The Jeongju Ryu clan () is one of the

Korean clans Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...

. Their

Bon-gwan Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...

is in

Kaepung Kaep'ung County was a county in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Formerly part of the Kaesong urban area, the county was merged with North Hwanghae when Kaesong was demoted in 2003. The area is the site of the royal tombs of Mausoleum of King ...

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

. It was founded by Ryu Cheon-gung (류천궁) who was a nobleman from

Jeongju Chŏngju (; also Jŏngju) is a ''si'', or city, in southern North P'yŏngan province, North Korea. Prior to 1994, it was designated as a ''kun'' or county. The terrain is mostly level, but mountainous in the north. To the south lies the Chŏ ...

and served as one of the Three Major Grand Masters (태위 삼중대광, 太尉三重大匡).

The Legend

Wang Geon Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Thre ...

firstly meets the future

Queen Sinhye Queen Sinhye of the Jeongju Ryu clan (Sometimes can be Queen Sinhye of the Jeongju Yu clan (신혜왕후 유씨, 神惠王后柳氏).) was the first Goryeo queen consort through her marriage as the first wife of Wang Geon, its founder. As the wife ...

in Jeongju-si,

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

while he was still served under

Gung Ye Gung Ye ( – 24 July 918, r. July 901 – 24 July 918) was the king of the short-lived state of Taebong (901–918), one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Although he was a member of the Silla royal family, he became a victim of the power s ...

's monarch. When those general under Wang Geon suggested him to rebels against Gung, Queen Shinhye's clan, Ryu (류씨), actively persuaded Wang and later got into conflict and revolt. It who made the family prosperous, Ryu So (류소, 柳韶) become a ''Jeonjungsieosa'' (전중시어사, 殿中侍御史) in 1011, ''Eosajapdan'' (어사잡단, 御史雜端) in 1016, ''Saheonjungseung'' (사헌중승, 司憲中丞) in 1019, and ''Ganuidaebu'' (간의대부, 諫議大夫) in 1022, also ''Taejabingaek'' (태자빈객, 太子賓客). The Jeongju Ryu clan was named in Gaepung-gun, Hwanghaebuk-do after the fallen of Goguryeo dynasty. It become located at one of the Gaeseong-gun'S sub-hyeon (속현) in 1018 (9th year reign of King Hyeonjong) and under the jurisdiction of Kaesong Administrative Organization (개성유후사, 開城留後司) in the early

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. Later, in 1442 (24th year reign of

King Sejong Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...

), it was renamed into "Pungdeok" (풍덕, 豊德) while combined with Deoksu-hyeon (덕수현, 德水縣). However, since Kaesong become the

Administrative Division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

, the name was changed again into Gaepung-gun (개풍군, 開豊郡) while combined with Gaeseong-gun (개성군, 開城郡).

Goryeo Queen Consorts

Came from Jeongju Ryu clan

*Jeongju Ryu produced the three-queens consorts of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

, they were: **

, King Taejo's first wife. **

Queen Jeongdeok Queen Jeongdeok of the Jeongju Ryu clan () was the sixth wife of Taejo of Goryeo who came from the same clan with his first wife and bore him seven children. Through her two elder daughters' marriages, she established ties with the powerful Chu ...

, King Taejo's sixth wife **

Queen Myeongui Queen Myeongui of the Jeongju Yu clan (; d. 8 August 1112) was a Korean queen consort as the first and primary wife of King Sukjong of Goryeo and the mother of most of his children. Biography Marriage and Palace life She married Sukjong when he ...

, King Sukjong's only wife.

Adopted Jeongju Ryu clan

Queen Munhye Queen Munhye of the Jeongju Ryu clan () was a Goryeo princess as the first and oldest daughter of King Taejo and Queen Jeongdeok who became the wife of her half brother, King Munwon. With this marriage, she then followed her maternal clan, the ' ...

, King Munwon's only wife. *

Queen Seonui Queen Seonui (14 December 1705 – 12 August 1730) of the Hamjong Eo clan, was the second wife of Yi Yun, King Gyeongjong, the 20th Joseon monarch. She was Queen of Joseon from 1720 until her husband's death in 1724, after which she was honour ...

, King Daejong's only wife.

References

{{reflist Yu clans Korean clan names of Chinese origin

The Legend

Goryeo Queen Consorts

Came from Jeongju Ryu clan

Adopted Jeongju Ryu clan

See also

References