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Myeongjong of Joseon (3 July 1534 – 3 August 1567, r. 1545–1567) was the 13th king 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 r ...
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 ...
. He was the second son of
Jungjong Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (Korean: 이역; Hanja: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (Korean: 진성대군; Hanja: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. ...
, and his mother was Queen Munjeong, who was Jungjong's third queen. He became king in 1545 at the age of 12 following the death of his half-brother, Injong. Since he was too young to rule the kingdom, Queen Munjeong governed the nation in his name.


Biography


Political factions

There were two political factions at the time Myeongjong came to power; Greater Yun, headed by Yun Im, Injong's maternal uncle, and Lesser Yun, headed by Myeongjong's maternal uncles, Yun Won-hyeong and Yun Wonro. (Yun Im and Yun Brothers were close relatives by that period's standards - Yun Im was a third cousin once removed of Yun Brothers.) Greater Yun took power in 1544, when Injong succeeded Jungjong; but they failed to wipe out their opposition, since Queen Munjeong protected the Lesser Yun faction and other opposition officials. After the death of Injong in 1545, Lesser Yun replaced Greater Yun as the majority in the royal court and brutally ousted their adversaries in the Fourth Literati Purge of 1545. Yun Im was executed, as were many of his followers.


Rise of Yun Won-hyeong

The Lesser Yun faction continued to attack their opposition. In 1546, Yun Won-hyeong impeached his older brother, Yun Won-ro, who was executed a few days later along with his followers. Facing no opposition from the government, Yun Won-hyeong became Minister of Personnel 이조판서 in 1548, Left State Councilor in 1551 and ultimately Chief State Councilor 영의정 in 1563. Despite Yun Won-hyeong's violent rule, Queen Munjeong was an effective administrator, distributing to the common people land formerly owned by the nobility. However, she held on to rule even after the king reached his majority at the age of 20.


Death of Queen Munjeong

After the death of Queen Munjeong in 1565, the king decided to rule the kingdom by himself and had his uncle Yun Won-hyeong put to death, along with his second wife Jeong Nan-jeong, who also rose to power due to her close friendship and being second sister-in-law to Queen Munjeong. Yun Won-hyeong allowed corruption to flourish in the government; while the kingdom was unstable, Jurchens,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
ese, and rebellious troops rampaged at will and threatened the government itself. Rebel leader Im Kkeok-jeong was arrested and executed in 1552, but outside invasion continued; the Joseon Dynasty had to re-mobilize its army and navy along to protect its borders.


Death and succession

Myeongjong tried to reform the government after taking power into his own hands by recalling and reinstating Sarim scholars who were exiled in the purge, but died only two years later without any male issue. King Seonjo, his half-nephew, succeeded to the throne in 1567.


Family

* Father: King Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544) (조선 중종) **Grandfather: King Seongjong of Joseon (19 August 1457 – 20 January 1494) (조선 성종) **Grandmother: Queen Jeonghyeon of the Papyeong Yun clan (21 July 1462 – 13 September 1530) (정현왕후 윤씨) * Mother: Queen Munjeong of the Papyeong Yun clan (2 December 1501 – 5 May 1565) (문정왕후 윤씨) **Grandfather: Yun Ji-Im (1475 – 14 April 1534) (윤지임) **Grandmother: Lady Lee of the Jeonui Lee clan (1475 – 1511) (전의 이씨) * Consorts and their Respective Issue(s): # Queen Insun of the Cheongsong Shim clan (27 June 1532 – 12 February 1575) (인순왕후 심씨) ## Yi Bu, Crown Prince Sunhoe (1 July 1551 – 6 October 1563) (이부 순회세자) #Royal Noble Consort Gyeong of the Jeonui Lee clan (1541 – June 1595) (경빈 이씨) #Royal Noble Consort Sun of the Jeong clan (? – 1593) (순빈 정씨) #Royal Consort Gwi-in of the
Geochang Shin clan Geochang Shin clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Geochang County, South Gyeongsang Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Geochang Shin clan’s member was 51,153. Their founder was who was a Kaifeng ...
(귀인 신씨) #Royal Consort So-ui of the Pyeongsan Shin clan (1533 – 1565) (소의 신씨) #Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Han clan (숙의 한씨) (? - 1594) #Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Onyang Jeong clan (숙의 정씨) #Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Dongrae Jeong clan (숙의 정씨)Daughter of Jeong Su (정수 鄭銖) and Lady Hwang of the
Jangsu Hwang clan Jangsu Hwang clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Jangsu County, North Jeolla Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Jangsu Hwang clan’s member was 170988. Hwang Rak (), a chief vassal in Han dynasty ...
(
장수 황씨, 長水 黃氏)


Popular culture

* Portrayed by Seo Dong-hyun 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, ...
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 Lee David in the 2016
JTBC JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...
TV series '' Mirror of the Witch''. * Portrayed by
Seo Ha-joon Seo Ha-joon (born September 19, 1989) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Film Variety show Musical theatre Awards and nominations References External links * 1989 births Living people 21st-century South ...
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 comm ...
''.


Notes


External links

* http://www.koreandb.net/Koreanking/html/person/pki60013.htm * http://chosonsillok.org/inspection/insp_king.jsp?id=kma {{DEFAULTSORT:Myeongjong Of Joseon 1534 births 1567 deaths 16th-century Korean monarchs