Empress Wu Zetian is a very controversial figure because of her rise to power. The way Chinese history has portrayed her as a evil, viscious, cunning and power hungry woman is because of the toxic patriarchy of society. But take note that it wasn't easy surviving in the imperial harem. She broke glass ceilings and proved to the world that women can rule the same with Elizabeth I, Jadwicka of Poland, Maria Theresa of Austria and Catherine the Great.

@graceneilitz7661

8 ай бұрын

True, Wu Zetian wasn’t any different from other Chinese emperors. Also, Elizabeth 1 didn’t have to prove that a woman could rule, as she had inherited her throne from her older sister, from whom Elizabeth got many of her ideas. (But, obviously not religion.)

@jaciriley123

8 ай бұрын

Queen Elizabeth I has also been painted in a not so favorable light throughout history it's only in more recent times that she has been recognized as a great ruler, many rumors and speculation surrounding her and her rule where perpetuated for years such as she was a hermaphrodite, a man, a witch, a whore, a lesbian and mother to many illegitimate children. When in reality she was a very intelligent woman who made many changes for the better.

@nalalin8835

7 ай бұрын

Is any woman who rose to power in China NOT portrayed as evil? Confucianism itself is misogynistic as hell to the point that it does not consider women human, so one could think based on those 'values' what a woman in power would mean for a society that is based on those values.

@cats4468

6 ай бұрын

​@@graceneilitz7661yeah, it felt like Mary was the one trying to prove that a woman could rule. I read somewhere that her mother Catherine of Aaragon was the one who brought the culture of ruling queens to England. Mary was the one who practised this culture, even ensuring the act for regal power that female rulers should be treated equally as their male counterparts. She made sure philip of spain stays out of her business and her kingdom. She clearly had many ideas for her kingdom, but not enough time to execute her ideas. She basically paved the way for her sister. Not to mention, she was the one who gave her younger sister the motherly love that was denied from her by their father. And that motherly love clearly made Elizabeth the strong woman that she became. Because of Mary, Elizabeth never had to prove anything to anyone, she can just do her own thing. Nobody seems to acknowledge this but if it were not for Catherine or Mary, Elizabeth may not be who she was. If it were not for her sister, Elizabeth would not have learnt many things and garnered many important ideas that made her as she was. It is just too bad that everybody had pit the sisters against each other. They can both be amazing queens, but everybody either ridicules Mary to bring up Elizabeth, or the other way around. No doubt Elizabeth's achievements were her own, but nobody should deny that she had help from many important factors along the way to make her life and job so much easier.

@cyantaiiiiii

2 ай бұрын

In comparison to Europe female ruler,what Wu Zetian has done is way difficult.Because in ancient China only sons have the right to inherit ,even if the whole royal family don’t have any male heir ,they would give the right to another male out of the family .So what she has done to reach this position is incredibly hard to imagine,in the whole Chinese history,she is only the one female who has the right and also the title as true empress ❤

as an asian viewer i really appreciate when you showcase our history! thank you for another delectable video lindsay!

@wasifabul2545

8 ай бұрын

As a southern Asian Do you have the slightest idea how little saying Asian narrows down your nationality

@Loyaltoafault210

8 ай бұрын

@@wasifabul2545why?

@wasifabul2545

8 ай бұрын

@@Loyaltoafault210 Look Asian means you could be from anywhere between Siberia and Indonesia where are you from

@Loyaltoafault210

8 ай бұрын

@@wasifabul2545 I understand what “Asian” is. 😂 I understand the different nationalities, cultures, etc within a generalized race. Just like “European”, “American”, “Spanish”. I was just curious if it was like a standard thing to state where at in Asia you are from when you comment about Asian history in general. So like for example; Americans wouldn’t say “I am an American from Miami, Florida if they are speaking in terms of American history in general”. While yes that state has its own culture, historical events, even nickname, etc and is in the state within America, they wouldn’t say “As an American viewer I appreciate you showcasing our history” when they were referring to American history in general. So I am always curious about other cultures and such (why I am watching this video) so I was just curious if that was a standard practice because there are so many different countries, cultures, etc for one nationality so to speak. In this case Asian. Thanks.

@wasifabul2545

8 ай бұрын

@@Loyaltoafault210 hey you just explained the reason why races are particularly useless as well as scientifically impossible

Wu Zetian was a one hell of a woman to do what she did! She knew what she wanted ans got it! 👸👸👸👸👸👸

@susannahdyro4845

8 ай бұрын

I agree with you 😊

Yessss! As a proud Korean woman, I love any mention of Korean history, it's FASCINATING and nowhere near enough people know about it.

@charitymudau3495

8 ай бұрын

I love the korean history it is very interesting. I watch historical dramas, watch videos about him and also reading about it on Google.

@mmochaaxoxo

Ай бұрын

Wait what? These are Chinese concubines no?

@KushLemon

Ай бұрын

"Thomas".

@christinethomas4252

20 күн бұрын

@@KushLemon Gasp, it's almost as is I married a white man and use his last name now.

Most of the chronicles about Wu Zetian were composed during the Song dynasty, which came a century after the Wu Zetian. Unlike the early Tang emperors like Wu who promoted Buddhism, the late Tang emperors actively purged Buddhists out of the country for economic & xenophobic reasons. The Song emperors patronized Confucianism, whose scholars didn't approve of Buddhism & women wielding power. So the Song-era Confucianist chroniclers account of the Buddhist Wu is expected to be filled with bias & negativity.

@SmileDipHigh

Ай бұрын

very enlightening comment thank you !

I love hearing about Wu Zetian! She sounds so complex and interesting. Thank You Lindsay!🩷

Great video!Wu Zetian' s life is sooo interesting,she basically did what nobody did before AND after her!The only female Emperor of China that ruled legitimately, not as an empress dowager!Xiran Jay Zhao on youtube has an awesome 2-part video for her for anyone interested to learn more!

@heathermason9311

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the recommendation!

@absolutecreature7217

8 ай бұрын

Xiran Jay Zhao’s videos on her slap

@absolutecreature7217

8 ай бұрын

Actually their whole channel is a goldmine for Chinese history and culture :)

@heathermason9311

8 ай бұрын

@@absolutecreature7217 I’ve spent the last 4 hours watching all of her videos!!! Such a find!!! She’s awesome!!

Brother: Appoint the 7 year old, we can control him 7 year old: I may be young, but I see through your lies. Dispose of him! Brother: *Surprised Pikachu face*

@capnnanicakes5937

29 күн бұрын

No this 😂 when they said they picked a 7 year old and he called him out im like ya aint know kids talk alot and they dont lie 😂

@ladylunaginaofgames40

29 күн бұрын

@capnnanicakes5937 most people pick young emperors cus they assume "Kids wouldn't be smart enough to rebel and let you do all the work", so his logic make sense at the time

@capnnanicakes5937

29 күн бұрын

@@ladylunaginaofgames40 i get that i just thought it was funny . Cause like yea most kids wouldnt have figure out the power play at that age but the fact he did and just told EVERYONE is so on brand for a 7 year old 😂 like when they find out a lil bit of they family business but now the whole block know

Empress Liang Na was born 116 not 106. Great video as always. As someone that is obsessed with the Chinese and Korean History I am so glad you did this video although all know all these empresses it’s good it be reminded of their stories again. Was hoping you also talk about Empress Zhao better known to history as Zhao Feiyan, her story is very fascinating.

You manage to pack SO much information into short videos. It’s incredible! Keep doing what you do Lindsay! You're the best at it

@cw7147

8 ай бұрын

Where did those emojis come from 😯👀

@andypham1636

8 ай бұрын

most these videos are long

What about the Step-Empress? I know there isn’t much know about her but she was a concubine before she was empress.

@soheesweetheart

8 ай бұрын

She is probably unbeknownst to Lindsey. But Empress Nara would be a good honorable mention, being that her history is mostly unknown.

@tburrrg2502

8 ай бұрын

We need a step empress Nara video!!

@user-ke9ih6si7d

8 ай бұрын

but she didn't have actual power

@minerva8906

2 ай бұрын

@@user-ke9ih6si7dwell its about Empresses, Cixi is different as she’s a Dowager

@emilybarclay8831

24 күн бұрын

The majority of information about her life was wiped from the historical record

After watching the Chinese drama Ruyi's Royal Love at the Palace, I wouldn't mind a dive into the Nara clan or the concubines and consorts of the Qing Dynasty. It seemed so full of drama to be part of those women that wanted the emperor's love.

@anye76

8 ай бұрын

Wasn't that a great drama? So good!😊

@crazieanimefan1

8 ай бұрын

@@anye76 YES! I could watch it on repeat, as it's that good. I didn't see the series yet before it, the one of the Dowager Empress's life, but it's on my list.

@deborahsojourner6755

8 ай бұрын

Yes, please!

@blahblahblahblah729

8 ай бұрын

If you liked Royal Love, you should definetly watch Empresses in the Palace, it's like a prequel for Ruyi's story

@crazieanimefan1

8 ай бұрын

@@blahblahblahblah729 That's the one I have yet to watch. I'm gonna get to it though.

Thanks for turning your insight and research to a part of the world and time periods I am truly woefully ignorant of. I'm so grateful you put these together for us! Also- around minutes 14-17 with the Empress and her legacy of a blank plinth makes me think of the Egyptians and their female ruler. So much fear.

It was recorded that Cixi said publically that she was superior to Queen Victoria of England in wealth

@KawaiiStars

8 ай бұрын

she might be right since the victorians had quite the interest in chinese goods

@nalalin8835

7 ай бұрын

She had the bigger continuous land empire while Queen Victoria was stuck on an island. Cixi wins.

@conho4898

7 ай бұрын

@@nalalin8835 well Cixi's empire collapsed so....

@KawaiiStars

7 ай бұрын

@@conho4898 china has more of its kingdom than uk has now so cixi wins

Thats crazy that tradition on when crown prince is assumed their mother is killed that shouldn't have existed because a mother is a great advisor

@monkaibrown1699

8 ай бұрын

throughout history however, many empress dowagers would prove themselves to be corrupt and would cause the downfall of the empire (empress hu is an example of this)

as a chinese woman, i love the feminist tone of your channel & the ASIAN REPRESENTATION!! thanks for showcasing diverse cultures lindsay!

This is amazing! Honestly for China, you can also do a video on women who became powerful regents. A lot of Chinese empress regents were so powerful they were called crownless regnants! One example is Empress Lu, who was the originator of the punishment of cutting off limps and drowned in wine, which Wu Zetian learned later.

Also, yesterday was a somber day, sending love to all who lost someone on that terrible day❤️

There is nothing more relaxing than listening to the wondrous and education voice of Miss Lindsay while eating subway. 😊

So glad you are covering other royalties👏👏

YESSS CHINESE EMPRESSES ARE FINALLY HERE! Thank you for the informative and great video Lindsay! You never fail to impress ❤❤🎉🎉

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS!! Thank you Lindsay! Wu Zetian is one of my favorites!

Thank you for this amazing video Lindsay!

It’s the vid I’ve been waiting for! Hooray! I’m gonna watch it again!

Thank you for this video Lindsay it was so good. Maybe you can do a video on the emperors of china from the beginning of the empire to the end of it. Like what you’ve done with British and Scottish Monarchs.

@GirlofSteeleBFFs

8 ай бұрын

That’s a great idea

@absolutecreature7217

8 ай бұрын

Great idea

@sylviaamanitamirkwood9082

8 ай бұрын

It would be ten hours long though

@phillipsesate1364

8 ай бұрын

@@sylviaamanitamirkwood9082 not if she splits it up like she normally does

I LOVE this type of content from you. Literally my favorite ❤

I love the global scope of this channel. and Thank you Lindsay! Wu Zetian is my all time favorite and the greatest!!!!!

Very excited to see this content. I have read all that I can obtain on the life of Empress Wu. So happy that you showcased a view into Asian history.

Getting rocked by a gang of eunuchs is such a baller move i’m ngl

I think each of these incredible ladies deserve a full video!!! I smell a new playlist!!!! Lol

More vids like this please! Love your content

I love you I love you I love you!! I was bored out of my head and bored with everything on YT and this notification popped up🥰

one of my favorite history topics!

happy to see this video!

Every time I see that you’ve uploaded a video, it brightens my whole day 😁 thank you for such amazing content as always Lindsay!! 😊❤️

I love your videos!! Maybe you can also do a video of Concubines and Consorts how became Empress Dowagers❤️

Love your work covering diverse history across the world! I’m Chinese and I love seeing other people learn about, and teach, Chinese history to others!

This was awesome! Please consider doing an episode on Korean royalty too.

I had a great time learning about other Chinese empresses! ❤👑❤ Wu Zetian's life in particular is remarkable! It's a shame that she has only recently been seen in a more favorable light. Now I'm eager to learn about other Asian queens and empresses! 👑 Asia as a whole just seems so beautiful and exotic! ❤

I usually judge videos on information and the voice of the presenter. And Lindsay you always have both, didn’t know so many concubines were able mto finesse the system to rise up! 🥴🥶💕

another excellent documentary!, Lindsay🌺🌺🌺

I think you should do the governors of Australia because I haven’t heard anything about my home country yet.

That one empress who reassigned the violent governor is the equivalent of the US Military’s problem of reassigning sexual criminals to other bases.

Fun fact : not only cixi grave was robbed but the longest living emperor grave was also Robbed and the person behind all of this is the warlord su din yin and his minion

YESSSSS I love this video

Cixi Is pronounced (cersi) and I was hoping that you would do a deep dive about her and her life and time as dowager it's really interesting how she helped facilitate the downfall of imperial china I really hope you talk about her again in the future

@nalalin8835

7 ай бұрын

Cixi is definitely NOT pronounced as Cersi, Game of Throne fans are NUTS.

@bananahat3350

6 ай бұрын

Yes I’d love to see a whole video on Cixi! She has such a complex and influential legacy that essentially sets up the prelude to modern China.

@stephenferguson9756

4 ай бұрын

The Earth Queen from the Legend of Korra is based off her.

I love the global scope of this channel. ❤

wow, with hundreds of wives they still struggled to have enough sons

@nunguyen6527

8 ай бұрын

Many empress/concubines's sons were killed and poisoned by other wives of the emperor :(( They killed the sons of other wives so their sons can inhert the throne

Wu Zetian is my favorite royals. Glad to hear about her once again!

Love focusing on other cultures than the Europeans. Thank you!

Interesting! I like the music, thanks...

I really appreciate your work, but in the future, please note that “Cixi” is pronounced more closely like “Ts-she”. The “C” sound you see in Hanyu pinyin is pronounced like, “Ts” as if you are imitating a cymbal. You pronounce Polish names so well so I can’t fault you here cuz none of us can do it all! Thanks so much!

Very interesting, thank you

I love her history so much. Great Empress and woman

could you make a separate video on Cixi?

You should do a version for this but for concubines of Vietnamese emperors

I hope you do videos about the Aisain monarchies someday. They have such a rich yet sometimes sad history. Especially the Last Princess of Korea, she lived such a tragic story that it still makes me sad just thinking about it.

Thank you for this video. I enjoy and appreciate the hard work and research you put into your videos. Although European royalty will always be my first love, I also enjoy learning about royals of other nations. Empress Dowager Cixi has been one of my favorite historical figures since I randomly discovered her in a history book as a child. I would respectfully suggest that you might make similar videos about Japan and Korea. Queen Min of Korea was famously killed for being a thorn in the side of the Japanese. I have also read in (I think) Sterling Seagrave’s The Yamato Dynasty that a fair number of Japanese imperial women of the last century were reportedly closet Quakers. That alone might be worth looking into.

A man acts like Wu he is ambitious if they're are woman they are ruthless

@danialeatherman8934

8 ай бұрын

Good observation

Thank you ❤😂😅😊🎉

There should really make a series of Empress Jiang(the first one )...it would be so interesting😊

Can we have a video about The Last Emperor?

Empress Wu Zetian is my favorite. I learned about her existence roughly 2 years ago and I continue to be amazed by her story. Her story proves that you don't have to be a man to gain power. You just need to know the right people and know what the *bleep* you're doing!

Im here for Empress Ki. I love the Korean series itself. I rewatch it at least once a year.

Would loooove some more videos on chinese history

Wu Zetian and Cixi were the most interesting women!

All very interesting women, but Cixi takes the cake to me. Like... WOW 😮

I thought you were going to do concubines from All over the world I think that Egypt in the ancient days even had concubines.

You missed the Empress Dowager Chengtian of the Great Liao Dynasty. She's amazing and should've been included in this video.

I love the videos more based in Asia I think it’s so interesting to see the differences between their and European cultures

Thank you for the informative video. I wonder if you're aware that there are more stories of women who went from concubine to empress than what is shown in the video like Empress Bo of Emperor Gaozu of the Han dynasty and Empress Xiaozhuangwen of the Qing dynasty? It would've been interesting to hear their stories as well.

I love these man

For a future video, can you please do Emperor Pu Yi's wife and consorts? Put Yi was China's last Emperor before the Chinese Communist Party took over and abolished the monarchy.

can you please make a video about Puyi the last emperor of China

Oooooh I love when you dive into oriental themes, though Europe is still my favourite to learn about, but an occasional “trip” to Ancient China, Japan, or others:)

@yung1717

8 ай бұрын

Why occasional?

@lfgifu296

8 ай бұрын

@@yung1717 It’s just my personal taste

"Thugish Eunuchs" is now my new preferred punk band name.

My favorite is Mulan, who became the emperors advisor

hello lindsay i really hope someday you would make a video regarding the southeast asian women warrior/empresses ❤️❤️ there were a lot of amazing women throughout our history

Also, there’s so many drama about Empress Wu, including 大明宮詞, Palace of Desire. The one with Fan Bingbing is really okay.

This people were ruthless 😮

i love the traditional chinese background music 💗

please do a video of the Queens of Madagascar 🇲🇬

Empress Cixi was very impressive! She is such a powerful female figure! The way she led her country was amazing, I can’t believe she was almost imprisoned for giving advice on a war that she ended years later! She kind of reminds me of Akemi from Blye Eyed Samurai (two different countries, I know). I think I liked her story the most.

I feel like Deng Sui's virtuous disposition was just a pretense that she maintained her whole life until she gained power. If you think about it, she was able to gain favor over Empress Yin through her modesty and humility, as well as the attention of Emperor He. Through years of behaving this way, she managed to become He's empress, and then wield more power as regent for two heirs. I think where she begins to drop the pretense is near the end of her life, when she clung onto power and refused to end her regency until her death. If this was the case, coupled with her favored de facto reign, then Deng Sui was an incredibly intelligent woman. Good for her!

love the friendship between empresses Cixi and Tian

Thank you for shining light on non Western history in the same way you do for European history 🫶🏻

I love when you do non European topics

A history of Charlotte Empress of Mexico

Do indigenous queens from various peoples!

I guess history really was as dirty as the shows

Cixi doesn't sound as bad as people make her out to be

@lfgifu296

8 ай бұрын

she sounds really good, actually!

Watching this after my art in china course is an interesting time

Did the “pearl screen” have specific meaning for each person? Meaning would they typically have specific designs, words, pictures, etc for each specific woman ruler? Any “pearl screen” that specifically stood out or was more popular for its design/meaning/pictures/words? Just was curious if it was different than when a man was ruling?

Could you please do a series about the kings and queens of Iran and other Middle Eastern regions?

just like with Roman stories of all the nasty plotting empresses and royal women, I think we need to take these stories with a grain of salt considering the biases of the writers.

Oh my very interesting.

AHHHHH Gonna edit this I completely missed this video 😭😭😭

My understanding is that Hu found time to write The Book of Love.

This is wrestling in its own right

I‘m Chinese and thanks for your sharing about Chinese empresses especially Wu zetian,she is almost the most famous woman in Chinese history,in China there are a lot of TV shows about her🤣.In fact nobody knows what her real name is, Wu is her family name.When she was sended into the palace at 14 years old,the emperor Taizong given her a new name Wu mei bcause of her beauty and enchanting temperament.She became the emperor of Tang dynasty after her husband died,then she named herself Wu zhao,武曌,the Chinese character 曌 used in her name was created by herself,which means she is shining in the sky like the sun and the moon.Zetian is part of her posthumous title like Gaozong is the title of her husband Li zhi,the whole title is very long😂lol