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Queen Jeongseong
정성왕후(貞聖王后)
Queen consort of Joseon
Tenure16 October 1724 – 23 March 1757
PredecessorQueen Seonui
SuccessorQueen Jeongsun
Crown Princess of Joseon
Tenure15 November 1721 – 16 October 1724
PredecessorCrown Princess Eo
SuccessorCrown Princess Jo
Born2 January 1693
Gahoebang, Joseon
Died23 March 1757 (1757-03-24) (aged 64)
Gwanrigak, Daejojeon Hall, Changdeokgung, Hanseong, Joseon
Burial
Hongneung Tomb, Seooneung Cluster, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
SpouseYeongjo of Joseon (m. 1703–1757)
Issue
Posthumous name
  • 혜경 장신 강선 공익 인휘 소헌 원렬 단목장화 정성왕후
  • 惠敬莊愼康宣恭翼仁徽昭獻元烈端穆章和貞聖王后
ClanDaegu Seo clan (by birth)
Jeonju-Yi clan (by marriage)
DynastyHouse of Yi
FatherSeo Jong-jae, Internal Prince of Dalseong
MotherInternal Princess Consort Jamseong of the Ubong-Yi clan
ReligionKorean Buddhism
Seal

Queen Jeongseong (Korean: 정성왕후 서씨; 2 January 1693 – 23 March 1757[1]), of the Daegu Seo clan, was the first wife of King Yeongjo of Joseon and the adoptive mother of Crown Prince Sado.[2]

Biography

It's said the queen was born on 12 January 1693 in Gahoebang (가회방, 嘉會坊). She was the second daughter and fourth child of Seo Jong-jae and Lady Yi of the Ubong-Yi clan.

In November 1703, at the age of ten, she married the eight-year-old Prince Yeoning. As the wife of a prince, she was given the title of Princess Consort of Dalseong (달성군부인, 達城郡夫人).

In 1720, her husband was appointed as Crown Prince (왕세제, 王世弟). As his wife, she was given the title Crown Princess Consort (왕세제빈).

In 1724, Prince Yeoning's older brother, King Gyeongjong died. Prince Yeoning ascended the throne on 30 August of that year as King Yeongjo and she became his queen consort.

As queen, it was said that she held a generous character to her. The Queen had also cherished and treated Crown Prince Hyojang, Yi Jeong-bin's son, and Crown Prince Sado, Yi Yeong-bin’s son, as if they were her own sons.

The Queen died at Changdeok Palace on 3 April 1757, and is buried in Seoreung within Hongreung in Yongdu-gong, Deokyang ward, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. King Yeongjo had her buried near his father, Sukjong of Joseon, in Myeongreung, and because her tomb was built before her husband died, King Yeongjo reserved a spot next her mound intending to be buried with her, which is such a irony considering how much he was indifferent to her.

However, when King Yeongjo died in 1776, King Jeongjo was conscious of the Queen Dowager, and built Wonreung to bury the former King and later, the late Queen Dowager. As a result, Queen Jeongseong is buried there alone.

Queen Jeongseong had no biological children, the cause is unknown. We can only assume that's because the relationship between Queen Jeongseong and King Yeongjo was cold.

Family

Parent

Sibling(s)

In popular culture

Notes and references

  1. ^ In Lunar Calendar, the Queen was born on 7 December 1692 and died on 15 February 1757
  2. ^ Kim Haboush, JaHyun (2013). The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea (2 ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20055-5.
  3. ^ He was a 7th great-grandson of Seo Geo-jeong (서거정, 徐居正; 1420 - 1488) who served 6 kings (Sejong, Munjong, Danjong, Sejo, Yejong, and Seongjong). Seo’s mother was Gwon Geun’s daughter and the paternal aunt of Gwon Ram
  4. ^ Seo Gwang-beom’s 5th great-grandfather
Queen Jeongseong Daegu Seo clan Royal titles Preceded byQueen Seonuiof the Hamjong-Eo clan Queen consort of Joseon 30 November 1724 – 3 April 1757 Succeeded byQueen Jeongsunof the Gyeongju-Kim clan
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