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Queen Myeongseong
명성왕후
Queen dowager of Joseon
Tenure17 September 1674 – 11 January 1684
PredecessorQueen Dowager Hyosuk
SuccessorQueen Dowager Hyesun
Queen consort of Joseon
Tenure23 June 1659 – 17 September 1674
PredecessorQueen Inseon
SuccessorQueen Ingyeong
Crown Princess consort of Joseon
Tenure1651 – 23 June 1659
PredecessorCrown Princess Jang
SuccessorCrown Princess Kim
Born3 June 1642
Jangtongbang, Hanseong, Kingdom of Joseon
Died11 January 1684 (1684-01-12) (aged 41)
Jeoseung Hall, Changgyeong Palace, Hanseong, Kingdom of Joseon
Burial
Sungreung
SpouseYi Yeon, King Hyeonjong (m. 1651–1674)
Issue
Posthumous name
현렬희인정헌문덕명성왕후 顯烈禧仁貞獻文德明聖王后
HouseCheongpung Kim (by birth) Jeonju Yi (by marriage)
FatherKim Woo-myeong, Internal Prince Cheongpung
MotherInternal Princess Consort Deokeun of the Eunjin Song clan

Queen Myeongseong (명성왕후 김씨; 3 June 1642 – 11 January 1684[1])[2] of the Cheongpung Kim clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Yi Yeon, King Hyeonjong, the 18th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1659 until her husband's death in 1674, after which she was honored as Queen Dowager Hyeonryeol (현렬왕대비).

She was a wise and intelligent figure, but her fierce personality was said to be the reason why her husband did not have any concubines. The Southerners mocked her as a reincarnation of Queen Munjeong because of her intervention in the politics.

Biography

The future queen was born in Jangtongbang (Hangul: 장통방, Hanja: 長通坊) on 3 June 1642 during the reign of King Injo as the only daughter within four sons. Her father, Kim Woo-myeong, was a member of the Cheongpung Kim clan. Her mother was a member of the Eunjin Song clan who was distantly related to Song Si-yeol and Song Jun-gil.

In 1651, she was arranged to marry the Crown Prince to which her status and title became Crown Princess Consort Kim (왕세자빈 김씨, 王世子嬪 金氏) or (빈궁 김씨, 嬪宮 金氏).

Her parents also received royal titles; her father received the royal title of “Internal Prince Cheongpung” (청풍부원군 淸風府院君, Cheongpung Buwongun), and her mother received the royal title of “Internal Princess Consort Deokeun of the Eunjin Song clan” (덕은부부인 송씨 德恩府夫人 宋氏, Deokeun Bubuin). Through her younger brother, Kim Seok-yeon, Queen Hyoui is her great-great-grandniece.

Her husband ascended the throne as the 18th Joseon monarch, (temple name: Hyeonjong) in 1659, automatically making her the queen consort. During her husband's reign, she and the King had one son and four daughters; only one died in infancy. The Queen gave birth to an unnamed daughter in 1658, Princess Myeongseon in 1659, Yi Sun in 1661, Princess Myeonghye in 1663, and Princess Myeongan in 1665. In 1667, Yi Sun was appointed as heir to the throne with title Crown Prince Myeongbo.

When her husband died on 17 September 1674, Crown Prince Myeongbo was crowned as the 19th Joseon monarch (temple name: Sukjong) a few days after. Thus, she was honored as Queen Dowager Hyeonryeol (현렬왕대비).

After the death of her daughter-in-law in 1680, the Queen Dowager was recommended Song Jun-gil’s maternal granddaughter (the future Queen Inhyeon) to become the next Queen Consort for her son. With this recommendation, it’s said the reason Lady Min was chosen due to the fact her family was a supporter of the Seoin faction and was distantly related to the Queen Dowager, and the late Queen Ingyeong. Thus, the young now Queen married her son in 1681, but despite having the upper hand in choosing a wife, her son’s relation with a palace maid would eventually cause havoc between them and the court.

Hyeonryeol frequently intervened in the court, criticizing the Southerners (Namin faction) and framed Grand Prince Inpyeong’s sons (Princes Bokchang, Bokseon, and Bokpyeong) with the accusation of adultery with the palace maids. The reason was that she viewed them as threats to her son’s position.

However, there was no evidence to support her accusation and because of her claim, Kim Woo-myeong, the Queen Dowager’s father, ended up being the suspect of initiating the slander against the princes. Hyeonryeol took it up to herself and knelt outside her quarters, pleading for her son to prove the princes’ crime. In the end, Sukjong exiled the three princes and the Southerners mocked her as a reincarnation of Queen Munjeong because of her intervention in the politics. Kim Woo-myeong chose to confine himself in his house following the incident as he felt humiliated, and he died because of severe depression.

After hearing about Sukjong’s relationship with a palace attendant (Jang Ok-jeong), Hyeonryeol sent Jang Ok-jeong out of the palace, since she apparently believed her low status would make the woman ignorant and wicked. However, the real reason was that the woman’s family background as Southerners made the queen believe that she entered the palace to become a spy for the Southerners. She set up a ceremony to pray for her son’s recovery after Sukjong fell unconscious. Hyeonryeol was a firm believer of Shamanism and upon consulting with a shaman, decided to pray and get doused with water while wearing summer clothes despite it being winter. She was hit with a bad flu in January and died in the same month on 11 January 1684 in Changdeok Palace’s Jeoseung Hall.

Although the ministers urged for the shaman to be executed, Sukjong decided to exile her. For her posthumous title, “Myeong” (명, 明) was for being cautious and “Seong” (성, 聖) was for spreading goodness and simplicity; being posthumously honoured as Queen Myeongseong (명성왕후 明聖王后, Myeongseong Wanghu).

Family

Sibling(s)

Issue

In popular culture

References

Notes

  1. ^ In lunar calendar, the Queen was born on 17 May 1642 and died on 5 December 1683
  2. ^ Not to be confused with another Myeongseong, with the same Sino-Korean syllable yet with different hanja, who came from his son Sukjong's second wife's great-great-great-grand-niece descendant thru her clan, Yeoheung Min clan
  3. ^ Became the great-great-great grandfather of Queen Hyoui
  4. ^ Was given the royal title of Internal Prince Cheongreung (청릉부원군, 淸陵府院君)
  5. ^ Lady Shin is the daughter of Princess Jeongsuk and the granddaughter of King Seonjo of Joseon. Her paternal uncle became the brother-in-law to Queen Jangryeol (the second wife of King Injo of Joseon who was also the grandson of King Seonjo) through marriage.
  6. ^ Lady Shin is the sister-in-law of Crown Princess Minhoe’s older brother, Kang Mun-du. Through the intermarriage, Lady Shin is an in-law to Queen Jangryeol’s family and Crown Princess Minhoe’s family. With further relations, Queen Jangryeol also happens to be the adoptive (younger) mother-in-law to the crown princess.
  7. ^ Kim Seok-ju and his younger sister are first cousins of Kim Jang-saeng’s great-grandson and Queen Ingyeong’s father, Kim Man-gi (김만기, 金萬基) (1633 - 15 March 1687)
  8. ^ Was given the royal title of Internal Prince Cheongseong (청성부원군, 淸城府院君)
  9. ^ Through Lady Yi’s mother, Lady Kim of the Gwangsan Kim clan, Lady Yi is the granddaughter of Kim Ban (the son of Kim Jang-saeng, younger brother of Kim Jib, and the great-grandfather of Queen Ingyeong, and the great-great-grandfather of Queen Hyosun). Thus making Lady Yi a great-granddaughter of Kim Jang-saeng, a niece of Kim Jib, a first cousin once removed of Queen Ingyeong, and a first cousin twice removed of Queen Hyosun.
  10. ^ Through her father, Yi Hu-won (이후원, 李厚源; 1598-1660), Lady Yi is the 8th great-granddaughter of Grand Prince Gwangpyeong; the 7th son of Queen Soheon and King Sejong.
  11. ^ He is a grandson of Hong Ju-won and Princess Jeongmyeong
  12. ^ Became the great-great grandfather of Queen Hyoui
  13. ^ Lady Yi is a granddaughter of King Jungjong and his concubine, Royal Noble Consort Chang of the Ansan Ahn clan (창빈 안씨)
  14. ^ Youngest daughter of Yi Jeong-han (이정한, 李挺漢; 25 September 1601 - 30 August 1671) and his second wife, Lady Sim of the Cheongsong Sim clan (정부인 청송심씨, 貞夫人 靑松沈氏)
  15. ^ Her oldest sister became the wife of Song Gi-tae (송기태, 宋基泰; 1629 - 1711), who was the adoptive son of Song Si-yeol
  16. ^ Became the great grandfather of Queen Hyoui
  17. ^ Lady Yi is the granddaughter of Grand Prince Inpyeong and a great-granddaughter of King Injo of Joseon
  18. ^ Conceived 7 children from Kim Woo-myeong’s concubine, Lady Hong (홍씨). Lady Hong’s younger sister, Hong Ye-yeong (홍예영), became the wife of Heo Jeok’s illegitimate son
  19. ^ Through her eldest brother, Queen Inhyeon eventually became the great-great-great-grandaunt to the future Empress Myeongseong, and through her second older brother, the Queen is also a great-great-great-great-grandaunt to Empress Sunmyeong
  20. ^ No issue
  21. ^ No issue
Queen Myeongseong Cheongpung Kim clan Royal titles Preceded byQueen Inseonof the Deoksu Jang clan Queen consort of Joseon 1659 – 1674 Succeeded byQueen Ingyeongof the Kim clan Preceded byQueen Dowager Hyosuk (Inseon)of the Deoksu Jang clan Queen dowager of Joseon 1674 – 1684 Succeeded byQueen Dowager Hyesun (Inwon)of the Gyeongju Kim clan
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