POLITICIAN

Wu Zetian

624 - 705

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Icon of person Wu Zetian

Empress Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), commonly known as Wu Zetian, personal name Wu Zhao, was the empress regnant (huangdi, 皇帝) and only ruler of the (Wu) Zhou dynasty from 690 to 705. She had previously held power as the second wife and empress consort of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty from 660 to 683 and as empress dowager during the reigns of her sons Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong of Tang between 683 and 690, holding de facto power during these periods. She was the only female sovereign in the history of China who is widely regarded as legitimate. Modern scholarship has re-examined Wu Zetian's rule beyond traditional portrayals of manipulation and cruelty. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in 66 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 64 in 2024). Wu Zetian is the 285th most popular politician (down from 270th in 2024), the 19th most popular biography from China (down from 18th in 2019) and the 9th most popular Chinese Politician.

Wu Zetian is most famous for being the only woman in Chinese history to rule China.

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Among POLITICIANS

Among politicians, Wu Zetian ranks 285 out of 19,576. Before her are Louis Philippe I, Reinhard Heydrich, Charles I of Austria, Darius III, Demosthenes, and Louis XII of France. After her are Henry II of France, Ferdinand I of Austria, Babur, António de Oliveira Salazar, Antoninus Pius, and Tomyris.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 624, Wu Zetian ranks 1. After her are Hasan ibn Ali, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, Yazdegerd III, and Adomnán. Among people deceased in 705, Wu Zetian ranks 1. After her are Leontios, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Tiberius III, Pope John VI, Lambert of Maastricht, Alpaida, and Aldfrith of Northumbria.

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In China

Among people born in China, Wu Zetian ranks 19 out of 1,610. Before her are 14th Dalai Lama (1935), Xi Jinping (1953), Sun Yat-sen (1866), Deng Xiaoping (1904), Du Fu (712), and Ip Man (1893). After her are Zhuang Zhou (-369), Hu Jintao (1942), Zhu Xi (1130), Empress Dowager Cixi (1835), Cao Cao (155), and Temür Khan (1265).

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Among POLITICIANS In China

Among politicians born in China, Wu Zetian ranks 9. Before her are Huang Xianfan (1899), Mao Zedong (1893), Puyi (1906), Xi Jinping (1953), Sun Yat-sen (1866), and Deng Xiaoping (1904). After her are Hu Jintao (1942), Empress Dowager Cixi (1835), Temür Khan (1265), Toghon Temür (1320), Qianlong Emperor (1711), and Kanishka (78).

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