Queen Seonjeong of the Gim clan (Hangul: 선정왕후 김씨, Hanja: 宣靖王后 金氏; d. 17 August 1222), also known as Queen Mother Seonjeong () or Queen Mother Jeongseon () was a member of the Goryeo royal family. Born as the youngest daughter of
Duke Gangneung
Duke Gangneung (died 1146), personal name Wang On (), was a member of the royal family of Goryeo as the grandson of King Munjong. Through his daughters, he became the father-in-law of the three successive kings ( Uijong, Myeongjong, Sinjong) an ...
, a grandson of
King Munjong, she became a queen consort through her marriage with her second half cousin once removed,
King Sinjong. Her son,
King Huijong became king after her husband's abdication. She was one of several Goryeo queens to take their mother's clan name over their father's
[ and eventually became an ancestor of ]Gongyang
The ''Gongyang Zhuan'' (), also known as the ''Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals'' or the ''Commentary of Gongyang'', is a commentary on the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'', and is thus one of the Chinese classics. Along with the '' ...
. She was the youngest among Queen Janggyeong, Marchioness Daeryeong 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 ...
.
Biography
Early life and marriage
The future Queen Seonjeong was born as the fourth and youngest daughter of Wang On, Duke Gangneung (왕온 강릉공). It was said that from childhood, she had a straight and bright personality, as well as having gentle and quietly behavior.Queen Gongye
Queen Gongye of the Jangheung Im clan (; 2 October 1109 – 2 December 1183) was a Korean queen consort as the 3rd wife of King Injong of Goryeo. As his favourite and beloved wife, she was the mother of his three successors ( Uijong, Myeongjon ...
.
Palace life
In 1197, her husband succeeded King Myeongjong as King Sinjong and she then was honoured as a Primary Consort (원비, 元妃). She was reportedly a devoted and virtue wife to Sinjong, whom she advised and assisted in his royal duties,Choe Chung-heon
Choe Chung-heon (1149 – 29 October 1219) was a military ruler of Korea during the Goryeo period.
Choe's father was a Grand General in the Goryeo military, hence precipitating his own entry into the military. Choe witnessed military men become ...
, the de facto ruler of the nation, and was deposed. Then, her nephew Wang Suk ascended and after that was succeeded by his son, Wang Cheol. At this time, she already existed 18 years in held this position (queen mother).
It was said that she was excellent at weaved since young, even Choe Chungheon
Choe Chung-heon (1149 – 29 October 1219) was a military ruler of Korea during the Goryeo period.
Choe's father was a Grand General in the Goryeo military, hence precipitating his own entry into the military. Choe witnessed military men become ...
(최충헌) deposed Huijong, she endured difficulties and was sober, so there were no any disturbance. But, when Choe died, she always suffered and defended herself by refraining from suffering.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 ...
'', King Gojong raised empress dowager (황태후, 皇太后) to grand empress dowager (태황태후, 太皇太后) in 1123, but it was unclear whether it referred to her (Sinjong's widow) or Queen Wondeok
Queen Wondeok of the Yu clan (Hangul: 원덕왕후 유씨, Hanja: 元德王后 柳氏; d. 1239) was a Goryeo royal family member as the descendant of King Munjong who became a queen consort through her marriage with her fourth cousin once removed ...
(Gangjong's widow). If it was her, her title would be the Grand Empress Dowager Seonjeong (선정태황태후, 宣靖太皇太后) instead of Empress Dowager Seonjeong (선정황태후, 宣靖皇太后).
Arts
To honour his grandaunt, King Gojong ordered Yi Gyu-bo
Yi or YI may refer to:
Philosophic Principle
* Yì (义; 義, righteousness, justice) among the 三綱五常
Ethnic groups
* Dongyi, the Eastern Yi, or Tung-yi (Chinese: , ''Yí''), ancient peoples who lived east of the Zhongguo in ancient Ch ...
to write a poem to commemorate her. This poem, "Everything From the Grand Queen Mother" (왕태후 만사) was recorded in the 16th volume of the '' Dongguk Sangguk Collection'' and it was said that Seonjeong was given the honorary title of "The Supreme Imperial Mother" (태상황모, 太上皇母) during her lifetime, while her eldest son became "Retired Emperor" (상황, 上皇) and her granddaughter became "Queen Consort" (왕후, 王后). King Gojong praised her effort into the stability of the royal family, rather than getting involved in politics during Goryeo's difficult times.
Death and Posthumous name
The Queen Mother outlived 18 years than her late husband and later on 17 August 1222 (9th year reign of King Gojong), she died and was buried in Jilleung Tomb (진릉, 眞陵), near Gaeseong
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 to ...
, North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. Then, received her Posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...
under King Gojong's command:
*In October 1253, name Sin-heon (신헌, 信獻) was added to her posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...
.Gongyang
The ''Gongyang Zhuan'' (), also known as the ''Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals'' or the ''Commentary of Gongyang'', is a commentary on the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'', and is thus one of the Chinese classics. Along with the '' ...
, was King Sinjong and Queen Seonjeong's descendant from their 2nd son, Duke Yangyang
Wang Seo, known by his title of Marquess Deokyang and later Duke Yangyang, was a Goryeo Royal Prince as the second son of King Sinjong and Queen Seonjeong, also the only younger brother of King Huijong. Through his third son, he would eventuall ...
.
References
External links
Queen Seonjeong
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, ...
.
선정태후
on Doosan Encyclopedia
''Doosan Encyclopedia'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (두산동아). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (동아원색세계대백과사전), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be p ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seonjeong, Queen
Royal consorts of the Goryeo Dynasty
Korean queens consort
Year of birth unknown
1222 deaths