Empress Wu (武后) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Empress Wu as a consort, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 13 passages from 9 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Empress Wu	武后	Wu Hou
Title	Empress Wu	武后	Wu Hou
Title	Empress Wu	武後	Wu Hou
Title	Empress Wu	武后	Wǔ Hòu
Personal name	Empress Wu	武后
Title	Empress Wu	武后
Title	Empress Wu	武後	Wu hou
Title	Empress Wu	武後
Surname	Wu	武	Wǔ
Surname	Wu	武	Wu

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Female

Sex: female
Explicit · liaoshi:054:s0092, songshi:110:s0036, xintangshu:020:s0099, xintangshu:022:s0063, xintangshu:022:s0153, xintangshu:044:s0085, xintangshu:045:s0127, xintangshu:051:s0093, xintangshu:161:s0020
Sex: female
Strongly inferred · xintangshu:121:s0043

Roles

Consort
Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 上元元年 · Western Year: AD 674
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0099
Source Date: Text: 唐武後之世 · Western Interval: Start: AD 690 · End: AD 705
Explicit · songshi:110:s0036
Source Date: Text: 大足元年 · Western Year: AD 701
Explicit · xintangshu:121:s0231
Source Date: Text: 天授 · Western Year: AD 690
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0063, xintangshu:022:s0064
Source Date: Text: 武后 · Western Interval: Start: AD 690 · End: AD 705
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0153
Source Date: Text: 武后之亂 · Western Interval: Start: AD 690 · End: AD 705
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0085
Source Date: Text: 武后時 · Western Interval: Start: AD 690 · End: AD 705
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0127
Source Date: Text: 武后毀唐宗廟 · Western Year: AD 690
Strongly inferred · liaoshi:054:s0092
Source Date: Text: 武後之亂 · Western Interval: Start: AD 684 · End: AD 705
Strongly inferred · xintangshu:051:s0093
Source Date: Text: 武後時 · Western Interval: Start: AD 690 · End: AD 705
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:121:s0043, xintangshu:161:s0020
Source Date: Text: 長安二年 · Western Year: AD 702
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0223, xintangshu:045:s0130

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Spouse of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (高宗)
Kinship Term: empress / 后 · Union Category: primary-marriage · Subject Role: wife · Object Role: husband

Career and standing

Title: Empress / 后 · Action: held
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0099

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Strongly inferred · xintangshu:045:s0127
Polity: Tang / 唐 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0153, xintangshu:044:s0085
Polity: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0099, xintangshu:051:s0093

Works and attributed material

Work: Bird Song of Ten Thousand Years / 鳥歌萬歲樂 · Relation: author
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0063
Work: Heaven-Bestowed Music / 天授樂 · Relation: author
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0063
Kind: petition · Role: author · Provenance: Mode: quotation · Speaker Person Id: Empress Wu (武后)
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0099

Events and relationships

Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: abolished-name-sealed-exams
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0128
Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: advanced-many-graduates
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0129, xintangshu:045:s0130, xintangshu:045:s0131
Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: altered-institutions
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0085
Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: caused-turmoil
Explicit · xintangshu:051:s0093
Kind: political · Role: actor · Action: destroyed-tang-ancestral-temple
Explicit · liaoshi:054:s0092
Kind: administrative · Role: issuer · Action: established-military-examination
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0222, xintangshu:044:s0223
Kind: political · Role: petitioner · Action: petitioned-three-year-mourning-for-mother · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 上元元年 · Western Year: AD 674
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0099

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: catastrophe · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0153
Assessment: institutions ruined; people could not bear the harm · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · xintangshu:051:s0093
Assessment: sought popular support by advancing scholars regardless of worth · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0129

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0099, xintangshu:044:s0085, xintangshu:045:s0127, xintangshu:051:s0093

References in the histories

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History of Liao, Chapter 54Volume 54 Treatises 24: Music · 1 passage

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武后毀唐宗廟，《七德》、《九功》樂舞遂亡，自後宗廟用隋《文》、《武》二舞。 When Empress Wu destroyed the Tang ancestral temple, the Seven Virtues and Nine Achievements dances were lost; thereafter the ancestral temple used the Sui Civil and Military dances.

History of Song, Chapter 110Volume 110 Treatises 63: Rites 13 · 1 passage

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先是，翰林學士司馬光言：“尊號起唐武後、中宗之世，遂為故事。 Earlier, Hanlin Academician Sima Guang had written: "Honorific titles began in the reigns of Empress Wu and Emperor Zhongzong of Tang and thereafter became precedent.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 20Volume 20 Treatises 10: Rites and Music 10 · 1 passage

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上元元年，武后請「父在，服母三年」。 In Shangyuan 1, Empress Wu petitioned: "While the father lives, mourn the mother three years."

New Book of Tang, Chapter 22Volume 22 Treatises 12: Rites and Music 12 · 2 passages

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武后之禍，繼以中宗昏亂，固無足言者。 The catastrophe of Empress Wu and Zhongzong's benighted reign scarcely need be discussed.

《天授》、《鳥歌》，皆武后作也。 Heaven-Bestowed and Bird Song both came from Empress Wu.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 44Volume 44 Treatises 39: Selecting and Appointing Officials 1 · 2 passages

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武后之亂，改易舊制頗多。 During Empress Wu's reign, many longstanding institutions were altered.

其外，又有武舉，蓋其起于武后之時。 Beyond these, there was also the military examination, which originated in the time of Empress Wu.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 45Volume 45 Treatises 40: Selecting and Appointing Officials 2 · 2 passages

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至武后時，天官侍郎魏玄同深嫉之，因請復古辟署之法，不報。 Under Empress Wu, Vice Minister Wei Xuantong deplored this and asked to restore ancient prefectural recruitment, but was not heeded.

初，試選人皆糊名，令學士考判，武后以為非委任之方，罷之。 At first exam papers were sealed and graded by academicians; Empress Wu thought that was not true appointment and ended the practice.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 51Volume 51 Treatises 47: Finance and Economics 1 · 1 passage

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加以武後之亂，紀綱大壞，民不勝其毒。 Then came Empress Wu's turmoil: law and order collapsed, and the people could not endure the burden.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 121Volume 121 Biographies 46: Liu, Zhong, Cui, and the Two Kings · 2 passages

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武後時署諸宮殿、明堂及銘九鼎，皆其筆也。 Under Empress Wu he wrote the inscriptions for the palaces, the Bright Hall, and the Nine Cauldrons.

大足元年，武後幸長安，陜州刺史宗楚客委以頓峙，饋獻豐甘，稱過賓使者。 In Dazu 1, when Empress Wu visited Chang'an, Zong Chuke, prefect of Shan, put him in charge of provisioning the imperial progress; he supplied rich delicacies and surpassed the envoys of passing guests.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 161Volume 161 Biographies 86: Zhang, Zhao, Li, Zheng, Xu, Wang, Feng, Yu · 1 passage

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武後時，中人馬仙童陷默啜，問：「文成在否？」 During Empress Wu's reign, the eunuch Ma Xiantong was captured by Mohechuo, who asked, "Is Wencheng still alive?"