INTERESTING PERSONALITIES OF THE POST-

CLASSICAL AGEEmpress Wu

Empress Theodora

EMPRESS WU ZETIAN The only female in Chinese history to

rule as emperor Effectively ruled China during one of its

more peaceful and culturally diverse periods

Even though a popular Confucian saying stated that a woman ruling was as unnatural as having a “hen crow like a rooster at daybreak”

THE TANG DYNASTY A time of relative freedom for women Women did not bind their feet Women did not lead submissive lives Tang rulers had nomadic ancestors Nomadic cultures generally offered

women more freedoms

FAMILY BACKGROUND Wu was born into a wealthy, noble

family Taught to read the Chinese classics and

write Taught to play music Known for her wit, intelligence, and

beauty

AN IMPORTANT CONCUBINE Definition: Concubine -one having a

recognized social status in a household below that of a wife

Wu was recruited to the

court of Emperor Tai Tsung

Wu soon became his favorite concubine

KAO TSUNG Kao Tsung was Emperor Tai Tsung’s son Concubine Wu was attracted to the

emperor’s son When the emperor died, Wu was only

twenty-seven years old She quickly became the new emperor,

Kao Tsung’s, favorite concubine

FROM CONCUBINE TO EMPRESS Concubine Wu gave birth to the sons

that the new emperor desperately wanted

As the mother of the future emperor, she grew in power

She eliminated the emperor’s wife by accusing her of killing Wu’s newborn daughter

The emperor believed Wu The emperor married Wu

THE DEATH OF THE EMPEROR Within five years of marriage, the

emperor suffered a stroke Empress Wu took over the

administrative duties of the court, a position equal to emperor

The empress created a secret police force to spy on the opposition

She cruelly jailed or killed anyone who stood in her way

INCREASING POWER Wu managed to outflank her eldest sons

and moved her youngest and much weaker son into power

A CAMPAIGN TO ELEVATE WOMEN

To challenge Confucian beliefs -Wu began a campaign to elevate the

status of women1. Had scholars write biographies of

famous women2. Raised the position of her mother’s

clan by giving her relatives high political posts

3. Said that the ideal ruler was one who ruled like a mother does over her children

TO RULER OF CHINA In 690, Wu’s youngest son removed

himself from office Wu Zetian was declared emperor of

China In spite of her ruthless rise to power, her

reign was benign She found the best people she could to

govern China She treated those she trusted fairly

She reduced the size of the army She stopped the influence of aristocratic

military men on government Relying instead on scholars in

government Everyone had to compete for

government positions by taking exams

Fair to peasants Lowering oppressive taxes Raising agricultural production Strengthening public works

BELIEF SYSTEMS Placed Buddhism over Daoism as the

favored religion She invited the most gifted scholars to

China Built Buddhist temples and cave

sculptures Chinese Buddhism achieved its highest

development under the reign of Wu Zetian

IN OLD AGE Lessened the power of the secret police But increasingly superstitious and

fearful Sorcerers and corrupt court favorites

flattered her

Finally, in 705, she was pressured to give up the throne in favor of her of her third son, who was waiting all these years in the wings

Wu Zetian died peacefully at age eighty the same year

THEODORA-BYZANTINE EMPRESS Born into the lowest classes Her father was an animal trainer After his death, Theodora took the stage

as an actress to support the family The profession was considered

scandalous Being an actress was synonymous with

being a prostitute

MOVING UP But Theodora took every opportunity to

move up in a very rigid class system In 516, at the age of sixteen, Theodora

traveled to Alexandria, Egypt In Egypt, she discovered Monophysitism

Monophysitism was the belief that Jesus Christ was wholly divine

Theodora converted to Monophysitism Theodora renounced her former career

and lifestyle

JUSTINIAN Theodora met Justinian I in 522, who

was heir to the Byzantine throne Justinian wanted to wed Theodora

immediately But as heir, he was forbidden to marry

an actress, even a former one

Justinian had this law repealed the following year

The two were married in 525

THE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS Theodora and Justinian were known for

ruling as intellectual and political equals And Theodora was responsible for much

of the reformation of Byzantium In 528, construction began on the

Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy The basilica’s mosaic, completed in 548,

depicts both the emperor and empress participating in an imperial procession, signifying her equal role in ruling the empire

RELIGIOUS UNREST In 532, religion plagued the empire A conflict between two political and

religious groups, the Blues and Greens, began during a chariot race at the Hippodrome and quickly grew into what is known as the Nika Revolt

The revolt destroyed much of Constantinople

Many saw this as a chance to overthrow Justinian

Justinian wished to flee But Theodora spoke out, preferring to

die as a ruler than to be removed from power

Her courage prompted Justinian to send troops in to calm the rebels

REBUILDING CONSTANTINOPLE After quelling the revolt, Theodora and

Justinian confronted the destruction of important monuments in Constantinople, including the Hagia Sophia

The couple rebuilt the basilica, which was rededicated in 537

It was the largest church of the period and later became one of the greatest examples of Byzantine architecture

FIGHTING FOR THE PERSECUTED During her time as empress, Theodora

fought for the persecuted She attended to the rights of

prostitutes, particularly by closing brothels, creating protective safe houses, and passing laws to prohibit forced prostitution

In addition, she passed laws that expanded the rights of women in divorce cases and abolished a law that allowed women to be killed for committing adultery

Finally, she strove to protect the Monophysites

Building houses of worship that served as refuges

Theodora died in 548 But her influence was apparent in

Justinian’s subsequent rule Justinian sought to maintain the same

level of freedom for women, setting a precedent for women’s equality

He also fought for the Monophysites, despite his own conflicting orthodox beliefs

YES, PATRIARCHY But there are always exceptions