Wǔ Shìyuē (; 559–635 CE) was the father of

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...

, the only woman in the history of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

to assume the title of

Empress Regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reignin ...

. Posthumously honored with the title of King Zhongxiao, Wu was the son of Wu Hua and became a timber merchant. He was also known as the Duke of Ying and King of Wei serving as army commander of Yingyang Prefecture during the final years of

Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), also known as Emperor Ming of Sui () during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong, was the second emperor of ...

(r. 605–618 CE) and subsequently as Minister of Revenue and superintendent of Jingzhou City,

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

during the reign of

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

(r. 627–649 CE). Initially, Wu married a woman from the Xiangli family, who gave birth to two sons named Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang. Later he remarried a woman from the noble Yang family of the Hong Nong region. She was daughter, niece, and sister to several ministers and a close relation of the imperial family. By her, Wu had three daughters:

Wu Shun Wu Shun (武顺) (623-665, common era) was the Lady of Han during the Tang dynasty and the older sister of Wu Zetian. The Lady of Han was an honorable title for relatives of the Emperor and Empress. Wu Shun was allegedly the mother of Li Xian, t ...

(later the Lady of Han), Wu Zhao (Empress

) and the Lady of Guo. After Wu died in 635 CE, his two sons were rude to their stepmother; after Wu Zetian came to power, she banished her half-brothers from the imperial court. At the same time she named her sister Lady of Han's son Helan Minzhi as heir to her father. However, Wu Zetian became displeased with Helan Minzhi's conduct and sent him into exile where he died. Thereafter she recalled Wu Yuanshuang's son

Wu Chengsi Wu Chengsi ( Chinese: 武承嗣; Pinyin: Wǔ Chéngsì) (died July 22, 698), formally Prince Xuan of Wei (魏宣王), was a nephew of the Chinese sovereign Wu Zetian and an imperial prince of the Wu Zhou dynasty. He participated in her planning in ...

from exile and made him Wu Shiyue's successor. Posthumously, Wu Shiyue ("yue" being an alternate reading of 彠, and is considered to be the correct one) received the titles of Zhou Zhongxiao Emperor and Supreme Founding Emperor of the Southern Zhou Dynasty (690–705).

Family

*Furen, of the Xiangli clan (相里夫人) **Wu Yuanqing, Prince Xian of Liang (武元庆梁宪王), first son **Wu Yuanshuang, Prince De of Wei (武元爽魏德王), second son *Empress Xiaomingao, of the Yang clan (孝明高皇后) ** Wu Shun, Lady of Han (武顺韓國夫人), first daughter ***Married Helan Yueshi (賀蘭安石) and had issue (one son and one daughter Lady Helan) ** Wu Zetian, Empress Tang and Zhou (武則天), second daughter ***Married

Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

(李世民), the second son of

Li Yuan Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635, born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude) was the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-da ...

(李淵) ***Married

Li Zhi Li Zhi may refer to: *Emperor Gaozong of Tang (628–683), named Li Zhi, Emperor of China *Li Ye (mathematician) (1192–1279), Chinese mathematician and scholar, birth name Li Zhi *Li Zhi (philosopher) (1527–1602), Chinese philosopher from the M ...

(李治), the ninth son of

(李世民), and had issue (four sons and two daughter) **Lady Wu, Lady of Guo (郭孝慎), third daughter ***

Sources

''This article is based on a translation of

Chinese Wikipedia The Chinese Wikipedia () is the written vernacular Chinese (a form of Mandarin Chinese) edition of Wikipedia. It is run by the Wikimedia Foundation. Started on 11 May 2001, the Chinese Wikipedia currently has articles and registered users, o ...

.''

Notes

:a: :b: :c: :d: :e: :f: :g: :h: :i: :j: :k: :l: :m: :n: :o: :p: :q: :r: :s: {{zh, t=南周太祖無上孝明高皇帝, s=南周太祖无上孝明高皇帝, p=Nán Zhōu Tàizǔ Wú Shàng Xiào Míng Gāo Huángdì Tang dynasty politicians Tang dynasty generals Sui dynasty politicians 559 births 635 deaths Political office-holders in Hubei