Myeongjong (Joseon)

Myeongjong 13th King of the Joseon Dynasty
Spelling of names
Hangeul	명종
Hanja	明 宗
Revised Romanization	Myeongjong
McCune-Reischauer	Myŏngjong
Reign
Reign of	1545
Reign until	1567
predecessor	King Injong
successor	King Seonjo
Life dates
Born on the	July 3, 1534
place of birth	Hanseong , Joseon
Birth Name	이환
Hanja	李 峘
Revised Romanization	Yi Hwan
McCune-Reischauer	Yi Hwan
father	King Jungjong
mother	Queen Munjeong
Death dates
Died on	August 2, 1567
Place of death	Hanseong , Joseon
tomb	Gangneung Tomb in Nowon-gu , Seoul
Spouses, mistresses, offspring
Woman (s)	Queen Insun and seven other ladies of the court
Sons	Prince Sunhoe (Yi Bu)

Myeongjong ( Korean : 명종 ) (born July 3, 1534 in Hanseong , Joseon ; † August 2, 1567 ibid) was the 13th king of the Joseon Dynasty ( 조선 왕조 ) (1392–1910) in his reign from 1545 to 1567 Korea .

Life

Yi Hwan ( 이환 ), as King Myeongjong was called when he was born, was the second-born son of King Jungjong ( 중종 ) and the first son of Queen Munjeong ( 문정 ), Jungjong's third wife. When King Injong ( 인종 ) died in 1545, Yi Hwan was only eleven years old (twelve by Korean reckoning ) when he was crowned king next in line to the throne. His mother Queen Munjeong, who had an assertive will, initially took over the affairs of government for him, which she operated from the background but with emphasis. She was actively involved in a total of 45 national affairs. The fact that she held Buddhist religious rites for herself and her son led to tensions at the Confucian court. The conflicts were between the Yun clan, which stood behind Queen Munjeong, the neo-Confucian scholars and the deserving elites.

In 1553, King Myeongjong took over the business of government completely, but his mother's influence remained. This was only to change when she died in 1565. King Myeongjong strengthened his power and also gave the neo-Confucian scholars at court and in government a stronger influence.

But his reign, without the influence of his mother, lasted only two years. He died on August 2, 1567 and was buried in the royal tomb Gangneung ( 강릉 ), which is now in the Nowon-gu ( 노원구 ) district of Seoul . His wife, Queen Insun, who died in 1575, was also buried there.

literature

• Ki-baik Lee : A New History of Korea . Harvard University Press , Cambridge, Massachusetts 1984, ISBN 0-674-61576-X (English).
• Bae-yong Lee : Woman in Korean History . Ewha Womans University Press , 2008, ISBN 978-89-7300-772-1 (English).
• 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).
• Jongmyung Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . In: Korea Journal . Vol. 54 No. 2 . Korean National Commission for UNESCO , 2014, p. 62–86 (English, online [PDF; 361 kB ; accessed on March 15, 2019]).

Web links

• 仁宗 ( 奎 12730). Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, archived from the original onApril 4, 2013; accessed on March 9, 2019(English, original website no longer available). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Han : Joseon Era . 2010, p.  307 .
2. ^ Lee, K .: A New History of Korea . 1984, p.  206 .
3. ↑ Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . 2014, p.  62 .
4. ↑ Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . 2014, p.  65 f .
5. ↑ Lee, B .: Woman in Korean History . 2008, p.  170 .
6. ↑ Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . 2014, p.  74 .
7. ↑ Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . 2014, p.  67 .
8. ↑ Kim : Queen Munjeong's (1501-1565) Statecraft and Buddhist View in Confucian Joseon . 2014, p.  76 .
9. ↑ Lee Seung-ah : Joseon royal tombs open to public . In: Korea.net. Korean Culture and Informations Dervice , December 30, 2013, accessed March 15, 2019 .