Wu Zetian noble title emperor
Titles
During her life, and posthumously, Wu was awarded various official titles. Both hou (后) and huangdi (皇帝) are titles (modifications, or added characters to hou are of lesser importance). Born Wu Zhao, she is not properly known as "Wu Hou" (Empress Wu) until receiving this title in 655, nor is she properly known as "Wu Zetian", her regnal name, until 690, when she took the title Emperor.During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang (618-626):
Lady Wu (from 624)
During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang (626-649):
Talented Lady (才人; from 637), 17th rank consort
During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (649-683):
Imperial Concubine Zhaoyi (昭儀; from 650), 6th rank consort
Empress (皇后; from 655), 1st rank consort   
Heavenly Empress (天后; from 674), 1st rank consort
During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (684-684):
Empress Dowager Wu (武皇太后; from 683)
During the reign of Emperor Ruizong of Tang (684-690)
Empress Dowager Wu (武皇太后; from 684)
During her reign as the Empress Regnant of the Zhou Dynasty (690-705):
Holy Emperor (聖神皇帝; from 690)
Holy Golden Emperor (金輪聖神皇帝; from 693)
Holy Golden Goddess Emperor (越古金輪聖神皇帝; from 694)
Holy Golden Emperor (金輪聖神皇帝; from 695)
Emperor Tiance Jinlun (天策金輪大帝; from 695)
Emperor Zetian Dasheng (則天大聖皇帝; from 705)
During the second reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (705-710):
Empress Zetian Dasheng (則天大聖皇后; from 705)
During the second reign of Emperor Ruizong of Tang (710-712):   
Heavenly Empress (天后; from 710)    
Holy Empress (大聖天后; from 710)   
Empress of Heaven (天后聖帝; from 712)
Holy Empress (聖后; from 712)
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (713-756):   
Empress Zetian (則天皇后; from 716)
Holy Empress Zetianshun (則天順聖皇后; from 749)"Empress"
Various Chinese titles have been translated into English as "empress", including "empress" in both the sense of empress consort and empress regnant. Generally, the monarch was male and his chief spouse was given a title such as huanghou (皇后), often translated as "empress" or more specific "empress consort". Upon the emperor's death, the surviving empress consort could become empress dowager, sometimes wielding considerable political power as regent during the minority of the (male) heir to the position of emperor.
Since the time of Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC), the Emperor of China using the title huangdi (皇帝, translated as "emperor" or "empress (regnant)" as appropriate), Wu was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title huangdi. Her tenure as de facto ruler of China and official regent of the Tang dynasty (first through her husband and then through her sons, from 665 to 690) was not without precedent in Chinese history, but she broke precedent when she founded her own dynasty in 690, the Zhou (周) (interrupting the Tang dynasty), ruling personally under the name Sacred and Divine Huangdi (聖神皇帝), and variations thereof, from 690 to 705.
Wu Zetian and Empress Dowager Liu of the Song Dynasty are said to be the only women in Chinese history to have worn a yellow robe, ordinarily reserved for the emperor's sole use, as a monarch or co-ruler in their own right.Background and early life
The Wu family clan originated in Wenshui County, Bingzhou (an ancient name of the city of Taiyuan, Shanxi). Wu Zetian's birthplace is not documented in preserved historical literature and remains disputed. Some scholars argue that Wu was born in Wenshui, some that it was Lizhou (利州) (modern-day Guangyuan in Sichuan), while others insist she was born in the imperial capital of Chang'an (today known as Xi'an).
Wu Zetian was born in the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang. In the same year, a total eclipse of the sun was visible across China. Her father, Wu Shiyue, worked in the timber business and the family was relatively well off. Her mother was from the powerful Yang family. During the final years of Emperor Yang of Sui, Li Yuan (李淵) (who went on to become Emperor Gaozu of Tang) stayed in the Wu household many times and became close to the Wu family while holding appointments in both Hedong and Taiyuan. After Li Yuan overthrew Emperor Yang, he was generous to the Wu family, giving them money, grain, land, and clothing. Once the Tang dynasty became established, Wu Shihou held a succession of senior ministerial posts, including governor of Yangzhou, Lizhou, and Jingzhou (荊州) (modern-day Jiangling County, Hubei).
Wu was from a wealthy family, and was encouraged by her father to read books and pursue her education. He made sure that she was well-educated, an uncommon trait among women, much less encouraged by their fathers. Wu read and learned about many topics, such as politics and other governmental affairs, writing, literature, and music. At age 14, she was taken to be an imperial concubine (lesser wife) of Emperor Taizong of Tang. It was there that she became a type of secretary. This opportunity allowed her to continue to pursue her education. She was given the title of cairen, the title for one of the consorts with the fifth rank in Tang's nine-rank system for imperial officials, nobles, and consorts. When she was summoned to the palace, her mother, the Lady Yang, wept bitterly when saying farewell to her, but she responded, "How do you know that it is not my fortune to meet the Son of Heaven?" Lady Yang reportedly then understood her ambitions, and therefore stopped crying.Consort Wu, however, did not appear to be much favored by Emperor Taizong, although it appeared that she did have sexual relations with him at one point. According to her own account (given in a rebuke of Chancellor Ji Xu during her reign), she once impressed Taizong with her fortitude:
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