Heonjong (Joseon)

Heonjong 24th King of the Joseon Dynasty
Image of King Heonjong
Spelling of names
Hangeul	헌종
Hanja	憲宗
Revised Romanization	Heonjong
McCune-Reischauer	Hŏnjong
Reign
Reign of	1834
Reign until	July 25, 1849
predecessor	King Sunjo
successor	King Cheoljong
Life dates
Born on the	September 8, 1827
Birth Name	이환
Hanja	李 烉
Revised Romanization	Yi Hwan
McCune-Reischauer	Yi Hwan
father	Crown Prince Hyomyeong ( 효명 )
mother	Queen Sinjeong ( 신정 )
Death dates
Died on	July 25, 1849
tomb	Gyeongneung Tomb, Donggureung, Guri City , Gyeonggi-do Province
Spouses, mistresses, offspring
Woman (s)	Queen Hyohyeon Queen Hyojeong and three other ladies of the court
Sons	no
Daughters	a daughter whose name is not known

Heonjong ( Korean : 헌종 ) (born September 8, 1827 in Joseon ; † July 25, 1849 ibid) was the 24th King of the Joseon Dynasty ( König 왕조 ) (1392-1910) in Korea during his reign from 1834 to 1849 .

Life

King Heonjong, who was named Yi Hwan ( 이환 ) when he was born, was made king at the age of seven after his father, Crown Prince Hyomyeong ( 효명 ), died at the age of 21 before he could become king himself after the death of King Sunjo ( 순조 ) had to take over the throne. Heonjong was the youngest king the Joseon Dynasty had ever seen.

At the age of only 14, he was married to 10-year-old Hyohyeon, who died two years later and Heonjong, after the bride was chosen by his mother and influential people at court, with 14-year-old Hyojeong ( 효영 ) as his second Wife and queen was married. From this marriage a painting consisting of eight panels has been preserved, which can be unfolded and which depicts the wedding ceremony on six panels and a textual description was made on the two outer panels. The work, dating from 1844, was registered as a national cultural asset under the number 733 and can be viewed at the Dong-A University Museum.

After his wife could not bear him a son, he called his concubine Kim Gyeong-bin ( 경빈 ) into the inner circle at court and created an area for her and himself in the southeastern part of the Changdeokgung Palace ( 창덕궁 ), which is known as Nakseonjae ( 낙선재 ) referred to as.

But this relationship, as well as that to two other ladies of the court, remained without the birth of an heir to the throne, which was seen as a crisis of the kingdom. Due to the lack of an heir to the throne, King Heonjong was finally urged to adopt a successor from a royal line as his son, which he did with the adoption of Deogwangun Wonbeom ( 덕 완군 원범 ) and he as king after King Heonjong's death in 1849 Cheoljong ( 철종 ) succeeded him.

King Heonjong died on 25 July 1849 at the age of 21 years and was in the tomb Gyeongneung ( 경릉 ) of the royal cemetery Donggureung ( 동구릉 ) in the town of Guri ( 구리 ) the province of Gyeonggi-do ( 경기도 ) buried.

literature

• Han Young Woo : Joseon Era . In: A Review of Korean History . Volume 2 . Kyongsaewon Publishing Company , Pajubookcity, Gyeonggi-do 2010, ISBN 978-89-8341-092-4 (English).
• Kim Jiyoung : Fertility and Childbirth among Royal Women in Nineteenth-Century Korea . In: Asia Pacific Perspectives . Fall / Winter 2013/14 , 2013, p. 84–108 (English, online [PDF; 719 kB ; accessed on January 15, 2019]).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Woo : Joseon Era . In: A Review of Korean History . 2010, p.  308 .
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Kim Hyung-eu : New life for the palace of sighs . In: Korea JoongAng Daily . April 7, 2008, accessed January 15, 2019 .  
3. ↑ ^{a b} Kim : Fertility and Childbirth among Royal Women in Nineteenth-Century Korea . 2013, p.  93 .
4. ^ Press Image Request . Celebration for King Heonjong's Wedding . Asian Art Museum , accessed January 15, 2019 .  
5. ↑ Collection Database . Congratulating the Wedding of King Heonjong . National Museum of Korea , accessed January 15, 2019 .  
6. ↑ Kim : Fertility and Childbirth among Royal Women in Nineteenth-Century Korea . 2013, p.  87 .
7. ↑ Kim : Fertility and Childbirth among Royal Women in Nineteenth-Century Korea . 2013, p.  90 .
8. ^ Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty . (PDF 3.9 MB) Gyeongneung of King Heonjong . National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage , December 2007, accessed January 15, 2019 .