One of the most infamous incidents of Wu Zetian's reign was the massacre of the Guo family. In 697 CE, Wu Zetian ordered the execution of Guo Shufen, a high-ranking official who had dared to criticize her rule. However, Guo Shufen's family refused to submit to her authority, and Wu Zetian responded by ordering the slaughter of the entire Guo clan. This brutal act of vengeance resulted in the deaths of over 50 members of the Guo family, including women, children, and elderly relatives.
Male rulers like Qin Shi Huang or Peter the Great committed atrocities on a far grander scale but are often remembered for building empires. The "atrocious empress" had to be twice as ruthless just to survive in a world designed to destroy her. While their crimes were undeniable, their savagery was often a direct reflection of the brutal, cutthroat courts they conquered.
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The archetype of the atrocious empress is a mix of historical fact and political fiction. Rulers like Wu Zetian, Irene, and Catherine the Great were certainly capable of deep cruelty. However, their brutality was rarely random; it was a tool used to survive in a violent world. By separating the real history from later propaganda, we can see these women not as monsters, but as complex, ruthless leaders who did whatever it took to hold onto ultimate power.
: Cixi famously backed the anti-foreign Boxers in 1900, leading to a disastrous invasion by an eight-nation alliance that ransacked Beijing. Rumors also swirled around her lavish spending; she allegedly redirected naval modernization funds to rebuild her personal Summer Palace, including a famous decorative marble boat. One of the most infamous incidents of Wu
Cixi rose from a low-ranking concubine to regent by outmaneuvering traditional bureaucrats. When her nephew, the Guangxu Emperor, attempted to modernize China during the Hundred Days' Reform, Cixi staged a coup, placed him under house arrest for the rest of his life, and allegedly ordered him poisoned with arsenic just before her own death.
According to the sources, Messalina used her position to condemn political rivals, confiscating their wealth to fund her excesses. Her cruelty was capricious; she ordered the death of the philosopher Seneca and the influential senator Appius Silanus after a rejected sexual advance. This brutal act of vengeance resulted in the
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Gaozong's eventual death in 683 CE paved the way for Wu Zetian's ascension to the throne. She was now the de facto ruler of China, with her son, Li Xian, serving as a puppet emperor. Wu Zetian's hold on power was tenuous, however, and she faced significant opposition from the nobility and government officials.
