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Wu Zetian: Hated by Gods and Men - Chinese History - Part 1
🕑 Added 2023-12-29 18:30:05 +0000 UTCEmpress Wu Zetian, was a formidable figure in 7th-century China who defied societal norms and ascended from a teenage concubine to become the only woman in Chinese history to rule under her own name. This extraordinary woman navigated through the intricate dynamics of the imperial court and played a pivotal role in the Tang Dynasty's golden age. Her administrative reforms and patronage of Buddhism left an indelible mark on China's history. However, her unprecedented rise faced vehement opposition from Confucian scholars, who depicted her as a treacherous manipulator through tales of sex, assassination, and political massacres. Unravel the complexities of Wu Zetian's life, exploring the intrigues of power and challenging biased historical narratives.
Did we get something wrong in our "Wu Zetian" video? Is there a particular character you want to hear more about? Feel free to ask our Extra History writer Rob in the comments below and get a shout-out in our Extra History Lies Episode!
Did you miss an Episode in our Wu Zetian Series?
Part 1 - Hated by Gods & Men | Part 2 - Release Date: 1/6 I Part 3 - Release Date: 1/13 I Part 4 - Release Date: 1/20 I Part 5 - Release Date: 1/27 I Lies - Release Date: 2/10
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Comments
Michael Truscott
Also I don’t know if I am in the right place to ask questions for the lies episode, I hope I am or else this is going to be very awkward. So sorry if I’m not supposed to ask questions here.
Michael Truscott
Question for Rob: When Wu was starting to rise to power, did other people in the haram become her friend or did they absolutely despise her?
Martin Verran
Speaking as a younger sibling, I can tell you exactly what an argument between Confucius and myself would have gone like: "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? My older siblings are as mad as march hares! There's no way I'm differing control to them!"
Aaron Neumann
... one thing about Chinese History is that ~99.95% of it is written by the followers of Confucius. So, if you piss them off (like the only Qin Dynasty Emperor who went after them like the Romans did to Christianity), you'll get written extremely horribly (the only reason we know what happened was because the Qin Dynasty's core philosophical principles were of the Chinese Legalists, and they were just as writing-happy as the Confucius's followers).
Aaron Neumann
... Confucianism is a topic in its own right, especially since it was only recently that we managed to find scholar-level of the various Confucius texts to analyze from someone looking into the philosophy.
chromicacid
Starting it off by saying that the history was written by people who didn't like her? Interesting. I look forward to hearing how you worked out the reliable sources.
PhlubbaDubba
People are obviously inclined to compare her to Cleopatra and Hapshetsut and other famous Queens/Empresses Regnant, but the description of her achievements sound a lot more like those of Constantine, particularly relating to each being a major spreader of a new religion into their respective empires.
Brian Rose
Taizong could honestly get his own stand-alone episode; the founding of the Tang Dynasty was that interesting, and the things he did differently as Emperor had massive impact on subsequent Chinese history.
Martin Verran
Sid Meier's Civilization V references are inevitable in this series!
Carbon Green
wooo!
