Grand Prince Yangnyŏng


Grand Prince Yangnyŏng was the former Crown Prince of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He was the first son of King Taejong and his wife, Queen Wongyeong. Yangnyŏng was the elder brother of Sejong the Great, and an ancestor of Syngman Rhee, an independence activist and the first President of South Korea.

Biography

He was born as Yi Che in 1394. Originally his father appointed him as crown prince but he eventually executed Queen Wongyeong's brothers and in the 18th year of his reign replaced Prince Yangnyŏng with his third son Prince Chungnyeong as heir apparent. Known for his literature and calligraphy skills, the former crown prince lacked in the requisite skills for kingship and acted extremely rude in court. On May 1415, he caused a scandal when he had an affair with Chogungjang, the kisaeng of his uncle and former king, Jeongjong. Yangnyŏng was unaware that Chogungjang was his uncle's woman. On 15 February 1417, Yangnyŏng secretly brought in Eori, the concubine of Gwak Seon, into the palace. Angered, Taejong banished Yangnyŏng from the royal palace to the residence of Yangnyŏng's father-in-law, Kim Han-ro. However, Kim Han-ro arranged a rendezvous between Yangnyŏng and Eori, and Eori bore the crown prince's child. For a while, Taejong did not fault Yangnyŏng for his libertine proclivities but instead held his father-in-law, Kim Han-ro, accountable for Crown Prince Yangnyŏng's improprieties.
The final event that sealed Yangnyŏng's fate was a letter he wrote to Taejong, accusing Taejong of hypocrisy. Yangnyŏng criticized his father for punishing him over his affair with Eori, while Taejong himself maintained ten concubines, in direct violation of the Confucian virtue of highest importance: filial piety. Due to Yangnyŏng's continued lack of remorse, Taejong deposed Yangnyŏng as crown prince on 3 June 1418. Sorrowful, Taejong asked two officials who had been sent to inform Yangnyŏng of his deposition about Yangnyŏng's reaction. They reported back to Taejong that Yangnyŏng neither cried nor showed signs of sadness. Yangnyŏng was banished from the palace and relocated to Gwangju. Taejong initially considered to create two sons of Yangnyŏng his new heir, but finally chose his own third son Grand Prince Chungnyeong, the later Sejong.
After Sejong became king, the relationship between the brothers strengthened, with Sejong often inviting Yangnyŏng to the palace. During Sejo's reign, Yangnyŏng enjoyed the status of the eldest royal family member, and Sejo often invited Yangnyŏng to the palace for court revelries.
Yangnyŏng died in 1462, the eighth year of Sejo's reign, at the age of 68.
The tomb of Prince Yangnyŏng reopened in 2018 to the public after 18 years of closure.

Family

  1. Princess Consort Suseong of the Gwangsan Kim clan
  2. # Princess Jaeryeong or Princess Jeonui
  3. # Princess Yangcheon
  4. # Yi Gae, Prince Sunseong
  5. # Yi Po, Prince Hamyang
  6. # Yi Hye, Prince Seosan
  7. # Princess Yeongpyeong
  8. # Princess Yi of the Jeonju Yi clan
  9. # Princess Yi of the Jeonju Yi clan
  10. Kisaeng Bong Ji-ryeon
  11. Unknown concubine
  12. # Yi Sim
  13. # Lady Yi
  14. # Yi Sun
  15. # Lady Yi
  16. # Lady Yi
  17. # Lady Yi
  18. # Yi Sun
  19. # Yi Gwang-seok
  20. # Yi Gwang-geun
  21. Kisaeng Eori
  22. # Princess Yi Ae-jung
  23. Kisaeng Cho Gung-jang
  24. Kisaeng Jeonghyang
  25. Kisaeng Chil Jeom-saeng
  26. Unknown concubine
  27. # Yi Gyeom
  28. # Yi Heun
  29. # Yi Seong
  30. # Lady Yi
  31. Unknown slave
  32. # Lady Yi
  33. # Princess Yi Gu-ji
  34. Unknown concubine
  35. # Lady Yi
  36. # Lady Yi
  37. # Lady Yi
  38. # Princess Yi Geon-yi
  39. # Lady Yi

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