WuZetian(17February624–16December705)，personalnameWuZhaooftenreferredtoasTianHouduringtheTangDynastyandEmpressConsortWuinlatertimes,wastheonlywomaninthehistoryofChinatoassumethetitleofEmpressRegnant.AsdefactorulerofChinafirstthroughherhu***andandhersonsfrom665to690,notunprecedentedinChinesehistory,shethenbrokeallprecedentswhenshefoundedherowndynastyin690,theZhou(interruptingtheTangDynasty),andruledpersonallyunderthenameSacredandDivineEmpressRegnantandvariationsthereoffrom690to705.Herriseandreignha***eencriticizedharshlybyConfucianhistorian***utha***eenviewedinadifferentlightafterthe1950s.
Titlescarried,inchronologicalorder：
LadyWu(maidenstyle)624-637
Cairen(才人)(15thrankedimperialconsort)637-649
Zhaoyi(昭仪)(Fourthrankedimperialconsort)650?-655
Empress(Huanghou(皇后))655-683
AlsoknownasTianhou(天后)674-683
Empressdowager(HuangTaihou(皇太后))683-690
AlsoknownasShengmuShenhuang(圣母神皇)688-690
Emperor(Huangdi(皇帝))690-705
ShengshenHuangdi(圣神皇帝)690-693
JinlunShengshenHuangdi(金轮圣神皇帝)693-694
YueguJinlunShengshenHuangdi(越古金轮圣神皇帝)694-695
JinlunShengshenHuangdi695
TianceJinlunDashengHuangdi695-705
ZetianDashengHuangdi(则天大圣皇帝)705
Posthumousempresstitles
ZetianDashengHuanghou(则天大圣皇后)705-710
Tianhou(天后)710
DashengTianhou(大圣天后)710-712
TianhouShengdi(天后圣帝)712
Shenghou(圣后)712-716
ZetianHuanghou(则天皇后)716-749
ZetianShunshengHuanghou(则天顺圣皇后)(finalversion)
