The female ruler he referred to is, as many readers of this journal know, Wu Zhao (624-705; reigned 690-705), the fascinating and controversial woman who intrigued Professor Forte for a substantial part of his life. Although primarily renowned for his research on the state-samgha relationship under the Great Tang and Zhou dynasties, particularly under the unprecedented reign of Wu Zhao, Professor Forte’s research extends far beyond the territory of the Tang–Zhou empire—despite the immensity of this area of research in itself. He is respected and remembered for his work on several ancient religious traditions in medieval China (such as Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism), as well as on Tang China’s multifaceted interactions with its neighboring regimes, particularly those in Central Asia.