Queen Sinŭi
| Queen Sinŭi | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Consort of Joseon (posthumously) Empress Consort of Korea (posthumously) | |||||
| Born | 6 October 1337 Ssangsŏng Prefecture, Yuan Empire | ||||
| Died | 25 November 1391 (aged 54) Hamhung Royal Villa, Dongbuk-myeon, Goryeo | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue Detail | 6 sons, 2 daughters | ||||
| |||||
| Clan |
| ||||
| Dynasty | Yi | ||||
| Father | Han Kyŏng, Internal Prince Anch'ŏn | ||||
| Mother | Grand Princess Consort of Samhan State, of the Saknyeong Sin clan | ||||
| Religion | Buddhism | ||||
| Korean name | |||||
| Hangul | 신의왕후 | ||||
| Hanja | 神懿王后 | ||||
| RR | Sinui wanghu | ||||
| MR | Sinŭi wanghu | ||||
Queen Sinŭi (Korean: 신의왕후; Hanja: 神懿王后; 6 October 1337 – 25 November 1391),[a] of the Anbyŏn Han clan, was the first wife of Yi Sŏnggye, the founder of Joseon, and the mother of King Jeongjong and King Taejong. She was posthumously elevated to the position of queen upon her second son's accession to the throne. Following the establishment of the Korean Empire, she was honored as Empress Sinŭiko.[1]
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]The future Queen Sinŭi was born during the reign of King Chungsuk of Goryeo,[2] as the elder daughter among five sons and two daughters. Her father was Han Kyŏng and her mother was a lady from the Saknyeong Sin clan.
In some sources, she is noted as a member of the Cheongju Han clan, because Han Ryŏn (한련), the founder of the Anbyŏn Han clan, was a ninth-generation descendant of Han Ran (한란), the progenitor of the Cheongju Han.
Marriage and later life
[edit]In 1351, at the age of 15, she was arranged to marry the 17-year-old Yi Sŏnggye. She gave birth to six sons and two daughters between 1354 and the 1380s. While Yi Sŏnggye was on the battlefield, Lady Han took care of the household affairs in his hometown.
During the Goryeo period, aristocratic men were allowed two wives; one wife was known as the kyŏngch'ŏ (경처), the capital wife, while the other wife was known as the hyangch'ŏ (향처), the countryside wife. In Kaegyŏng (modern-day Kaesong), Yi Sŏnggye welcomed Lady Kang, a daughter of Kang Yunsŏng, from the noble Goksan Kang clan, as his second (kyŏngch'ŏ) wife in the late 1360s or early 1370s. Lady Kang would later be known as Queen Sindeok.
Lady Han died at the age of 54, shortly before the founding of Joseon. She was buried within Cherŭng (제릉), in present-day Kaesŏng, North Korea.
After death
[edit]A year after Lady Han's death, Yi Sŏnggye founded Joseon. In 1393, she received the honorific title chŏl (절; lit. ''faithful''),[b] and in 1398, upon the accession to the throne of her second second son, King Jeongjong, she was conferred the posthumous name Sinŭi (신의; lit. ''divine and exemplary'').
After the death of Queen Sindeok in 1396, Yi Pangwŏn had led a coup d'etat while Yi Sŏnggye was in mourning for his second wife; this event led to the deaths of Chŏng Tojŏn and his supporters, as well as the elimination of Queen Sindeok's two sons, Yi Pangbŏn and Yi Pangsŏk. The incident is known as the First Strife of the Princes.
Titles
[edit]- During the second reign of King Chungsuk (r. 1332–1339):
- Lady, of the Anbyŏn Han clan (안변 한씨; 安邊韓氏)
- Han Kyŏng's daughter (한경의 딸)
- Lady Han (한씨; 韓氏)
- Lady, of the Anbyŏn Han clan (안변 한씨; 安邊韓氏)
- During the reign of King Gongmin (r. 1351–1374):
- Mistress Wŏnsint'aek[d] (원신택주; 元信宅主; from 1364)
- During the reign of King Taejo (r. 1392–1398):
- Queen Chŏl (절비; 節妃; from 1393)
- During the reign of King Jeongjong (r. 1398–1400):
- Queen Sinŭi (신의왕후; 神懿王后; from 1398)[3]
- During the reign of King Taejong (r. 1400–1418):
- Queen Dowager Sinŭi (신의왕태후; 神懿王太后; from 1408)[4]
- During the reign of King Sukjong (r. 1674–1720):
- Queen Sinŭi (신의왕후; 神懿王后; from 1683)[5]
- During the reign of Emperor Gojong (r. 1897[e]–1907):
- Empress Sinŭiko (신의고황후; 神懿高皇后; from 1899)[6]
Family
[edit]- Father: Han Kyŏng (한경), Internal Prince Anch'ŏn (안천부원군; 1300–?)
- Mother: Grand Princess Consort of Samhan State (삼한국대부인), of the Saknyeong Sin clan (삭녕 신씨; 1311–?)
- Sibling(s)
- Husband: Yi Sŏnggye (이성계), King Taejo (태조대왕; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408)
- Father-in-law: Yi Chach'un (이자춘), King Hwanjo (환조대왕; 1315 – 3 May 1360)
- Mother-in-law: Queen Ŭihye (의혜왕후), of the Yeongheung Ch'oe clan (영흥 최씨; ?–1336)
- Issue
- Yi Pang'u (이방우), Grand Prince Chinan (진안대군; 1354 – 23 January 1394)
- Yi Panggwa (이방과), King Jeongjong (정종대왕; 26 July 1357 – 24 October 1419)
- Yi Pang'ŭi (이방의), Grand Prince Ikan (익안대군; 1360 – 7 November 1404)
- Princess Kyŏngsin (경신공주; 1362 – 8 May 1426)
- Yi Panggan (이방간), Grand Prince Hoean (회안대군; 7 August 1364 – 10 April 1421)
- Yi Pangwŏn (이방원), King Taejong (태종대왕; 21 June 1367 – 8 June 1422)
- Yi Pangyŏn (이방연), Grand Prince Deokan (덕안대군; 1370–1388)
- Princess Kyŏngsŏn (경선공주; 1383–?)
Ancestry
[edit]| Han Yu (한유) | |||||||||||||||
| Han Kyuin (한규인) | |||||||||||||||
| Han Kyŏng, Internal Prince Anch'ŏn (안천부원군 한경) | |||||||||||||||
| Queen Sinŭi | |||||||||||||||
| Sin Yunryŏ (신윤려) | |||||||||||||||
| Grand Princess Consort of Samhan State, of the Saknyeong Sin clan (삼한국대부인 삭녕 신씨) | |||||||||||||||
In popular culture
[edit]- Portrayed by Tae Hyun-shil in the 1983 KBS1 TV series Foundation of the Kingdom.
- Portrayed by Kim So-won in the 1983 MBC TV series The King of Chudong Palace.
- Portrayed by Han Young-Sook in the 1996–1998 KBS1 TV series Tears of the Dragon.
- Portrayed by Lee Duk-hee in the 2021–2022 KBS1 TV series The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ In the Korean calendar (lunisolar), she was born on the 4th day of the 9th lunar month and died on the 23rd day of the 9th lunar month.
- ↑ Her title during this time has been rendered as Queen Chŏl (절비; 節妃) in English. However, the literal translation of bi (빈; 嬪) is simply "consort", as opposed to wangbi (왕비; 王妃) and wanghu (왕후; 王后), whose literal translation is "king's consort" and which are the titles used during the Joseon period for a living and deceased queen consort, respectively.
- ↑ lit. ''primary and honest''.
- ↑ Or Mistress of Wŏnsin[c] Residence.
- ↑ Reigned as king from 1864 to 1897.
- ↑ Full brother.
- ↑ Half-brother.
- ↑ Married Mun Won-jwa (문원좌).
References
[edit]- ↑ "정순왕후 (定順王后)" [Queen Sinui]. Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 26 March 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Sunjo Sillok, vol. 27, 19th day of the 10th lunar month of the 24th year of Sunjo (1824)
- ↑ Taejo Sillok, vol. 15, 11th day of the 11th lunar month of the 7th year of Taejo (1398)
- ↑ Taejong Sillok, vol. 16, sinhae (신해) day of the 9th lunar month of the 8th year of Taejong (1408)
- ↑ Sukjong Sillok, vol. 14, gyemi (계미) day of the 6th lunar month of the 9th year of Sukjong (1683)
- ↑ Gojong Sillok, vol. 39, 7th day of the 12th month of the 36th year of Gojong (1899) (solar calendar)
