Hyeonjong (Joseon)

Hyeonjong 18th King of the Joseon Dynasty
King Hyeonjong's grave site
Spelling of names
Hangeul	현종
Hanja	顯宗
Revised Romanization	Hyeonjong
McCune-Reischauer	Hyŏnjong
Reign
Reign of	1659
Reign until	17th September 1674
predecessor	King Hyojong
successor	King Sukjong
Life dates
Born on the	March 14, 1641
place of birth	Shenyang , in China during the Qing Dynasty
Birth Name	이연
Hanja	李 棩
Revised Romanization	Yi Yeon
McCune-Reischauer	Yi Yŏn
father	King Hyojong
mother	Queen Inson
Death dates
Died on	17th September 1674
Place of death	Hanseong
tomb	Sungneung Tomb, Guri City, Gyeonggi-do Province
Spouses, mistresses, offspring
Woman (s)	Queen Myeongseong
Sons	Prince Yi Sun
Daughters	Princess Myeongseon Princess Myeonghye Princess Myeongan

Hyeonjong ( Korean : 현종 ) (born March 14, 1641 , Joseon ; † September 17, 1674 , ibid) was the 18th King of the Joseon Dynasty ( König 왕조 ) (1392-1910) in Korea during his reign from 1659 to 1674 .

Life

Hyeonjong, known as Crown Prince Yeon ( 연 ), was the son of King Hyojong ( 효종 ) and when he passed away, he assumed the highest office in the state at the age of only 18. Shortly after his accession to the throne, a controversy flared up at court about how long a queen should mourn her deceased son. Two camps were formed, one of which considered a year of mourning to be appropriate and the other insisted on three years of mourning. This dispute also gave rise to a question about the succession to the throne. Ultimately, Hyeonjong decided to limit the mourning period for all sons of a king to one year and burned a documentary that supported the three-year mourning period.

Unlike his father, Hyeonjong was considered a moderate ruler who initially preferred not always to follow the recommendations of his administration. The influential people of the royalist faction at court tried to convince him to strengthen the military and to rebel against the weakening Qing dynasty , under whose influence Joseon was still standing, and to free himself from them. But Hyeonjong refused and followed the recommendations of the rationalist faction and the fear that a rebellion against the Qing Empire would have negative consequences for Joseon. A letter dated July 1, 1674 from Yun Hyu ( 윤휴 ) (1617–1680), who was one of the country's radical royalists, and Hyeonjong in the letter urged the rebellion against which the Qing dynasty had to fight back at the time, As a consequence, Hyeonjong left unanswered to exploit and wage war against the Qing Empire. During his 15-year reign, King Hyeonjong clearly distanced himself from his father, who tried to pursue a policy directed against the Qing dynasty during his lifetime.

In the 10th year of Hyeonjong's reign, the astronomer Lee Min-cheol ( 이민철 ) (1631 ~ 1715) developed an armillary sphere controlled by water , which inspired the kings at Joseon's court and the development of such devices found their support.

Hyeonjong's health

King Hyeonjong is said to have suffered from an eye disease and abscesses against which he took baths in hot springs. It is believed that he died of blood poisoning and a gastrointestinal infection.

King's tomb

King Hyeonjong was buried in the Sungneung ( 숭릉 ), the royal tomb in the city of Guri ( 구리 ) in the province of Gyeonggi-do ( 경기도 ). His wife Queen Myeongseong ( 명성 ), who died 10 years later, also found her final resting place there.

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).
• Yong Sam Lee, Sang Hyuk Kim, Min Soo Lee, Jang Hae Jeong : A Study on the Armillary Spheres of the Confucianists in Joseon Dynasty . In: Journal of Astronomy an Space Science . Volume 27, No. 4 , 2010, p. 383–392 , doi : 10.5140 / JASS.2010.27.4.383 (English).
• Sun Kwan Song : Intellectuals and The State: The Resilience and Decline of Neo-Confucianism as State Ideology in Joseon Korea . Ed .: University of London . London 2013 (English, online [PDF; 4.5 MB ; accessed on November 4, 2018] dissertation).
• Kong Chan : Sadae (Serving the Great) in Korea-Great Power (s) Relations since 1392 . Ed .: Deakin University . Melbourne February 2016 (English, Online [PDF; 3.3 MB ; accessed on November 4, 2018] dissertation).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Han : Joseon Era . In: A Review of Korean History . 2010, p.  308 .
2. ↑ Chan : Sadae (Serving the Great) in Korea-Great Power (s) Relations since 1392 . 2016, p.  150 .
3. ^ Song : Intellectuals and The State: The Resilience and Decline of Neo-Confucianism as State Ideology in Joseon Korea . 2013, p.  156 ff .
4. ↑ Chan : Sadae (Serving the Great) in Korea-Great Power (s) Relations since 1392 . 2016, p.  150 f .
5. ↑ Chan : Sadae (Serving the Great) in Korea-Great Power (s) Relations since 1392 . 2016, p.  152 .
6. ↑ Lee, Kim, Lee, Jeong : A Study on the Armillary Spheres of the Confucianists in Joseon Dynasty . 2010, p.  386 .
7. ^ Hai-Woong Lee, Hoon Kim : About the Diseases and Medical Treatments of King Hyeonjong, Sukjong, Gyeongjong, Yeongjo in the Joseon Dynasty . In: Journal of Korean Medical classics . 2006, accessed November 4, 2018 .  
8. ↑ 구리 동구릉 숭릉 정자각 . In: 문화 재청 . Accessed November 4, 2018 .