Jungjong of Joseon


Jungjong, personal name Yi Yeok, firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong, was the 11th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He succeeded to the throne after the deposition of his elder half-brother, the tyrannical Yeonsangun.

Biography

Rise to power

In September 1506, on the day Yeonsangun was deposed, soldiers belonging to the coup's leaders surrounded the house of Grand Prince Jinseong. He was about to commit suicide, thinking that his older half-brother was finally going to kill him, but after being dissuaded by his wife, Lady Shin, Grand Prince Jinseong found himself becoming the eleventh king of Joseon, after the tenth king of Joseon, Yeonsangun of Joseon.

Cho Kwangjo's reforms

Jungjong worked hard to wipe out the remnants of Yeonsangun's era by reopening Sungkyunkwan and the Office of Censors. However, during the early days of his reign, the new king could not exert the royal power freely as those who put him on the throne held immense control over the country. When three of the main leaders of coup died of old age or natural causes in the next eight years, Jungjong began to assert his authority and carried out large-scale reforms with the help of Cho Kwangjo and other Sarim scholars, despite much opposition from conservative nobles who had participated in the 1506 rebellion.
Cho Kwangjo strengthened local autonomy by establishing a self-governing system called Hyangyak, promoted Confucian writings by translating them into hangul and distributing them widely, pursued a land reform that would distribute land more equally between the rich and poor, and introduced a supplementary system to recruit talents for the government. He believed that any talented people, including slaves, should be appointed as officials regardless of social status. The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty state that during his time as Inspector General, he enforced the laws strictly so that no official dared to receive a bribe or exploit the local populace.
While Jungjong and Cho Kwangjo shared a common passion for the reformist agenda, the former was chiefly interested in solidifying royal authority whereas the latter was more concerned with neo-Confucian ideology, according to which those who rule must be a virtuous example to the rest. Jo's uncompromising character and frequent remonstrations also began to irritate the king.
In late 1519, the conservative officials came up with a plan to further weaken Cho Kwangjo's influence; they used honey to write Chu Ch'o Wi Wang on mulberry leaves so that caterpillars would leave behind the same words as if in supernatural manifestation. When the hanja characters 走 and 肖 are put together, they form the character 趙, and the expression's meaning changes to "Cho will be King". The incident was reminiscent of another occurrence that took place before the fall of the Goryeo dynasty, when the phrase Mok Cha Tŭk Kuk became popular. In this case, the combined characters 木 and 子 form the character 李, which was the surname of General Yi Sŏnggye.
The only living leader of the 1506 coup, Hong Kyŏngju, used this event to heighten Jungjong's suspicions and fears. Finally, in January 1520, Cho Kwangjo was executed on charges of factionalism and many of his followers were exiled, while his radical reform programs were abruptly abandoned. The incident became known as the Third Literati Purge.

Rule of in-laws

After Cho Kwangjo's elimination, Jungjong never had the chance to rule on his own again. His reign was marked by tumultuous struggle among various conservative factions, each of them backed by one of the king's wives or concubines.
In 1524, Nam Kon and Sim Chŏng ousted the corrupt official Kim Allo, but he managed to return to power and took revenge by accusing Royal Noble Consort Gyeong of plotting against the crown prince, which led to her execution along with her only son, Prince Bokseong. Following this case, Kim Allo started using the protection of the crown prince as an excuse to begin a reign of terror against his enemies, and even attempted to depose Jungjong's third wife, Queen Munjeong, after she gave birth to a son. He eventually met his downfall at the hands of the queen's brothers, and Yun Wŏnhyŏng. Despite these events, Yun Im, older brother of the late Queen Janggyeong and an ally of Kim Allo, was able to maintain his standing and preserve his nephew's position as heir to the throne.
The scholars and officials now gathered around two new centers of power and each group developed into separate political factions. Yun Im's party became known as "Greater Yun" and the Yun brothers' party as "Lesser Yun". Their conflict caused the Fourth Literati Purge after Jungjong's death.
As the royal court was weakened by the continual internal conflict, foreign powers driven away by earlier monarchs returned with much greater effect. Japanese pirates often plundered the southern coastal regions, while the Jurchens attacked the northern frontier numerous times, bleeding the army dry.

Death

The king died on 9 December 1544 and was originally buried in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. He was later moved to the Seonjeongneung Cluster, in Seoul, the burial ground of his parents, King Seongjong and Queen Jeonghyeon. The tomb is called Jeongneung.
The throne passed to his eldest legitimate son, Crown Prince Yi Ho, who died without issue less than a year later and was succeeded by his younger half-brother, Grand Prince Gyeongwon.

Family

Consort and their respective issue
  • Queen Dangyeong of the Geochang Shin clan
  • Queen Janggyeong of the Papyeong Yun clan
  • * Yi Ok-ha, Princess Hyohye, first daughter
  • * Crown Prince Yi Ho, fourth son
  • Queen Munjeong of the Papyeong Yun clan
  • * Yi Ok-hye, Princess Uihye, seventh daughter
  • * Yi Ok-rin, Princess Hyosun, eighth daughter
  • * Yi Ok-hyeon, Princess Gyeonghyeon, eleventh daughter
  • * Yi Hwan, Grand Prince Gyeongwon, thirteenth son
  • * Princess Insun, twelfth daughter
  • Royal Noble Consort Gyeong of the Miryang Park clan
  • * Yi Mi, Prince Bokseong, first son
  • * Yi Cheol-hwan, Princess Hyesun, second daughter
  • * Yi Seok-hwan, Princess Hyejeong, third daughter
  • Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Namyang Hong clan
  • * Yi Yeong, Prince Geumwon, third son
  • * Sixth son
  • * Seventh son
  • * Eighth son
  • * Yi Wan, Prince Bongseong, eleventh son
  • Royal Noble Consort Chang of the Ansan Ahn clan
  • * Yi Geo, Prince Yeongyang, fifth son
  • * Yi Su, tenth son
  • * Yi Seon-hwan, Princess Jeongsin, tenth daughter
  • * Yi Cho, Grand Internal Prince Deokheung, twelfth son
  • Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Cheongju Han clan
  • * stillborn son
  • Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Naju Na clan
  • Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Gyeongju Yi clan
  • * Yi Gi, Prince Deokyang, ninth son
  • Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Namyang Hong clan
  • * Yi Hui, Prince Haean, second son
  • Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Kim clan
  • * Yi Su-hwan, Princess Sukjeong, ninth daughter
  • Royal Consort Suk-won of the Gwon clan
  • Royal Consort Suk-won of the Daewon Yi clan
  • * Yi Jeong-hwan, Princess Jeongsun, fourth daughter
  • * Yi Sun-hwan, Princess Hyojeong, fifth daughter
  • Unknown
  • * Yi Wol-hwan, stillborn daughter

    Ancestry

In popular culture

  • Portrayed by Lee Gyung-yung in the 1988 film Diary of King Yeonsan.
  • Portrayed by Choi Jong-hwan in the 2001–2002 SBS TV series Ladies of the Palace and in the 2017 SBS TV series Saimdang, Memoir of Colors.
  • Portrayed by Im Ho in the 2003–2004 MBC TV series Dae Jang Geum.
  • Portrayed by Park Chan-hwan in the 2006 KBS2 TV series Hwang Jini.
  • Portrayed by Noh Young-hak in the 2007–2008 SBS TV series The King and I.
  • Portrayed by Choi Il-hwa in the 2013 KBS2 TV series The Fugitive of Joseon.
  • Portrayed by Ko Kyung-pyo in the 2015 film The Treacherous.
  • Portrayed by Kim Beop-rae in the 2016 MBC TV series The Flower in Prison.
  • Portrayed by Baek Seung-hwan and Yeon Woo-jin in the 2017 KBS2 TV series Queen for Seven Days.
  • Portrayed by Park Hee-soon in the 2018 film Monstrum.