武

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Wu Hou武后

TangHistory × Fiction

She destroyed the royal house and secretly usurped the throne.

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DIRECT FIGURES
23
RELATION RECORDS
30
SOURCE WORKS
3

RELATIONSHIP COMPASS

Wu Hou, and the people around them.

Open one chapter at a time. Each chapter gives the relationship first, then the source text behind it.

01
KINSHIP

Kinship

Blood, marriage and sworn bonds

4 figures · 4 records
1 more in the complete record
02
ALLEGIANCE

Allegiance

Rulers, appointments and allegiance

9 figures · 11 records
6 more in the complete record
03
CONFLICT

Conflict

Battles, captures and defeat

10 figures · 12 records
7 more in the complete record
04
THE UNSEEN

Mythic acts

Transformation, aid and divine punishment

3 figures · 3 records
Complete relationships and verbatim sources ↓Open in the civilization atlas ↗

12 key relationships are shown here. The complete record remains below.

In history · Old Book of Tang

She destroyed the royal house and secretly usurped the throne. She established ancestral temples for Gaozu, Taizong, and Gaozong in the Eastern Capital, then moved the temples to Chang'an. She made Luoyang the Divine Capital, constructed palaces and government offices, and changed the official designations.

In fiction · New Book of Tang · Romance of Sui and Tang

She was the reincarnation of Li Fu and slaughtered the descendants of the Tang family.

Across source works

How this figure changes across texts

Works are shown side by side, not as a chronology. No influence between texts is inferred.

  1. Official history

    Old Book of Tang

    5 profile notes
    4 relations4 verified quotations
    • Emperor Zhongzong of Tang→ move temple →Wu Hou
    • Wu Hou→ remove lord keep temple →Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
    • Wu Hou→ grandmother →Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
    • Yan Zhenqing→ discuss tablet →Wu Hou
    Verified original text · 4
    1. 移武氏庙于长安

      move temple · Old Book of Tang, 礼仪志六

    2. 中宗去其主而存其庙

      remove lord keep temple · Old Book of Tang, 礼仪志六

    2 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

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  2. Literature / legend

    Romance of Sui and Tang

    1 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

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  3. Official history

    New Book of Tang

    54 profile notes
    26 relations25 verified quotations
    • Emperor Gaozong of Tang→ spouse →Wu Hou
    • Zhang Yue→ countermeasure →Wu Hou
    • Wu Hou→ hostile →Zhangsun Wuji
    • Emperor Ruizong→ mother-son →Wu Hou
    Verified original text · 25
    1. 亦会武后苦邀

      spouse · New Book of Tang, 东夷传

    2. 以太穆皇后、文德皇后配，而以皇后武氏为亚献

      empress · New Book of Tang, 礼乐志四

    23 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

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History vs. fiction

In the official history, Wu Zetian succeeded the Tang dynasty and established the Zhou dynasty, dying a natural death, while in the novel's final chapter, she is subjected to divine punishment in the underworld, with exaggerated supernatural retribution.

  • novel inventionAfter her death, Wu Zetian fell into the Avici Hell and was punished.

    According to the Old Book of Tang, Annals of Empress Zetian, Wu Zetian abdicated to Emperor Zhongzong in the first year of Shenlong and 'died in the Xianju Hall of Shangyang Palace at the age of eighty-three,' ending her natural life. However, in the 100th chapter of Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, following the Buddhist concept of karma, it is said through the mouth of an immortal that Empress Wu, 'being licentious and cruel, committing too many sins, has now, together with Empress Wei, Princess Taiping, Princess Anle, and those treacherous ministers and cruel officials, all fallen into the Avici Hell, never to be reborn.' This is purely a supernatural fabrication of the novel.

Relationship network

24 figures · 98 links
Wu HouWu HouEmperor Gaozong of TangEmperor Gaozong of TangEmperor Zhongzong of TangEmperor Zhongzong of TangZhang YueZhang YueYan ZhenqingYan ZhenqingZhangsun WujiZhangsun WujiEmperor RuizongEmperor RuizongPrincess TaipingPrincess TaipingLai JunchenLai JunchenChu SuiliangChu SuiliangXu JingzongXu JingzongLi YifuLi QiaoHuan YanfanLiu RenguiZhou XingZhang JianzhiCen XiWei AnshiPei YanLi ZhaodeLi DuozuoHao ChujunShang Guan Yi
historyliteraturedual
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Sources: New Book of Tang, 东夷传; Old Book of Tang, 太宗诸子传; Romance of Sui and Tang, 100; New Book of Tang, 二刘殷许程柴任丘传; Old Book of Tang, 礼仪志六; New Book of Tang, 二王韦陆二李杜传; Old Book of Tang, 音乐志二; New Book of Tang, 五王传

This page was extracted from classical texts with AI assistance and revised; errors remain possible. Spotted a mistake? Tell us →

Compiled with AI assistance from public-domain texts; for cultural reference. Mythological accounts vary — corrections welcome.