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Chinese empress. Source: dreampicturestud / Adobe Stock.

How a Chinese Empress Built the Largest Palace in the World (Video)

In 662 AD, as Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty’s health waned, Empress Wu Zetian quietly assumed the reins of power, navigating a realm dominated by men. Wu's ambition knew no bounds, and she...
Fearless women rulers who defied norms and forged their own paths to power. Source: Stasiuk/Adobe Stock

4 Powerful and Inspiring Women Rulers that Changed Society and the World

Throughout ancient history, many women have defied societal expectations and risen to positions of power and influence. During their reigns, they left unforgettable marks not only on their own...
Coronation of Queen Victoria 28 June 1838 by Sir George Hayter (Public Domain)

Coveted Imperial Titulature, Emperors and Empresses: Don’t Blame Queen Victoria

The title of “emperor” is commonly seen as superior to that of “king”. But that has not always been the case. Ironically, what is now translated as “emperor” started out not as a title at all but as...
Imperial succession in Japan is up in the air as the choices get more complicated: could be a woman or a young man. Japanese Emperor Naruhito at his enthronement ceremony in Kyoto, October 2019.		Source: Imperial Household Agency / CC BY 4.0

Japan’s Succession Crisis: No Male Heirs Means Ancient Monarchy May Soon Disappear!

The Japanese monarchy is the oldest continuous monarchy in the world, but it faces a clear succession crisis in the 21st century. Imperial descendance and inheritance is only passed through male...
The outlines of the legendary but lost royal pavilion of Kyoto known as the Tokaden pavilion, which was built in ways that were still different from Tang dynasty Chinese foundations.		Source: Kyoto City Archaeological Research Institute

Five Post Holes Reveal Legendary Japanese Empress’s Royal Pavilion.

A team of Japanese archaeologists have discovered what they consider to be the remains of is the legendary Tokaden royal pavilion. Until the early 8th century the Japanese court was peripatetic,...
Livia Drusilla: Imperial Wife of Rome and Emperor Maker

Livia Drusilla: Imperial Wife of Rome and Emperor Maker

Livia Drusilla was the third wife of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Prior to her marriage to Augustus, she was married to a Roman politician by the name of Tiberius Claudius Nero. Through this...
How the German House of Hanover ruled Britain for 200 Years

How the German House of Hanover ruled Britain for 200 Years

The House of Hanover (formally known as the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Hanover line) is a German royal house that came to rule Great Britain. The Hanoverians, as they are known, gained the British...
Chinese empress. Credit: wichansumalee / Adobe Stock

The Reign of Wu Zetian: From Concubine to Empress to… Emperor!

There are rarely any parts of our history more intriguing and interesting than the chronicles of ancient China . Full of unique cultural traits, obscure and colorful mythologies, and above all...
Portrait of Ivan IV, the first tsar of Russia, by Viktor Vasnetsov.

Ivan the Terrible: How Did He Become the First Tsar of Russia?

The Tsar of Russia was the title used by the ruler of the Tsardom of Russia, a state that existed from 1547 to 1721. The Tsardom of Russia was preceded by the Grand Principality of Moscow, and was...
Mosaic - Empress Theodora and Retinue, San Vitale in Ravenna.

Theodora: How a Poverty Stricken Prostitute Became an Empress

The history of Theodora is a classic rags to riches tale, as she is thought to have started life in the lowest class of Byzantine society but became one of the most powerful women in civilization’s...
Mazu: Legendary Guardian

Mazu: Legendary Guardian of the Chinese Seas and Social Media Marvel

Princess of Supernatural Favor, Empress of Heaven, Goddess of the South China Sea - these are just a few of the illustrious titles given to the Chinese goddess Mazu (Mat-su) since her incursion into...
A ceramic female polo player, from northern China, Tang Dynasty, first half of the 8th century, made with white slip and polychrome. From the Musée Guimet (Guimet Museum), Paris. (Public Domain) Background: ‘Xuanzong's Journey to Shu’, in the manner of the mid-8th century Tang artist Li Zhaodao, an 11th-century Song dynasty remake.

The Tang Dynasty: The Arts Flourished, Family Ties Broke, and a Concubine Became Empress

While Europe was masked in the Dark Ages, China was flourishing in the Tang Dynasty. Woodblock printing gave them books, testing made government jobs available to common citizens, paper spread...
The archaeological site at Yao, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

Mysterious Japanese Second Capital Built 1200 Years Ago by Controversial Empress is Finally Found

Japanese archaeologists working in Yao, Osaka Prefecture believe they have found the remains of Yugeno-miya, an unfinished city began by the orders of an empress who is remembered for a turbulent...
The theory that Tsar Alexander I craved a holy life as a monk is based on him seeking forgiveness for coming to power after the murder of his father, Paul I. Source: Vesti Tomsk

Science ‘To Answer Russian Royal Mystery’: Did Tsar Stage Death to Become Siberian Monk?

By The Siberian Times reporter Officially, Alexander I died of typhus aged 47 on December 1, 1825, but evidence suggests he faked his demise and lived as a holy man. Genetic analysis is soon to be...
Chinese concubines in a harem

20,000 Women and 100,000 Castrated Men to Serve the Emperor: The Imperial Harem of China

In Imperial China, one of the important tasks that the emperor needed to do was to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, which was achieved by the production of a male heir. For this purpose, the...
A Mother-Daughter Power Team: How Did Two Faustinas Transform Roman Society?

A Mother-Daughter Power Team: How Did Two Faustinas Transform Roman Society?

If you think that girl power is a modern idea from songs created in the 90s, you should read the story of a mother and daughter whose bright minds and dose of independence had a remarkable impact on...
Was it Love or Witchcraft? The Magical Practices of Chinese Empress Chen Jiao

Was it Love or Witchcraft? The Magical Practices of Chinese Empress Chen Jiao

Usually, the Empress of the Han Dynasty was invincible, untouchable, and protected by the law more than anyone else. However, in the case of Empress Chen of Wu, the accusation of practicing black...
The royal tomb unearthed in Henan province, which may belong to the empress of Cao Rui (news.cn)

Royal Tomb from The Three Kingdoms Period Excavated in Central China

An enormous tomb thought to be that of an empress during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD) was discovered in central China's Henan Province. Situated to the south of Xizhu Village in the Luoyang...
6th Century Crown of Chinese Empress Revealed for the First Time in its Full Glory

6th Century Crown of Chinese Empress Revealed for the First Time in its Full Glory

Chinese archaeologists have restored the crown of a 6 th century Chinese empress of the short-lived Sui Dynasty that shared the land with peasants, instituted the Buddhist religion, and united north...
The Blooming and Fragrant History of Roses

The Blooming and Fragrant History of Roses

Roses are one of the most popular flowers around the world. Over the centuries they have been a symbol of love but they also sometimes served as symbols in parts of royal coats of arms. The first...
Hans Makart's painting of Charlotte Wolter in Adolf Wilbrandt's tragedy, Arria und Messalina.

Questioning the Dramatic Story of the Empress Messalina, Was She a Cruel Doxy or the Victim of a Smear Campaign?

In Ancient Rome, Valeria Messalina was a symbol of vanity and immorality. For centuries, people identified her as one of the most demoralized women in history, but how much of what we know about...
Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1859

Moments from the Life and Reign of Queen Victoria of Great Britain

The famous Queen Victoria set the tone for Britain’s era of industrial expansion and empire. Though often recalled as wearing black mourning clothes and having a strict code of morality, she was said...
Artist’s impression of Fu Hao

Lady Fu Hao and her Lavish Tomb of the Shang Dynasty

Lady Fu Hao is a highly extraordinary character from Chinese history, who lived over three millennia ago. In a society that was heavily dominated by male figures, Fu Hao took on roles that other...

Archaeologists Uncover Tomb of Tyrannical Chinese Emperor

Archaeologists in China have discovered the tomb of Emperor Yang Guang , one of the most famous and tyrannical emperor’s in Chinese history, who is known to have brought the Sui Dynasty (581 – 618 AD...