Emperor Gaozong of Tang

Li Zhi, born in 628, became crown prince in 643 only after his two elder brothers were deposed, ascending the throne in 649 with his uncle Zhangsun Wuji and other senior ministers effectively running the state. The early "Yonghui Reign of Peace" brought stability, but Gaozong chafed under their control and his father's towering legacy. In 655 he deposed Empress Wang and installed Wu Zetian, a move that broke the old aristocratic monopoly and shifted the balance of power - though not in his favor. From 660 onward, recurring strokes left him with blinding headaches and failing vision; Empress Wu began answering memorials for him, attending court from behind a curtain, and accumulating authority in what became known as the "Two Sages Administering the Court Together." He retained formal control over appointments and major decisions, but consulted her on everything, and eventually she acted without his knowledge. In 664 he tried to have her removed; she found out and crushed the plot. He died in 683, having ruled in name for thirty-four years - the last twenty-three spent ceding ground inch by inch to the woman who would, after his death, take the throne outright.