Interesting Personalities of the post-Classical Age - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Interesting Personalities of the post-Classical Age

Empress WuEmpress TheodoraSlide2

Empress Wu zetian

The only female in Chinese history to rule as emperorEffectively ruled China during one of its more peaceful and culturally diverse periodsEven though a popular Confucian saying stated that a woman ruling was as unnatural as having a “hen crow like a rooster at daybreak”Slide3

The Tang Dynasty

A time of relative freedom for womenWomen did not bind their feetWomen did not lead submissive livesTang rulers had nomadic ancestors

Nomadic cultures generally offered women more freedomsSlide4

Family Background

Wu was born into a wealthy, noble familyTaught to read the Chinese classics and writeTaught to play musicKnown for her wit, intelligence, and beautySlide5

An Important Concubine

Definition: Concubine -one having a recognized social status in a household below that of a wife

Wu was recruited to the court of Emperor Tai TsungWu soon became his favorite concubineSlide6

Kao TSUNG

Kao Tsung was Emperor Tai Tsung’s sonConcubine Wu was attracted to the emperor’s sonWhen the emperor died, Wu was only twenty-seven years oldShe quickly became the new emperor, Kao Tsung’s, favorite concubineSlide7

From Concubine to Empress

Concubine Wu gave birth to the sons that the new emperor desperately wantedAs the mother of the future emperor, she grew in powerShe eliminated the emperor’s wife by accusing her of killing Wu’s newborn daughter

The emperor believed WuThe emperor married WuSlide8

The Death of the Emperor

Within five years of marriage, the emperor suffered a strokeEmpress Wu took over the administrative duties of the court, a position equal to emperorThe empress created a secret police force to spy on the opposition

She cruelly jailed or killed anyone who stood in her waySlide9

Increasing Power

Wu managed to outflank her eldest sons and moved her youngest and much weaker son into powerSlide10

A Campaign to Elevate Women

To challenge Confucian beliefs -Wu began a campaign to elevate the status

of womenHad scholars write biographies of famous women

Raised the position of her mother’s clan by giving her relatives high political posts

Said that the ideal ruler was one who ruled like a mother does over her children Slide11

To Ruler of China

In 690, Wu’s youngest son removed himself from officeWu Zetian was declared emperor of ChinaIn spite of her ruthless rise to power, her reign was benign

She found the best people she could to govern ChinaShe treated those she trusted fairlySlide12

She reduced the size of the army

She stopped the influence of aristocratic military men on governmentRelying instead on scholars in governmentEveryone had to compete for government positions by taking examsSlide13

Fair to peasants

Lowering oppressive taxesRaising agricultural productionStrengthening public worksSlide14

Belief Systems

Placed Buddhism over Daoism as the favored religionShe invited the most gifted scholars to ChinaBuilt Buddhist temples and cave sculpturesChinese Buddhism achieved its highest development under the reign of Wu ZetianSlide15

In Old Age

Lessened the power of the secret policeBut increasingly superstitious and fearfulSorcerers and corrupt court favorites flattered herSlide16

Finally, in 705, she was pressured to give up the throne in favor of her of her third son, who was waiting all these years in the wings

Wu Zetian died peacefully at age eighty the same yearSlide17

Theodora-Byzantine Empress

Born into the lowest classesHer father was an animal trainerAfter his death, Theodora took the stage as an actress to support the family

The profession was considered scandalousBeing an actress was synonymous with being a prostituteSlide18

Moving Up

But Theodora took every opportunity to move up in a very rigid class systemIn 516, at the age of sixteen, Theodora traveled to Alexandria, EgyptIn Egypt, she discovered MonophysitismSlide19

Monophysitism was the belief that Jesus Christ was wholly divine

Theodora converted to MonophysitismTheodora renounced her former career and lifestyleSlide20

Justinian

Theodora met Justinian I in 522, who was heir to the Byzantine throneJustinian wanted to wed Theodora immediatelyBut as heir, he was forbidden to marry an actress, even a former oneSlide21

Justinian had this law repealed the following year

The two were married in 525Slide22

The Emperor and Empress

Theodora and Justinian were known for ruling as intellectual and political equalsAnd Theodora was responsible for much of the reformation of ByzantiumIn 528, construction began on the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy

The basilica’s mosaic, completed in 548, depicts both the emperor and empress participating in an imperial procession, signifying her equal role in ruling the empireSlide23

Religious Unrest

In 532, religion plagued the empireA conflict between two political and religious groups, the Blues and Greens, began during a chariot race at the Hippodrome and quickly grew into what is known as the Nika RevoltThe revolt destroyed much of ConstantinopleSlide24

Many saw this as a chance to overthrow Justinian

Justinian wished to fleeBut Theodora spoke out, preferring to die as a ruler than to be removed from powerHer courage prompted Justinian to send troops in to calm the rebelsSlide25

Rebuilding Constantinople

After quelling the revolt, Theodora and Justinian confronted the destruction of important monuments in Constantinople, including the Hagia SophiaThe couple rebuilt the basilica, which was rededicated in 537It was the largest church of the period and later became one of the greatest examples of Byzantine architectureSlide26
Slide27

Fighting for the Persecuted

During her time as empress, Theodora fought for the persecutedShe attended to the rights of prostitutes, particularly by closing brothels, creating protective safe houses, and passing laws to prohibit forced prostitutionSlide28

In addition, she passed laws that expanded the rights of women in divorce cases and abolished a law that allowed women to be killed for committing adulterySlide29

Finally, she strove to protect the Monophysites

Building houses of worship that served as refugesSlide30

Theodora died in 548

But her influence was apparent in Justinian’s subsequent ruleJustinian sought to maintain the same level of freedom for women, setting a precedent for women’s equalityHe also fought for the Monophysites, despite his own conflicting orthodox beliefsSlide31

Yes, Patriarchy

But there are always exceptions