The dynasty continued to flourish under Empress Wu Zetian, the only empress regnant in Chinese history, and reached its zenith during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, who oversaw an empire that stretched from the Pacific to the Aral Sea with at least 50 million people.

She was the first empress ( like Empress Wu in China ) consort of Japan who was not a daughter of the imperial family itself.

* 690: Pro-Buddhist imperial consort Wu Zetian seizes power and rules as Empress of China

* Wu Zetian, the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant ( Huangdi )

* 705: Overthrow of Empress Wu Zetian, the reign of China's first and only sole-ruling empress ends.

* Wu Zetian, Empress of China from 690 to 705

* Wu Shihuo, father of Empress Wu

* February 17 – Wu Zetian, Empress of the Zhou Dynasty of China ( d. 705 )

* Empress Wu Zetian of China

* Empress Wu, wife of Liu Bei

* December 16 – Empress Wu Zetian of the Zhou Dynasty ( b. 625 )

* Empress Wu conquers the Kingdom of Khotan.

* Empress Yang Yan, first wife of Emperor Wu ( d. 274 )

The dynasty was interrupted briefly by the Second Zhou Dynasty ( October 8, 690 – March 3, 705 ) when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, becoming the only Chinese empress regnant, ruling in her own right.

* Empress Yang Yan, first wife of Emperor Wu ( b. 238 )

* Empress Zhu, wife of Sun Xiu of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms

During the Chinese Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu Zetian ( 684-704 ) decreed that the swastika would also be used as an alternative symbol of the Sun.

This final translation was made at the behest of Empress Wu Zetian, after Śikṣānanda had completed his 80-fascicle translation of the

Finally, it was generally not possible for a female to succeed to the throne and in the history of China there has only been one reigning Empress, Wu Zetian ( 624-705 CE ) who usurped power under the Tang dynasty.

There has been only one lawful reigning Empress in China, Empress Wu of the Tang dynasty or the Wu-Zhou ( Wu-Chou ) dynasty founded by her.

Prominent examples include Empress Dowager Cixi, mother of the Tongzhi Emperor ( 1861 – 1874 ), and aunt and adoptive mother of the Guangxu Emperor ( 1874 – 1908 ), who ruled China for 47 years ( 1861 – 1908 ), Empress Wu Zetian ( who ultimately declared herself Empress, and was subsequently overthrown ) and the Empress Dowager Lü of the Han Dynasty.

* Empress Wu Tse-Tien ( 1963 film ), Hong Kong film starring Li Li-hua

** In south-west Wales, the oil tanker Sea Empress runs aground, spilling 73, 000 tonnes of crude oil, killing many birds.

However, the Prince realizes too late that killing the Empress is what creates the sands, and hence he becomes the architect of his own fate.

After killing the Empress, the Prince realizes that he can change his fate by using the Mask of the Wraith, which transforms him into the Sand Wraith and sends him back in time a short distance.

Immediately following the killing of Sima Liang, Sima Wei was advised to expand his power at the expense of Empress Jia.

Qi then suggested to Sima Wei to take the chance to kill Empress Jia's relatives and take over the government, but Sima Wei hesitated — and at the same time, Empress Jia came to the realization that killing Sima Liang and Wei, if it had been realized that she intended it, could bring a political firestorm and that also Sima Wei would not be easily controlled.

Sima Lun, however, had other plans — he wanted to have Empress Jia murder the crown prince so that he could use the murder as an excuse to overthrow her, and he started a coup later that year, killing Jia Mi, Zhang, Pei, and other associates of Empress Jia.

They then use the Rains of Destruction to annihilate the Valuan capital, killing Empress Teodora and seizing control of the Valuan Armada in a bid to dominate the world.

* April 15 – The Pan American World Airways Lockheed L-1049C-55-81 Super Constellation Clipper Empress of the Skies, operating as Flight 1-10, crashes short of the runway at Shannon Airport in Shannon, Ireland, killing 30 of the 31 people on board and leaving the lone survivor injured.

Empress Chen became exceedingly jealous of Wei Zifu, and Empress Chen's mother, Princess Liu Piao ( 劉嫖 ) tried to take vengeance by kidnapping Wei's younger brother Wei Qing, who was then a servant at a marquess ' household, and she considered killing him.

Empress Dorma and Proteus soon clashed, resulting in Proteus taking Dorma's crown, drying up Atlantis, and killing her and her soldiers.

Prince Naka no Ōe pleaded his case before Empress Kōgyoku, and when she retired to consider the matter, the four guards finally rushed Iruka again and completed the killing.

( When the imperial train could not locate Prince Wu, both Emperor Jing and Empress Dowager Dou was greatly distressed, and she accused him of killing Prince Wu.

Less than a month later, Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping and nephew Li Longji the Prince of Linzi rose in rebellion, killing Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo ' er.

Without first informing Li Dan, the conspirators rose on 21 July, first killing Wei Bo, Gao, and Empress Wei's cousin Wei Gui ( 韋璿 ).

Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina ( Minor Latin for the ‘ younger ’, Classical Latin: ;, 7 November 15 or 6 November 16 – 19 / 23 March 59 ) was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

During this time, Alexios was rumored to be the lover of Empress Maria of Alania, the daughter of King Bagrat IV of Georgia, who had been successively married to Michael VII Doukas and his successor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, renowned for her beauty.

Andronikos II also attempted to marry off his son and co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos to the Latin Empress Catherine I of Courtenay, thus seeking to eliminate Western agitation for a restoration of the Latin Empire.

The central bridge was reserved exclusively for the use of the Emperor, Empress, and their attendants.

New Crowns for Old depicts Disraeli as Abanazer from the pantomime version of Aladdin offering Queen Victoria | Victoria an imperial crown in exchange for a royal one. Disraeli cultivated a public image of himself as an Imperialist with grand gestures such as conferring on Queen Victoria the title “ Empress of India ”.

The only period when British monarchs held the title of Emperor in a dynastic succession started when the title Empress of India was created for Queen Victoria.

Empress Suiko ruled for 35 years.

Empress Kōgyoku reigned for four years.

Empress Saimei ruled for seven years.

Empress Jitō reigned for eleven years.

One of the poems attributed to Empress Jitō was selected by Fujiwara no Teika for inclusion in the very popular anthology Hyakunin Isshu.

The Empress had reigned as Kōken for ten years.

Empress Shōtoku had reigned for five years.

The nobility's Targowica Confederation appealed to the Empress for help and in May 1792 the Russian army entered the territory of the Commonwealth.

In the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, a Canadian steamship, the RMS Empress of Australia and her captain, Samuel Robinson achieved international acclaim for stalwart rescue efforts during the immediate aftermath of that disaster.

Julian was summoned to court, and held for a year, under suspicion of treasonable intrigue, first with his brother and then with Claudius Silvanus ; he was cleared, in part because the Empress Eusebia intervened on his behalf, and he was sent to Athens.

She had lived for twenty-eight years in Russia, including thirteen as Empress, and thirty-four years of widowhood still awaited her, the last ten in exile in Denmark.

During the second russification period, at the start of the First World War, the Dowager Empress, travelling by her special train through Finland to Saint Petersburg, expressed her continued disapprobation for the russification of Finland by having an orchestra of a welcoming committee to play the March of the Pori Regiment and the Finnish national anthem " Maamme ", which at the time were under the explicit ban from Franz Albert Seyn, the Governor-General of Finland.

The need for an alternative non-Russian source of naval stores is indicated by the information from the British Ambassador in Copenhagen, Hugh Elliott, who wrote to Foreign Secretary, Lord Carmarthen on 12 August 1788: “ There is no Topick so common in the Mouths of the Russian Ministers, as to insist on the Facility with which the Empress, when Mistress of the Baltic, either by Conquest, Influence, or Alliance with the other two Northern Powers, could keep England in a State of Dependence for its Baltic Commerce and Naval Stores ”.

The advantage of Britain's new colony in providing a non-Russian source of flax and hemp for naval supplies was referred to in an article in Lloyd ’ s Evening Post of 5 October 1787 which urged: “ It is undoubtedly the interest of Great-Britain to remain neutral in the present contest between the Russians and the Turks ” and observed, “ Should England cease to render her services to the Empress of Russia, in a war against the Turks, there can be little of nothing to fear from her ill-will.

* 1061 – Empress Agnes, acting as regent for her son, brings about the election of bishop Cadalus, the antipope Honorius II.

* 1916 – Battle of Segale: Negus Mikael, marching on the Ethiopian capital in support of his son Emperor Iyasus V, is defeated by Fitawrari abte Giyorgis, securing the throne for Empress Zauditu.