Cause & Context
In the late Gaozong era, the emperor was ill and neglected government, and Empress Wu took the chance to handle state affairs and gradually grasped the absolute axis of central power. The conservative Guanlong aristocratic clans took a hostile and stubbornly obstructive attitude toward her.
Epochal Overview
Wu Zetian, on the strength of strong political strategy, defeated the conservative aristocratic forces and finally proclaimed herself Emperor of the Great Zhou, changing the era and assuming the throne. She vigorously reformed the examination system, created the palace examination, and broke convention to elevate large numbers of commoner civil officials.
Civilizational Impact
Wu Zetian's enthronement greatly shattered the political monopoly of the Guanlong great aristocrats and successfully realized the transfer of power from the great clans to commoner plebeians. She bridged past and future and laid the bureaucratic foundation of High Tang prosperity.
Key Figures
Wu Zetian is the only orthodox female emperor in Chinese history, terrifying the world with her paramount tactics and statecraft vision. Worthy ministers like were the court pillars she employed in her late years to preserve the benign transition of the state.