Princess Taiping

Who was Princess Taiping?

Princess Taiping was a princess of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and her mother Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty. She was the youngest daughter of Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong and was powerful during the reigns of her mother and her elder brothers Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong, particularly during Emperor Ruizong's second reign.

Eventually, however, a rivalry developed between her and her nephew, Emperor Ruizong's crown prince Li Longji, and after Emperor Ruizong yielded the throne to Li Longji in 712, the conflict came to the political forefront, and in 713, Emperor Xuanzong, according to historical records, believing that she was planning to overthrow him, acted first, executing a large number of her allies and forcing her to commit suicide.