Princess Uisun (1635–1662; birth name Yi Ae-suk) was a

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

Royal Family member who became the adopted daughter of

Hyojong of Joseon Hyojong (; 3 July 1619 – 23 June 1659), personal name Yi Ho (), was the 17th monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is best known for his plan for an expedition to help China's Ming Dynasty fight against China's Qing dynasty, and ...

and Queen Inseon, so she could marry the

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro is a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as chie ...

prince

Dorgon Dorgon (17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650) was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the House of Aisin-Gioro as the 14th son of Nurhaci (the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, which was the predecessor of the Qi ...

and later, prince Bolo.

Biography

Background

Yi Ae-suk was born one of the four daughters and seven sons of Yi Gye-yun, himself a 4th great-grandson of

Seongjong of Joseon Seongjong (; 28 August 1457 – 29 January 1495), personal name Yi Hyeol (), was the ninth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. Before succeeding his sickly uncle, Yejong of Joseon, King Yejong, he was known as Grand Prince Jalsan ( ...

, and a fourth cousin twice removed of Hyojong.

Political marriage

In 1650,

sent the minister of Ministry of Revenue, Gioro Bahana, as an emissary to the

court, to forge an alliance with

, asking the king to choose a suitable bride for him. The bride could be a daughter of either a royal family member or a subject.Veritable Records of Hyojong, day 7, month 3, year 1 of Hyojong's reign
"皇父攝政王勑諭朝鮮國王。……遣大臣, 至朝鮮, 擇其淑美, 納以爲妃, 締結姻親……王之若妹若女, 或王之近族, 或大臣之女, 有淑美懿行者選, 與遣去大臣等看來回奏。特諭。" Bahana delivered the order from the prince regent and was told that as the king's daughter was only two years old, so he suggested that a female from the royal clan was a viable alternative; on the other hand, the king's ministers greatly opposed offering any of their daughters.Veritable Records of Hyojong, day 5, month 3, year 1 of Hyojong's reign
"嶪曰: "方物事亦以爲, 禮判之所主矣。婚媾事則臣應之曰: 『公主之時存者, 年方二歲。』彼曰: 『公主年幼則雖擇於宗室中可合者, 亦無妨。』云。"" Twenty days later, Ae-suk was given the title Princess Uisun and her biological father, Yi Gye-yun, was gifted cloth and rice as reward. Nearly one month after her adoption as Hyojong's daughter, Princess Uisun left the palace at Hanseong, accompanied by 16 maids, a female physician, and her nursemaid. After her arrival in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, Dorgon complained about the appearance of his new wife and her court maids, saying that he even doubted the loyalty of Joseon. Merely seven months later, Dorgon died in the same year. Princess Uisun was asked to remarry one of Dorgon's nephews, his general Prince Bolo of the Second Rank, but he died in 1652.Veritable Records of Shunzhi
""

Return to Korea

In the winter of 1655, Yi Gye-yun was dispatched as part of a diplomatic party to

. Yi presented tribute and was entertained at a feast, during which he wept and petitioned for Princess Uisun to return to Korea, and his wish was granted. Princess Uisun returned to Joseon in the summer of 1656; on her return, Hyojong granted the princess a monthly pension to support her for the rest of her life. Yi Gye-yun's decision to request her return without consulting the king beforehand, however, received severe criticism from other court officials; under pressure from the court, Yi Gye-yun lost his official position after a series of impeachments.Veritable Records of Hyojong, volume 16, day 10, month 5, year 7 of Hyojong's reign
"啓曰: "義順之行, 旣以朝家之命, 則義順之還, 亦必待朝家之命。前錦林君愷胤, 罔念事體, 無嚴朝廷, 牽私率意, 擅自請還, 其在國典, 斷不可貸……請竝命削奪官爵, 門外黜送。" 累啓而從之。" Princess Uisun died of an illness in 1662 and her burial rites were provided for by Hyeonjong of Joseon, who described her fate as pitiable.Veritable Records of Hyeonjong, day 8, month 5, year 3 of Hyojong's reign
"錦林君女子之喪, 令該曹優給喪需。……選宗室錦林君愷胤女, 稱以義順公主, 送與九王。……至是病死, 上憐之, 命官庇其喪。"

Family

*Father: Yi Gye-yun, Prince Geumrim (), 4th generation descendant of the

royal house by

** Adoptive father:

(3 July 1619 – 23 June 1659) *Mother: Lady Yu of the Munhwa Yu clan ** Adoptive mother: Queen Inseon of the Deoksu Jang clan (1618–1674) * Siblings ** Older brother - Yi Jun () ** Older brother - Yi Su () ** Older brother - Yi Hae () *Husband: # Aisin Gioro Dorgon, Prince Rui of the First Rank (多爾袞; 17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650) # Aisin Gioro Bolo, Prince Duanzhong of the First Rank (博洛; 1613 – 23 April 1652)

Notes

References

Works cited

* * * {{authority control 17th-century Korean people 1635 births 1662 deaths Princesses of Joseon Qing dynasty imperial consorts 17th-century Korean women Qing dynasty princesses consorts