Hatshepsut Essay

Despite Tang empress of china, Wu Zetian, and Egypt’s Pharaoh Hatshepsut leadership being underrated and infamous, these two women had their similarities and differences during their reign, beginning from striving to achieve leadership and power and later ruling their respective empires. Wu Zetian, also known as Wu Zhao was a woman who strived to get what she desired and even used manipulation and violence for anyone who would cross her way. With stunning beauty and talent, Wu managed her way to the emperors’ side. Hatshepsut became emperor upon the death of her father claiming that her father wished for her to be the next pharaoh. These two notorious women brought out the best of their empires and provided a reign of gloriousness.

Wu Zetian

was born to a relatively wealthy family and became interested in politics at a young age. Unlike other younger girls, Wu spent most of her time reading about politics. She learnt how to read, write Chinese classics and play music. By the age of thirteen, Wu became popular due to her beauty, outstanding wits, talents and intelligence earning her a place at the court of Emperor Tsai Sung. Wu was easy to love, therefore becoming the emperor’s favorite concubine within a short period of time. When Tsai Tsung died later he was then succeeded by his son Kao Tsung. (Richard, Harper 1998) By this time Zetian was already twenty seven years old. She immediately became the favorite concubine of the new emperor giving him sons. Zetian strangled her own daughter and blamed Koa’s wife making her the only wife of Koa. In a span of five years, Koa suffered a stroke and died. Wu immediately took over the administrative duties of the court and secretly jailed anyone who tried to oppose her. She outflanked her eldest son, putting the youngest and weakest son into power who later quit. Wu was then declared the emperor of china.
Just like Wu Zetian, Hatshepsut used her power and manipulation to get to the top. She however, was born in a royal family and upon death of her father; she married her step brother becoming the Pharaoh’s wife. Upon the death of her half-brother, Hatshepsut took upon her a responsibility of acting as a regent to her nephew who was next in power. She then declared herself Pharaoh and became the first female Pharaoh in Egypt.(De Masson 2012) Hatshepsut faced major challenges as people perceived a female pharaoh to be illegitimate and unqualified. This forced her to take action making orders that she be referred as male. She then began dressing in the garments of a male Pharaoh. She remodeled her image, with her statutes and paintings all over also depicting her as a male Pharaoh. She fought to maintain and defend her legitimacy by stating that her father wanted her to be Pharaoh.
Women in leadership roles are often viewed as inadequate and they are mostly demeaned as we see from what happened to Hatshepsut.

Her leadership however proved to be prosperous and have led to major development prompting the nation’s flourishing .Wu Zetian, transformed the operations of china in a positive direction. She discovered the best people who could help her run the government. She reduced the country’s army to a manageable size and eliminated the aristocratic military men and replaced them with scholars. Citizens who wanted government positions were allowed to take necessary exam for employment. Hatshepsut, on the other hand launched renovating programs. She constructed building projects especially around Thebes. She renovated her father’s hall temple designing a building nearly 100 feet tall and adding a chapel. Her greatest achievement was the enormous memorial temple at Deir el-Bahri. (Chaveau 2000)

Power and leadership takes different forms depending on the rules and policies enacted in the nation. Royal lineages have always played an important role in leading a hereditary type of leadership. Leadership in Egypt was acquired through inheritance upon death of the Pharaoh; a successor would be put into power. China has a similar type of inheritance. Leadership was acquired through inheritance. For example, upon the death of Tai Tsung, Koa Tsung took over as the next

emperor.
Women have taken a better step in leadership and have managed to bring out better results resulting in development of a business. They have engraved strong opinions and ideas just like the males on how to run a successful business. Research reveals that women have shown better leadership skills and proper management. To succeed in running a big business, for example, a modeling company, women bosses are authoritative and participative at the same time. They take an initiative to make orders on what should be done and to ensure that this is accomplished perfectly, they participate in the process. (R. Johnson)
Women’s struggle for power is well depicted. To gain this leadership some work through eliminating any obstacle that comes on the way. For example, it is clearly shown on how the two women, Wu Zetian and Hatshepsut used even the most displeasing ways to achieve power. This is all part of politics. There are also other women in history that used mischief to get to power for example, Cleopatra. Their struggle however proved to be worth the work.