Queen Sapyeong of the Jeonju Yi clan () was the first and primary wife of King Gangjong of Goryeo when he was still a crown prince who just reigned for 9 months. Descended from Yi Yongbu, she would become the first cousin fifth removed to

Yi Seonggye Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...

and only royal wife in Korean history who was born and came from the

Jeonju Yi clan The Jeonju Yi clan () is a Korean clan with the surname Yi. Their Bon-gwan is in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The clan includes the former House of Yi which ruled the Joseon dynasty and the Korean Empire. Their founder was Yi Han (). His des ...

Biography

Early life

The future Queen Sapyeong was born into the

as the only daughter of

Yi Ui-bang Yi Ui-bang (, 1121 – 12 January 1175) was a military ruler of Korea during the Goryeo period. He was one of many military dictators of Goryeo in the aftermath of the 1170 warrior rebellion. Life Background Yi originated from the Jeonju Yi ...

, son of Yi Yong-bu and Lady Jo in

Jeonju Jeonju () is the 16th largest city in South Korea and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many residents who work in Jeonju) ...

, Jeollakbuk-do.

Marriage and later life

In 1174, she married Crown Prince Wang Suk as his primary and first wife since her father had a big influence in the court. However, after 5 months reign, her father was assassinated in the coup led by Jeong-Gyun (정균), son of

Jeong Jung-bu Jeong Jung-bu (1106 – 18 October 1179) was a medieval Korean soldier and military dictator during the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392). He was a career soldier, qualified on military part of civil service examination. He was most noted for leading ...

(정중부), which she later expelled from her position and out the palace according to the opinion that, :"You cannot have the rebel's daughter as a spouse and companion for you."
"반역자의 딸을 동궁의 배필로 둘 수 없다." After her husband's ascension to the throne, she then received her title back and

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

honoured as a Queen Consort. The couple had a

daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...

who later married Wang Chun, Duke Hawon (왕춘 하원공). After that, her life was not appear in both of ''

Goryeosa The ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is the main surviving historical record of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. It was composed nearly a century after the fall of Goryeo, during the reign of King Sejong, undergoing repeated revisions between ...

'' or ''

jeolyo''.

Family

*Father:

(이의방, 李義方) (1121 - 12 January 1174) **Grandfather: Yi Yong-bu (이용부, 李勇夫) ***Great-grandfather:Yi Gung-jin (이궁진, 李宮進) ****Great-great-grandfather: Yi Jin-yu (이진유, 李珍有) ** Grandmother: Lady Yi (이씨, 李氏); daughter of Yi Hyeong (이형, 李珩) from the Samcheok Yi clan *Mother: Lady Jo (조씨, 曺氏) *Husband: Crown Prince Wang Suk (황태자 왕숙) (10 May 1152 — 26 October 1213); son of King Myeongjong and

Queen Uijeong Queen Uijeong of the Gim clan (Hangul: 의정왕후 김씨, Hanja: 義靜王后金氏; d. 1170) or known as Queen Mother Gwangjeong () was a Goryeo royal family member as the third daughter Duke Gangneung who married her half second cousin once re ...

. **Daughter:

Princess Suryeong Princess Suryeong was a Goryeo Royal Princess as the first and eldest daughter of King Gangjong when he was still a crown prince, from his first former wife, Queen Sapyeong, who was the daughter of Yi Ui-bang. She was, possibly, the older half-s ...

(수령궁주) (1174 - ?) ***Son-in-law: Wang Chun, Duke Hawon (하원공 왕춘, 河源公王瑃); grandson of Princess Changrak and great-grandson of King Injong

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Park Eun-bin Park Eun-bin (, born September 4, 1992) is a South Korean actress. A former child actress, she is known for her lead roles in the television series ''Hello, My Twenties!'' (2016–2017), ''Hot Stove League'' (2019–2020), ''Do You Like Brahms? ...

in the 2003-2004 KBS TV series ''

Age of Warriors ''Age of Warriors'' () is a South Korean historical television series. It aired on KBS1 from February 8, 2003, to August 15, 2004, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:45 ( KST) for 158 episodes. The series is set during the military rule over Goryeo ...

''.

References

External links

Queen Sapyeong
on

Encykorea The ''Encyclopedia of Korean Culture'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by the Academy of Korean Studies and DongBang Media Co. The articles in the encyclopedia are aimed at readers who want to learn about Korean culture and history, ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sapyeong, Queen Royal consorts of the Goryeo Dynasty Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Jeonju Yi clan People from Jeonju