Queen Heonjeong of the Hwangju Hwangbo clan (; 966–993), or formally called as Grand Queen Mother Hyosuk () during her son's reign, was a

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

royal family member as the third daughter of Wang Uk and youngest sister of King Seongjong. She later became the fourth wife of her first cousin, King Gyeongjong. After his death, she had an affair with her half uncle, giving birth to King Hyeonjong. Not much is known about her early life beside that she and her siblings were raised by their

paternal grandmother Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a ma ...

Affair with Wang Uk

When her husband King Gyeongjong died at the young age of 26, Heonjeong was in her mid-teens. As a widow she moved to her maternal home outside of the palace in Gaegyeong; the house was close to her half uncle Wang Uk's, located in Wangnyun Temple (), Songak Mountain. Since the law forbade the dowager queen from approaching other men, she often visited her uncle and, as they spent time together, they became close. Ten years passed: she reached her mid-twenties, while he was in his 50s. One day, Heonjeong dreamed of climbing Songak Mountain and urinating from the peak, overflowing the country and turning it into a sea of silver water. Stunned, the queen consulted one of her maids, who was good at interpreting dreams, and the maid predicted that if she gave birth to a son, he would become the King of the nation and take over the country. The Queen said: "I am already a widow, how can I have a son?" while rebuking the maid. One night in 991, after praying for her late husband's happiness in Wangnyun Temple, Wang Uk and the Queen confirmed each other's feelings and embraced their love. As a result, Heonjeong became pregnant. As the people around them kept quiet, the court was unaware of their affair. Knowing what she'd done and feeling the fetus growing in her belly, the Queen was anxious and wanted to die because she was supposed to remain faithful to her late husband and not have an affair with another man, even becoming pregnant by her own uncle. While her older sister Heonae was openly affectionate with her lover Gim Chi-yang, Heonjeong was weak-hearted and trembled with anxiety. Crying in Uk's arms, she said: :"How can I do this? I'd rather die. It's all my fault. I should have kept only your heart. What do I do now that I have a child? Don't worry too much and take good care of yourself, as I'll cover all your mistakes." According to the ''

Goryeosa ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is an extensive historical record of the Goryeo dynasty, compiled by the officials of Goryeo's successor state, Joseon. Its compilation started during the reign of Taejo of Joseon, Taejo (the founding ...

'', in the seventh month of 992, while she was staying at Wang Uk's house, a slave piled up firewood in the yard and set it on fire. As soon as the flames started to spread, an official ran to put the fire out; King Seongjong, too, rushed to rescue them and, when he discovered of Heonjeong's pregnancy, he sent Uk into exile to Sasu-hyeon (modern-day

Sacheon Sacheon (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Sacheon's chief fame comes from its being the site of two naval battles in the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), Seven Year War. ...

, South Korea). The records report that the Queen cried in shame and went back to her own mansion, but as soon as she reached the gate, there was a fetal movement. She held on to a willow branch and ultimately gave birth to a son, Wang Sun, but she died soon after. As Wang Sun was still young at the time, he was brought to the palace and assigned a nanny to take care of him. Sun's maternal aunt, Queen Heonae, was acting as a regent for her own son, King Mokjong, as he had no issue, but she planned to put the son she had with

Kim Ch'i-yang Kim Ch'i-yang (; ? – March 2, 1009) was a Goryeo civil official. He was the favourite and lover of the widowed Queen Dowager Cheonchu, King Mokjong's mother, and had a son with her. He attempted a rebellion in order to install their son on t ...

on the throne, but Sun posed a threat to her plan; so, she threatened his life several times until the day he ascended the throne. When he became king in 1009, Wang Sun gave his mother the title of Queen Mother and a

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

. She was buried along with Uk in the Wonlleung Tomb ().

Posthumous name

*In May 1017 (8th year reign of King Hyeonjong), name Hye-sun () was added. *In June 1021 (12nd year reign of King Hyeonjong), name In-hye () was added. *In April 1027 (18th year reign of King Hyeonjong), name Seon-yong () was added. *In October 1253 (40th year reign of King Gojong), name Myeong-gan () was added to her

too.

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Park Eun-bin and Shin Ae in the 2009

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

TV series '' Empress Cheonchu''. *Portrayed by Kim Do-hye in the 2016 SBS TV series '' Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heonjeong, Queen 10th-century Korean women Royal consorts of Goryeo 960s births 993 deaths 10th-century Korean people People from Kaesong Mothers of Korean monarchs Deaths in childbirth