Two individuals who changed history were Prince Shotoku and Murasaki Shikibu. Prince Shotoku established the Seventeen Article Constitution, which created the twelve official ranks of court. The Seventeen Article Constitution also emphasized the absolute authority of the emperor. The twelve official ranks of court were based on merit in the form of colored caps with greater and lesser ranks for each color. Murasaki Shikibu was the author of The Tale of Genji and is still studied by many scholars. After her beloved husband died in 1001.In 1004 she was brought to court for unknown reasons. There she served Empress Akiko, but as she served she recorded a diary of her life there. When she started The Tale of Genji, is not known, although many believe she started it before going to court. These two individuals had a great effect on Japanese history. Prince Shotoku had a positive effect on Japanese history. He was, and still is, considered to be a very influential figure in early Japanese history. Several aspects of Chinese culture influenced the prince considerably. He was mostly interested in laws of the land, based on Confucian principles. This inspired him to write the Seventeen Article Constitution, for Japan. It emphasized the absolute authority of the emperor, but also the strong morality and virtue that must be exhibited by rulers. Additional guidelines include deciding matters of law with impartiality, placing value on harmony, the necessity of vassals being treated with faithfulness and fairness, and reliance on Buddhism as the highest quality of good leadership. The twelve official ranks of court system awarded people rank based on merit in the form of colored caps with greater and lesser ranks for each color, such as; purple was great and small virtue, blue was great and small humanness, etc.. The Seventeen Article Constitution helped Prince Shotoku create the twelve official ranks of court by his interest in law and order. This