Wu Zetian: Making an Emperor in Tang China
100 Lives That Shaped the World · Episode 16
- Historical Biographies
- 42 min
- Ages 12–99
- 10 chapters
About this audiobook
A biography of Wu Zetian from palace consort to political partner, regent, and founder of the Zhou dynasty, examining administration, Buddhist legitimation, coercion, and hostile later histories.
Why it's worth a listen
It treats gendered reputation as a source problem without excusing political violence or turning a complex imperial reign into either villain story or modern empowerment fable.
A question to keep
How did Wu Zetian build and justify power, and how much of her reputation reflects later hostile histories?
Chapters
- The Monument Without an Inscription
- A Young Woman in the Tang Palace
- Empress and Political Partner
- Mother of Emperors, Ruler as Regent
- Founding the Zhou Dynasty
- Officials, Examinations, and New Loyalties
- Buddhism and the Language of Legitimacy
- Informers, Purges, and Imperial Fear
- Borders, Revenue, and Ordinary Lives
- A Reign Returned to the Tang