#92 - Tang 10: Sage Mother, Divine Sovereign

The History of China

Chris Stewart

History

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 March 2016

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

A white stone bearing a prophecy tells of an era of eternal prosperity, a disastrous rebellion spells the doom of the majority of the imperial Li Clan, an obscure sutra tells of the reincarnation of a goddess to rule over the world, the written word itself is altered to fit the times… all of these are will fit together today to explain how and why the 66-year-old Empress Dowager of Tang will manage to become the first and only woman Emperor of China in the year 690. Time Period Covered: 689-693 Major Historical Figures: Empress-Regnant Wu Zhao of Zhou, Sage Mother, Divine Sovereign, Maitreya the Peerless [r. 690-705] Li Dan (Emperor Ruizong of Tang) [r. 689-690] Chancellor Li Zhaode Chancellor Ji Xu Heir-Expectant Wu Chengsi Prince Li Chuan of Dengzhou [d. 689] Prince Li Cheng [d. 689] Prince Li Chen [d. 689] High Inquisitor Lai Junchen An Jingcan (he has guts) Major Works Cited: Guisso, Richard W. L. “The Reigns of the empress Wu, Chung-tsung and Jui-tsung (684-712)” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3. Chen, Jinhua. “Sarira and Scepter. Empress Wu’s Political Use of Buddhist Relics” in the Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, vol. 25 No. 1-2 (2002). Kory, Stephen N. “The Remarkably Resonant and Resilient Tang Dynasty Augural Stone” in Tang Studies, 26 (2008). Liu, Xiu. Jiu Tangshu.Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 206. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	You're listening to an airwave media podcast.
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0:26.0	That's a lot to love for just 99 pounds RRP, the new Galaxy Bud Zefee by now at Samsung.com. Hello and welcome to the history of China.
0:47.0	Episode 92, Sage Mother, Divine Sovereign.
0:58.1	Last episode, we left Empress Wu and her Tongue Empire in the midst of a thorough purge of its officialdom.
1:00.0	This period, though bloody and terrifying, had left the Empress in a position of nearly limitless power and effective impunity,
1:07.0	since just about anyone that had been suspected of harboring thoughts of disloyalty towards her reign had up and well disappeared.
1:14.8	Even, perhaps especially, her son the sovereign knew better than to stand in mommy dearest's
1:19.7	way, and so when she had offered him back his imperial power in early 686, he had done little more than to back away slowly and shake his head.
1:30.0	Well, today we are going to watch Wu Jao finally carry the ball into the end zone and make herself China's first and only female emperor.
1:39.0	Wait, did I just call her emperor?
1:42.0	Yes, indeed I did.
1:44.0	And that does merit a bit of an explanation, don't you think?
1:48.0	The title of sovereignty that we commonly translate into Emperor in English
1:52.0	is, as you may recall, Huang Di.
1:55.0	But we translate it to Emperor more for convenience sake than pure accuracy.
2:00.0	As with much of the Chinese language, Huangdi is a genderless term meaning most closely divine sovereign,
2:07.0	so it can, theoretically, and in practice once, be applied to either sex.
2:14.0	Why not just keep using the title of Empress though?
	...

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