She was the concubine of two Emperors; she was the mother of the next two successive Emperors; she was once a nun. However, she was also the only female emperor in Chinese history. Her name was Wu Zetian, also known as Tian Hou or Empress Consort Wu in China.
She was born in 625 in a noble family. At the age of 14, she was selected as a concubine of Emperor Taizong. She didn’t become a favorite of the Emperor. However, she managed to catch the eye of Prince Li Zhi who later became Emperor Gaozong. After Taizong’s death, she was expected to spend the rest of life as a nun as other childless concubines. However, the new Emperor Gaozong soon had her back to the palace.
She was quite successful in the struggle in the palace and became the Empress of Gaozong. After Emperor Gaozong’s death, she grabbed the power from his son, the new Emperor Ruizong, and in 690, she had the Emperor yield the throne to her and established Zhou Dynasty.
As an emperor, she was quite successful. The measures she took greatly improved agriculture production. A large number of talented people, regardless of their family status, had been appointed as officials. However, she was also condemned for her bad behaviors, such as killing her sons and baby daughters to achieve political aims.
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