Question

During the Middle Ages, it was unusual for a woman to be a supreme leader of a country. Empress Wu Zetian, therefore, was an exception to the general rule that women did not typically have leadership roles in the government. Why do you think it was so unusual for a woman to rule at that time?

Answer 1

Sample answer for Edmentum:

During the Middle Ages, China was a traditional society that was dominated by men. Most people viewed women as inferior to men. Women’s roles were limited to the household. They had little to no say in larger matters related to the government. In such circumstances, it would be unusual for a woman like Empress Wu Zetian to become the supreme leader of a country.

Step-by-step explanation:

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Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

On December 16 in the year 705, Empress Wu Zetian passed away. She effectively ruled the vast empire of the Tang dynasty for more than half a century. Being the only empress regnant of imperial China, she was also arguably the most capable woman to have been recorded in Chinese history.

Empress Wu ruled with an iron fist. That might have been necessary at the time because of strong resistance by the royal family which considered her to have usurped the throne. Several military revolts against her took place, and they were all brutally put down.

Resentment was common within the ruling bureaucracy. The all-male officials quietly described her as “a hen that crowed”, a derogatory remark with full gender bias which was typical at the time.