Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, her life is full of legends. Her reign was known as the "Wu Zhou" and was an important stage in the history of the Tang Dynasty. So, how did Wu Zetian rise from empress to emperor? This needs to start with her early life.
Wu Zetian was born in an aristocratic family, and her father was a high-ranking ** in the Tang Dynasty. Wu Zetian is smart and clever, and he is deeply loved by his father. She received a good education at home and learned a variety of talents such as poetry, calligraphy and **.
When Wu Zetian was fourteen years old, he was elected to the palace and became a talented person of Tang Taizong. She won the favor of Taizong with her intelligence and beauty. However, after Taizong's death, according to the regulations at the time, Wu Zetian was forced to shave his hair and become a nun and entered a Buddhist temple.
However, Wu Zetian did not spend the rest of his life in the temple. After Tang Gaozong Li Zhi ascended the throne, because of illness, he handed over a large amount of government affairs to the empress eldest grandson. However, after the death of Empress Changsun, Li Zhi decided to take Wu Zetian back to the palace and appointed her as Zhaoyi, and later promoted to empress.
As the empress, Wu Zetian actively participated in government affairs, and her political talent was highly recognized by Li Zhi. After Li was seriously ill, Wu Zetian began to actually control the government. After Li Zhi's death, Wu Zetian continued to hold power as the empress dowager.
However, Wu Zetian was not satisfied with the status of the empress dowager, and she began to plot to usurp the throne. Through a series of political means, she gradually weakened the power of the princes, and finally in 690, she officially usurped the throne and became the only female emperor in Chinese history.
During the reign of Wu Zetian, known as "Wu Zhou", she implemented a series of reforms, strengthened the centralization of power, and raised the selection criteria, and her reign was also regarded as a peak of the Tang Dynasty.
In general, Wu Zetian was able to rise from empress to emperor, not only because of her ingenuity and political skills, but more importantly, because she dared to break with tradition and challenge authority. Her life is undoubtedly a legend in Chinese history. Wu Zetian