Yi Cha-ch'un (; 20 January 1315 – 3 June 1361) or known by his

Mongolian name Mongolian names have undergone a number of changes in the history of Mongolia, both with regard to their meaning and their source languages. In Inner Mongolia, naming customs are now similar to Mongolia but with some differences. Historical evolu ...

Ulus Bukha (), was a minor military officer of the Yuan Empire who later transferred his allegiance to Goryeo and became the father of

Yi Sŏng-gye 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 w ...

, founder of the

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 ...

Dynasty.

Biography

Yi Cha-ch'un was a chiliarch of a Yuan Dynasty mingghan in

Ssangseong Prefecture Ssangseong Prefecture (; ) was an administrative division of the Yuan dynasty established in 1258 in modern-day Kumya County, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It was founded as a base for conquest and domination of northern Goryeo territor ...

(present-day

Kŭmya County Kŭmya County is a county in South Hamgyŏng province, North Korea. It borders the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea) to the east. History The area was settled at least since the Bronze Age, revealed by excavations of relics in the county. Dur ...

, South Hamgyŏng Province, North Korea - former Goryeo territory annexed by

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

). After Ssangseong was reconquered by Goryeo under King Gongmin, he migrated to

Hamju Hamju County is a county in South Hamgyong province, North Korea. Physical features The county's highest point is Norabong. The chief river is the Sangch'ŏn River (상천강). Aside from the coastal area, Hamju is mountainous throughout. It i ...

and got promoted to manho (the equivalent of the Mongolian myriarch of a tümen, lit. ''ten thousand'' or chief of ten thousand). He married a Goryeo-Korean lady from Anbyeon, who became Queen Uihye, the mother of Yi Sŏng-gye. He died in Hamgyong in 1361. Since he was glamorized by his descendants, descriptions of Yi Cha-ch'un's life tend to be contradictory to each other. For example, he is said to have risen to the rank of scholar-official. However, when he died, the king at the time expressed condolences for Cha-ch'un as if for scholar-officials, implying that Yi Cha-ch'un was not a scholar-official.

Family

*Father: Yi Ch'un (1265–1342) **Grandfather: Yi Haeng-ni (1236–?) **Grandmother: Queen Jeongsuk of the Deungju Ch'oe clan (1232–?) *Mother: Queen Gyeongsun of the Munju Pak clan (1268–?) **Grandfather: Pak Kwang (; 1240–?) *Wives and their Children: # Queen Uihye of the Yeongheung Ch'oe clan (의혜왕후 영흥 최씨; 1304–?) ## Princess Jeonghwa (1330–?), ''First daughter'' ## Yi Sŏng-gye, King Taejo of Joseon (1335–1408), ''Third son'' #Royal Noble Consort Yi of the Hansan Yi clan (빈 한산 이씨; 1319–1334) ## Yi Wŏn-gye, Grand Prince Wanpung (1330–1388), ''first son'' ## Yi Ch'ŏn-gye, Grand Prince Yeongseong (1333–1392), ''second son'' # Princess Jeongan (정안옹주; 1320–1404) ## Yi Hwa, Grand Prince Uian (1348–1408), ''Fifth son'' #Unknown woman (1325–?) ##Yi Yŏng (이영; 1341–1394), ''Fourth son''

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Jeon Byung-ok in the 2005–2006 MBC TV series ''

Shin Don Sin Don (신돈, 辛旽; 21 January 1322 – 21 August 1371) was a Korean Buddhist monk and scholar during the Goryeo Dynasty; His Dharma name was Pyeonjo and became a teacher and advisor of Gongmin of Goryeo. Summary He was a Buddhist monk. H ...

''. *Portrayed by Jung Dong-gyu in the 2012 SBS TV series '' Faith''. * Portrayed by Lee Soon-jae in the 2015–2016 SBS TV series '' Six Flying Dragons''.

Biography

Family

In popular culture

References

See also