Munjeong

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Munjeong
Queen of the Joseon Dynasty

Taereung (태 강릉), tomb of Queen Munjeong
Taereung ( 태 강릉 ), tomb of Queen Munjeong
Spelling of names
Hangeul 문정
Hanja 文定
Revised Romanization Munjeong
McCune-Reischauer Minchŏng
Life dates
Born on the December 2, 1501
place of birth Hanseong , Joseon
father Yun Ji-im ( 윤지임 )
mother from the Lee clan
Death dates
Died on May 5, 1565
Place of death Hanseong , Joseon
tomb Taereung, Seoul
Spouses, mistresses, offspring
husband King Jungjong
Sons Prince Gyeongwon
Daughters Princess Uihye
Princess Hyosun
Princess Gyeonghyeon
Princess Insun
Remarks
Regent from 1545 to 1553

Munjeong ( Korean : 문정 ) (* December 2, 1501 in Hanseong , Joseon ; † May 5, 1565 in Hanseong, Joseon) was queen and 3rd wife of the 11th King of the Joseon Dynasty ( 조선 왕조 ) (1392-1910) , King Jungjong ( 중종 ). She was also considered a "regent behind the bamboo curtain" when she helped her 12-year-old son to the throne and determined the fortunes of the Joseon Empire ( 조선 ) for over eight years .

Life

Queen Munjeong was the daughter of Yun Ji-im ( 윤지임 ), the minister for royal affairs at the court. While her father came from the Yun clan, her mother was a representative of the Lee clan. At the age of 11, she had to cope with the death of her mother and took on the task of looking after her younger siblings. She was considered a pretty and thoughtful girl in her youth. At the time it was introduced at court, there were numerous conflicts between the king's concubines , relatives by marriage, and the court's deserving courtiers. She cleverly stayed away from it and educated herself in matters of politics by reading a. a. the writings of the Chinese historian Sima Qian 司馬遷 .

When King Jungjong's second wife, Queen Janggyeon, passed away, Munjeong became his third wife, and in 1517 Queen of the Joseon Empire. In 1534 she had her only son, who later became Prince Gyeongwon ( 경원 ) under the name Myeongjong ( 명종 ) the 13th king of the Joseon dynasty. Her four daughters Uihye ( 의혜 ), Hyosun ( 효순 ), Gyeonghyeon ( 경현 ) and Insun ( 인순 ) were all introduced as princesses at court.

Beginning of their reign

In 1544 King Jungjong died and King Injong ( 인종 ) ascended the throne, which was not without tension between Queen Munjeong, who would have liked to see her own son on the throne, and her stepson. In addition, there was a dispute between Munjeong and the then reigning Queen Janggyeon, Jungjong's second wife, which also led to the fact that both came from the same clan, that a split developed within the clan and two unequally strong factions formed , a larger faction that sided with the late Queen Janggyeon and a smaller faction that supported Queen Munjeong.

King Injong's ill health took its toll after just nine months in office, after which he passed away. But rumors at court blamed Queen Munjeong for the death of her stepson after she is said to have poisoned him. With Injong's death, the way was now clear for Queen Munjeong to help her own son, at the tender age of only 12, to ascend the throne as King Myeongjong ( 명종 ) in 1545 . She herself took over the affairs of state and ruled on his behalf. This also shifted power in favor of the smaller faction of their clan that supported them. Her younger brother Yun Won-hyeong ( 윤원형 ) eliminated 1545 opponents at court and in the government in a purge, thereby giving her sole power, which she exercised for over eight years.

Buddhism under their rule

Under the reign of Queen Munjeong and her followers, Buddhism flourished in the country. Depending on the beliefs of the monarchs and the ruling class, the state has in the past been oriented towards Confucian or Buddhist teachings. Now that Queen Munjeong was pro-Buddhist and strictly religious, monks and temples received all kinds of support, which in turn led to resentment and tension among the scholarly class. In order to also be able to solve the country's social problems, Queen Munjeong seeks the help of the Buddhist monk and leader Bou ( 보우 , 普 雨 1515–1565). He, in turn, organized in 1551 to Buddhism in the country into two main branches again in Gyojong ( 교종 ) in those studying scripts were dedicated and Seonjong ( 선종 ) in those that the Zen path followed. This then resulted in the two main temples Bongeunsa ( 봉은사 ) and Bongseonsa ( entstanden ). Queen Munjeong even went so far as to make the monk Bou Minister of Military Affairs. She was certain of the resistance at court among Confucian scholars. Protest also developed among students at the National Confucian Academy .

End of their reign

Queen Munjeong's son Myeongjong took over the affairs of state in 1553, but her influence remained until her death in May 1565. She was buried in the Taereung ( 태릉 ) tomb , which is now in Hwarang-ro ( 화랑로 ), in the Nowon-gu ( 노원구 ) district of Seoul is located.

literature

  • Lee Bae-young : Women in Korean History . Ewha Womans University Press , Seoul 2008, ISBN 978-89-7300-772-1 (English, Korean: 한국 역사 속의 여성들 . Translated by Lee Kyoung-hee).
  • Jongmyung Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . In: Korea Journal . Vol. 54, No. 2 , 2014, p. 62–86 (English, online [PDF; 461 kB ; accessed on May 15, 2019]).

Individual evidence

  1. Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . In: Korea Journal . 2014, p.  65 (English).
  2. a b c Lee : Women in Korean History . 2008, p.  167 .
  3. a b Lee : Women in Korean History . 2008, p.  166 .
  4. a b Jung Inman : King Injong . Busan ddadang , April 9, 2017, accessed May 15, 2019 .
  5. Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . In: Korea Journal . 2014, p.  63 f . (English).
  6. Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . In: Korea Journal . 2014, p.  70 (English).
  7. ^ Lee : Women in Korean History . 2008, p.  168 f .
  8. Taereung & Gangneung (Taegangneung) (UNESCO World Heritage) . In: Visit Korea . Korea Tourism Organization , accessed May 15, 2019 .