He ascended to the throne in 1545 at the age of 12 following the death of his elder half-brother, King Injong. Since he was too young to govern, his mother became regent.[1]
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,[2] and Lesser Yun, headed by Myeongjong's maternal uncles, Yun Won-hyeong and Yun Wonro.[3] (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.
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[4][5] Jeong Nan-jeong, who also rose to power due to her close friendship and being the second sister-in-law to Queen Munjeong.[6][7] Yun Won-hyeong allowed corruption to flourish in the government. And while the kingdom was unstable, Jurchens, Japanese, 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.[8] Yi Gyun, Prince Haseong (later known as Yi Yeon, Seonjo of Joseon), his half-nephew from his older half-brother Grand Internal Prince Deokheung, was adopted by his wife, the now Queen Dowager Uiseong, to succeed the throne in 1567.
^Daughter of Lee Cheom-jeong (이첨정, 李添貞) and Lady Yi of the Jeonju Yi clan (전주 이씨, 全州 李氏). Lady Yi was the 5th generation granddaughter of Grand Prince Hyoryeong through her father, Yi Hyo-seong (이효성).
^She was a (older) cousin of Royal Noble In of the Suwon Kim clan, the concubine of King Seonjo. Gyeong-bin’s mother is the sister of In-bin’s mother.
^Before the rank of Bin, Lady Lee was firstly Royal Consort Suk-won (숙원) in 1558, secondly as Royal Consort Suk-ui (숙의) in 1567 when Seonjo ascended the throne, and lastly promoted during King Yeongjo’s reign around 1760 as Royal Noble Consort Gyeong (경빈)
^Daughter of Jeong Su (정수, 鄭銖) and Lady Hwang of the Jangsu Hwang clan (장수 황씨, 長水 黃氏)
^Daughter of Shin Hong-je (신홍제, 慎弘濟) and Lady Ki of the Haengju Ki clan (행주 기씨, 幸州 奇氏)
^Daughter of Shin Eon-suk (신언숙, 申彥淑) and Lady Choi of the Haeju Choi clan (해주 최씨, 海州 崔氏)
^Daughter of Jeong Gwi-bong (정귀붕, 鄭龜朋) and Lady Yi of the Yangseong Yi clan (양성 이씨, 陽城 李氏)
# denotes that the king was deposed and never received a temple name.
^Those who were listed were not reigning monarchs but posthumously recognized; the year following means the year of recognition.
^Only the crown princes that didn't become the king were listed; the former year indicates when one officially became the heir and the latter one is that when one died/deposed. Those who ascended to the throne were excluded in the list for simplification.
^The title given to the biological father, who never reigned, of the kings who were adopted as the heir to a precedent king.
^The de jure monarch of Korea during the era was the Emperor of Japan, while the former Korean emperors were given nobility title "King Yi" instead.
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