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Wu Zetian

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Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the de facto ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empress consort of the Tang dynasty (as wife of the Emperor Gaozong) and then, after his death, empress dowager (ruling through her sons Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong). Unprecedented in Chinese history, she subsequently founded and ruled as empress regnant of the Wu Zhou dynasty of China from 690 to 705. She was the only female sovereign in the history of China widely regarded as legitimate. Under her 40-year reign, China grew larger, becoming one of the great powers of the world, its culture and economy were revitalized, and corruption in the court was reduced. She was removed from power in a coup and died a few months later.

Wu Zetian - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Empress of China from 690 to 705 For other uses, see Wu Zetian (disambiguation) . "Empress Wu" redirects here. For other uses, see Empress Wu (disambiguation) . "Chao Wu" redirects here. For the Maryland politician, see Chao Wu (politician) . In this Chinese name , the family name is Wu . {{langn|zh|武則天}}"},"image":{"wt":"唐后行從圖 (局部) - 武則天.png{{!}}border"},"caption":{"wt":"Detail of an 8th-century silk painting depicting Wu Zhao, by [[Zhang Xuan]]{{NoteTag|The painting is recorded as ''Empress Wu's Procession'' ({{lang|

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