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Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
: 이역;
Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...
: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
: 진성대군;
Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...
: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the
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 ...
of
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. He succeeded to the throne after the deposition of his older half-brother, the tyrannical
Yeonsangun Yeonsangun of Joseon or Prince Yeonsan of Joseon (23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung ( Korean: 이융; Hanja: 李㦕), was the tenth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's ...
.


Biography


Rise to power

In September 1506, on the day
Yeonsangun Yeonsangun of Joseon or Prince Yeonsan of Joseon (23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung ( Korean: 이융; Hanja: 李㦕), was the tenth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's ...
was deposed, soldiers belonging to the coup's leaders surrounded the house of Grand Prince Jinseong. He was about to commit suicide, thinking that his older half-brother was finally going to kill him, but after being dissuaded by his wife, Lady Shin (later known as
Queen Dangyeong Queen Dangyeong (7 February 1487 – 27 December 1557), of the Geochang Shin clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and first queen consort of Yi Yeok, King Jungjong, the 11th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort of Joseon for seven da ...
), Grand Prince Jinseong found himself becoming the eleventh king of
Joseon 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 ...
.


Jo Gwang-jo's reforms

Jungjong worked hard to wipe out the remnants of
Yeonsangun Yeonsangun of Joseon or Prince Yeonsan of Joseon (23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung ( Korean: 이융; Hanja: 李㦕), was the tenth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's ...
's era by reopening
Sungkyunkwan Sungkyunkwan was the foremost educational institution in Korea during the late Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. Today, it sits in its original location, at the south end of the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul ...
(the royal university) and the Office of Censors (which criticizes inappropriate actions of the king). However, during the early days of his reign, the new king could not exert the royal power freely as those who put him on the throne held immense control over the country. When three of the main leaders of coup died of old age or natural causes in the next eight years, Jungjong began to assert his authority and carried out large-scale reforms with the help of
Jo Gwang-jo Jo Gwangjo (, 23 August 1482 – 10 January 1520), also often called by his pen name Jeong-am (), was Korean Neo-Confucian scholar who pursued radical reforms during the reign of Jungjong of Joseon in the early 16th century. He was framed with ...
and other
Sarim The Sarim (sometimes Saarim), or "forest of scholars", was a powerful faction of literati that dominated Middle and Late Joseon politics in Korea. History of Sarim faction Early beginning The philosophical lineage of the Sarim scholars origina ...
scholars, despite much opposition from conservative nobles who had participated in the 1506 rebellion. Jo Gwang-jo strengthened local autonomy by establishing a self-governing system called ''
Hyangyak The ''hyangyak'' was a contractual arrangement that allowed for a degree of local government in the history of Korea. During the rule of Jungjong (1506–1544), the contract was enforced by the local level officials. Specific details were circu ...
'', promoted
Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
writings by translating them into
hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
(Korean native script) and distributing them widely, pursued a land reform that would distribute land more equally between the rich and poor, and introduced a supplementary system to recruit talents for the government. He believed that any talented people, including slaves, should be appointed as officials regardless of social status. The
Annals of the Joseon dynasty The ''Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty'' (also known as the ''Annals of the Joseon Dynasty'' or the ''True Record of the Joseon Dynasty''; ko, 조선왕조실록 and ) are the annual records of Joseon, the last royal house to rule K ...
state that during his time as Inspector General (''Daesaheon''; 대사헌), he enforced the laws strictly so that no official dared to receive a bribe or exploit the local populace. While Jungjong and Jo Gwang-jo shared a common passion for the reformist agenda, the former was chiefly interested in solidifying royal authority whereas the latter was more concerned with
neo-Confucian Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in t ...
ideology, according to which those who rule must be a virtuous example to the rest. Jo's uncompromising character and frequent remonstrations also began to irritate the king. In late 1519, the conservative officials came up with a plan to further weaken Jo Gwang-jo's influence; they used honey to write ''Ju Cho Wi Wang'' ("Ju Cho will be King"; 주초위왕, 走肖爲王) on mulberry leaves so that caterpillars would leave behind the same words as if in supernatural manifestation. When the
hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...
characters 走 (''ju'') and 肖 (''cho'') are put together, they form the character 趙 (''jo''), and the expression's meaning changes to "Jo wang-jowill be King". The incident was reminiscent of another occurrence that took place before the fall of the Goryeo dynasty, when the phrase ''Mok Ja Deuk Guk'' ("Son of wood will gain the country"; 목자득국, 木子得國) became popular. In this case, the combined characters 木 ("wood") and 子 ("son") form the character 李 ("yi"), which was the surname of General Yi Seong-gye (later known as King Taejo, the founder of Joseon). The only living leader of the 1506 coup, Hong Gyeong-ju (홍경주, 洪景舟), used this event to heighten Jungjong's suspicions and fears. Finally, in January 1520, Jo Gwang-jo was executed on charges of factionalism and many of his followers were exiled, while his radical reform programs were abruptly abandoned. The incident became known as the Third Literati Purge (''Gimyo Sahwa''; 기묘사화, 己卯士禍).


Rule of in-laws

After Jo Gwang-jo's elimination, Jungjong never had the chance to rule on his own again. His reign was marked by tumultuous struggle among various conservative factions, each of them backed by one of the king's wives or concubines. In 1524,
Nam Gon Nam Gon ( ko, 남곤, 南袞; 147110 March 1527) was a Korean politician, poet, Neo-Confucian scholar, thinker, writer and Prime Minister during the Joseon Dynasty. His nicknames were Jijeong (지정, 止亭), Jijokdang (지족당, 知足堂) a ...
and Shim Jung ousted the corrupt official Gim Ahn-ro (김안로, 金安老), but he managed to return to power and took revenge by accusing Royal Noble Consort Gyeong (one of the king's concubines) of plotting against the crown prince, which led to her execution along with her only son, Prince Bokseong. Following this case, Gim Ahn-ro started using the protection of the crown prince as an excuse to begin a reign of terror against his enemies, and even attempted to depose Jungjong's third wife,
Queen Munjeong Queen Munjeong (Hangul: 문정왕후, Hanja: 文定王后; 2 December 1501 – 5 May 1565), of the Papyeong Yun clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and third queen consort of Yi Yeok, King Jungjong. She was queen consort of Joseon ...
, after she gave birth to a son (the future King Myeongjong). He eventually met his downfall at the hands of the queen's brothers, Yun Won-ro and
Yun Won-hyeong Yun Won-hyeong ( ko, 윤원형, 尹元衡; 1503 – 18 November 1565) was a Korean political figure of the Joseon period. He was the younger brother of Queen Munjeong, the 3rd wife of 11th King Jungjong and was the maternal uncle of the 13th Ki ...
. Despite these events,
Yun Im Yun Im (윤임, 尹任; 26 July 1487 - 30 August 1545) was a politician, general, and soldier of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He was from the aristocratic family of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평 윤씨, 波平 尹氏), and related to the Royal Jeon ...
, older brother of the late Queen Janggyeong and an ally of Gim Ahn-ro, was able to maintain his standing and preserve his
nephew In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...
's position as heir to the throne. The scholars and officials now gathered around two new centers of power and each group developed into separate political factions. Yun Im's party became known as "Greater Yun" and the Yun brothers' party as "Lesser Yun". Their conflict caused the Fourth Literati Purge (''Ulsa Sahwa''; 을사사화, 乙巳士禍) after Jungjong's death. As the royal court was weakened by the continual internal conflict, foreign powers driven away by earlier monarchs returned with much greater effect. Japanese pirates often plundered the southern coastal regions, while the
Jurchens Jurchen (Manchu: ''Jušen'', ; zh, 女真, ''Nǚzhēn'', ) is a term used to collectively describe a number of East Asian Tungusic-speaking peoples, descended from the Donghu people. They lived in the northeast of China, later known as Manch ...
attacked the northern frontier numerous times, bleeding the army dry.


Death

The king passed away on 29 November 1544 and was originally buried in Goyang,
Gyeonggi Province 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 ...
. He was later moved to the Seonjeongneung Cluster, in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, the burial ground of his parents, King Seongjong and
Queen Jeonghyeon Queen Jeonghyeon (정현왕후 윤씨) (21 July 1462 – 13 September 1530), of the Papyeong Yun clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and third queen consort of Yi Hyeol, King Seongjong and the mother of Yi Yeok, King Jungjong. She w ...
. The tomb is called ''Jeongneung'' (정릉). The throne passed to his eldest legitimate son, Crown Prince Yi Ho (posthumously honored as King Injong), who died without issue less than a year later and was succeeded by his younger half-brother, Grand Prince Gyeongwon (today known as King Myeongjong).


Family

*Father:
King Seongjong of Joseon Seongjong of Joseon (19 August 1457 – 20 January 1495), personal name Yi Hyeol (Korean: ; Hanja: ), was the ninth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Before succeeding his uncle, King Yejong, he was known as Grand Prince Jalsan (Korean: ...
(20 August 1457 – 20 January 1494) () **Grandfather: Deokjong of Joseon (1438 – 2 September 1457) () **Grandmother: Queen Sohye of the Cheongju Han clan (7 October 1437 – 11 May 1504) () *Mother: Queen Jeonghyeon of the Papyeong Yun clan (21 July 1462 – 13 September 1530) () **Grandfather: Yun Ho (1424 – 9 April 1496) () **Grandmother: Lady Jeon of the Damyang Jeon clan () Consorts and their respective issue(s): # Queen Dangyeong of the Geochang Shin clan (7 February 1487 – 27 December 1557) () — No issue. # Queen Janggyeong of the Papyeong Yun clan (10 August 1491 – 16 March 1515) () ## Yi Ok-ha, Princess Hyohye (13 June 1511 – 6 May 1531) ( 이옥하), first daughter ## Crown Prince Yi Ho (10 March 1515 – 7 August 1545) (), fourth son # Queen Munjeong of the Papyeong Yun clan (2 December 1501 – 5 May 1565) () ## Yi Ok-hye, Princess Uihye (1521–1564) ( 이옥혜), seventh daughter ## Yi Ok-rin, Princess Hyosun (1522–1538) (이옥린 ), eight daughter ## Yi Ok-hyeon, Princess Gyeonghyeon (1530–1584) ( 이옥현), eleventh daughter ## Yi Hwan, Grand Prince Gyeongwon (3 July 1534 – 3 August 1567) (), tenth son ##
Princess Insun Princess Insun (1542–1545) was a Joseon Royal Princess as the youngest daughter of King Jungjong and Queen Munjeong, also the youngest sister of King Myeongjong who died at very young age. Her tomb firstly located in Yangju, but later moved t ...
(1542–1545) (), twelfth daughter # Royal Noble Consort Gyeong of the Miryang Park clan (1492–1533) () ## Yi Mi, Prince Bokseong (28 September 1509 – 18 June 1533) (), first son ## Yi Cheol-hwan, Princess Hyesun (12 February 1512 – 1583) ( 이철환), second daughter ## Yi Seok-hwa, Princess Hyejeong (27 October 1514 – 1580) ( 이석환), third daughter # Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Namyang Hong clan (1494–1581) () ## Yi Yeong, Prince Geumwon (1513 – 1562) (), third son ## Yi Wan, Prince Bongseong (1528 – 1547) (), seventh son ##''Eleventh son (? – ?)'' ##''Twelfth son (? – ?)'' ##''Thirteenth son (? – ?)'' # Royal Noble Consort Chang of the Ansan Ahn clan (2 September 1499 – 7 November 1549) () ## Yi Geo, Prince Yeongyang (24 April 1521 – 27 July 1561) (), fifth son ## Yi Seon-hwan, Jeongsin (1526 – 1552) (이선환), tenth daughter ## Yi Cho, Prince Deokheung (2 April 1530 – 14 June 1559) (), ninth son ##''Yi Su (이수)(? – ?), fourtheenth son'' # Royal Consort Gwi-in of the
Cheongju Han clan The Cheongju Han clan (Hangul: 청주 한씨, Hanja: 淸州 韓氏) is a Korean noble family. It is also called the House of Han or the Han clan of Cheongju. It is considered one of the most prominent clans since the Gojoseon period. In the ...
(1500 – 1571) () ## ''Eight son (1528 – 1528)Died prematurely'' # Royal Consort Sug-ui of the Naju Na clan (1489 – 1514) () — No issue. # Royal Consort Sug-ui of the Gyeongju Yi clan (? – 1524) () ## Yi Gi, Prince Deokyang (1524 – 1581) (), sixth son # Royal Consort Sug-ui of the
Namyang Hong clan Namyang Hong clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Gyeonggi Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Namyang Hong clan members was 487,488. The Namyang Hong clan is divided into the ...
() ## Yi Hee, Prince Haean (15 June 1511 – 4 August 1573) (), second son # Royal Consort Sug-ui of the Kim clan (? – 1562) () ## Yi Su-hwan, Princess Sukjeong (1525–1564) ( 이수환), ninth daughter # Royal Consort Sug-won of the Yi clan (? – 1520) () ## Yi Jeong-hwan, Jeongsun (18 December 1517 – 22 September 1581) (이정환 ), fifth daughter ## Yi Sun-hwa, Princess Hyojeong (29 October 1520 – 19 February 1544) (이순환 ), sixth daughterMarried Jo Ui-jeong (조의정, 趙義貞) of the Hanyang Jo clan, and had a son, Jo Cheon-gye (조천계, 趙天啓) # Royal Consort Sug-won of the Gwon clan () — No issue. # Unknown ## ''Fourth Daughter (1516 – ?)''


Ancestry


Legacy

While Jungjong was a good and able administrator especially during the reform period led by Jo Gwang-jo, historians see him as a fundamentally weak king who was too easily swayed by both Jo Gwang-jo and the conservative ministers who placed him on the throne. Sometimes, he is seen as a tragic figure who was forced to become king and to depose his loving wife under the pressure of the coup leaders, who also killed her father. More recently, some historians have suggested that Jungjong was not actually manipulated by his ministers and in-laws, but rather used them to get rid of one another to strengthen royal authority albeit not successfully. In either case, Jungjong's reign was marred by much confusion, violence, corruption, and court intrigues. He has been especially criticized for allowing the Third Literati Purge and executing Jo Gwang-jo on false charges.


In popular culture

* Portrayed by Lee Gyung-yung in the 1988 film '' Diary of King Yeonsan''. * Portrayed by Choi Jong-hwan in the 2001–2002 SBS TV series ''Ladies of the Palace'' and in the 2017 SBS TV series ''
Saimdang, Memoir of Colors ''Saimdang, Memoir of Colors'' () is a South Korean drama starring Lee Young-ae in the title role as Shin Saimdang, a famous Joseon-era artist and calligrapher who lived in the early 16th century. It aired on SBS every Wednesday and Thursday at ...
''. * Portrayed by
Im Ho Im Ho (; born January 27, 1970) is a South Korean actor, best known for his roles mostly as an emperor in historical dramas. His notable roles were included in the television series ''Jang Hui-bin'' (1995) and ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003). Personal ...
in the 2003–2004 MBC TV series ''
Dae Jang Geum ''Dae Jang Geum'' (; literally "The Great Jang-geum"), also known as ''Jewel in the Palace'', is a 2003 South Korean historical drama television series directed by Lee Byung-hoon. It first aired on MBC from September 15, 2003 to March 23, 20 ...
''. * Portrayed by Park Chan-hwan in the 2006
KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
TV series ''
Hwang Jini Hwang Jini or Hwang Jin-Yi (; 1506 – 1560), also known by her gisaeng name Myeongwol ("bright moon", ), was one of the most famous gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional ...
''. * Portrayed by
Noh Young-hak Noh Young-Hak (born April 1, 1993) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Films Awards and nominations References External links * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Noh, Young-hak 1993 births Living people Male actors f ...
in the 2007–2008 SBS TV series ''
The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...
''. * Portrayed by
Choi Il-hwa Choi Il-hwa (born May 9, 1959) is a South Korean actor. He joined the Madang Sesil Theatre Group in 1983, and has since continued acting in Korean theater, television and film. Filmography Film *'' No Tomorrow (2016) *'' Wonderful Nightmare'' ...
in the 2013
KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
TV series ''
The Fugitive of Joseon ''The Fugitive of Joseon'' (; lit. "Heaven's Order: The Story of the Fugitive from Joseon") is a 2013 South Korean historical television series starring Lee Dong-wook and Song Ji-hyo. It aired on KBS2 from April 24 to June 27, 2013 on Wednesdays ...
''. * Portrayed by Go Kyung-pyo in the 2015 film ''
The Treacherous ''The Treacherous'' (; lit. "Treacherous Subject" or "Treacherous Retainer") is a 2015 South Korean period drama film directed by Min Kyu-dong. Plot The story of Joseon's tyrant king Yeonsan who exploits the populace for his own carnal pleasures ...
''. * Portrayed by Kim Beop-rae in the 2016 MBC TV series ''
The Flower in Prison ''Flowers of the Prison'' () is a 2016 South Korean drama television series starring Jin Se-yeon, Go Soo, Kim Mi-sook, Jung Joon-ho, Park Joo-mi, Yoon Joo-hee, , Jun Kwang-ryul and Choi Tae-joon. It is MBC's special project drama to commemorat ...
''. * Portrayed by Baek Seung-hwan and
Yeon Woo-jin Yeon or less commonly Youn (연) is a Korean surname. The name may correspond to the Chinese surnames Yan (燕, 延) or Lian (連). The hanja 延 is much more common than 燕 and 連. Yeon may also refer to the extinct surname (淵). Origin ...
in the 2017
KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
TV series ''
Queen for Seven Days ''Queen for Seven Days'' () is a South Korean television series starring Park Min-young as the titular Queen Dangyeong, with Yeon Woo-jin and Lee Dong-gun. It aired on KBS2 every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 ( KST) from May 31, 2017 to August ...
''. * Portrayed by
Park Hee-soon Park Hee-soon (; born February 13, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He graduated with a Theater degree from Seoul Institute of the Arts, and was a member of the Mokwha Repertory Company from 1990 to 2001. He became active in film beginning 2002, a ...
in the 2018 film '' Monstrum''.


See also

*
Seonjeongneung Seonjeongneung is a burial ground from the Joseon dynasty, located in Seoul, South Korea. The westernmost tomb, called Seonneung, belongs to King Seongjong (1457–1494) the 9th monarch of Joseon. His first wife, Queen Gonghye of the Cheongju H ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1488 births 1544 deaths 16th-century Korean monarchs