs 98 tonnes. Although no written inscriptions adorn this edifice (hence its name), the sides of the tablet feature carved dragons while the top features carved oysters.
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Side view of the Blank Tablet.
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Maitreya statue from the reign of Wu Zetian
