Queen Insun (; 27 June 1532 – 12 February 1575), of the Cheongsong Sim clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Yi Hwan, King Myeongjong. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1545 until her husband's death in 1567, after which she was honoured as Queen Dowager Uiseong (). She served as regent of Korea during the minority of her adoptive son, king Yi Yeon, King Seonjo, from 1567 until 1568.

Biography

Early life

Lady Sim was born on 27 June 1532 to Sim Kang and Lady Yi of the Jeonju Yi clan. She was the eldest within 10 siblings, including

Sim Ui-gyeom Shim Ui-gyeom (; 1535–1587) was a Korean philosopher and politician during the Joseon period. A Neo-Confucian scholar, he was the head of the Westerners political faction. Shim was also the younger brother of Queen Insun and a member of the ...

. Through her mother, she was a 5th great-granddaughter of

Queen Wongyeong Queen Wongyeong (; 6 August 1365 – 27 August 1420) of the Yeoheung Min clan, was the primary wife of King Taejong of Joseon, and the mother of Sejong the Great. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1400, and was honored as Consort Jeong () un ...

and King Taejong; through her 4th great-grandfather, Grand Prince Hyoryeong. Her uncle was Yi Ryang.

Marriage

In April 1542, Lady Sim was arranged to marry Grand Prince Gyeongwon; the only son of King Jungjong and

Queen Munjeong Queen Munjeong (; 12 December 1501 – 15 May 1565), of the Papyeong Yun clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the third wife and queen consort of Jungjong of Joseon, Yi Yeok, King Jungjong. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1517 until he ...

. Lady Sim was given the title of Princess Consort ().

Queen

In 1545, when King Injong passed away, her husband was enthroned as the next king of joseon as there wasn't any heirs from Queen Inseong. The Princess Consort then became the next Queen Consort and had a son, Crown Prince Sunhoe, in 1551. The Crown Prince died in 1563; leaving no heirs from King Myeongjong who also died in 1567. This left Prince Haseong (the future

King Seonjo Seonjo (; 6 December 1552 – 6 March 1608), personal name Yi Yeon (), was the 14th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was known for promoting Confucianism and attempting reforms at the beginning of his reign. However, he later gained ...

), a son of Grand Internal Prince Deokheung and Grand Internal Princess Consort Hadong, to become the next crowned prince.

Regency and later life

The Queen Consort became Queen Regent in 1567 upon on the prince's enthronement as king because he was young. In 1568, she stepped down as regent and became Queen Dowager. She was later given the title of Uiseong () in 1569. Her reign as Queen Dowager lasted 8 years as she died on 12 February 1575 within

Changgyeonggung Changgyeonggung () is a palace located in Seoul, South Korea. The palace was built in the mid-15th century by King Sejong for his father, Taejong. It was originally named "Suganggung", but it was renovated and enlarged in 1483 by King Seongjon ...

's Tongmyeong Hall. Nearby where her mother-in-law, Queen Munjeong, is buried, the Queen is buried with her husband in Kangreung.

Family

Parent * Father − Sim Kang (심강, 沈鋼; 1514–1567) * Mother − Yi Hui-gyeong, Internal Princess Consort Wansan of the Jeonju Yi clan (; 1511–1559) Sibling * Younger brother − Sim In-gyeom (; June 1533 – 17 November 1580) * Younger brother −

(; 1535–1587) * Younger brother − Sim Ye-gyeom (; 1537–1598) * Younger sister − Lady Sim of the Cheongsong Sim clan (; 1538–1579) * Younger brother − Sim Ji-gyeom (; 1540–1568) * Younger brother − Sim Shin-gyeom (; 1542–1596) * Younger sister − Lady Sim of the Cheongsong Sim clan (; 1543–?); Ryu Hui-bal's first wife * Younger brother − Sim Chung-gyeom (; 1545–1594) * Younger brother − Sim Hyo-gyeom (; 20 September 1547 – 24 September 1600) * Younger brother − Sim Je-gyeom (; 1550–1589) * Younger sister − Lady Sim of the Cheongsong Sim clan (; 1556–?) Consort and Issue *Husband -

Myeongjong of Joseon Myeongjong (; 13 July 1534 – 12 August 1567), personal name Yi Hwan (), was the 13th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Jungjong, born to Queen Munjeong. He ascended to the throne in 1545 at the age ...

(; 3 July 1534 – 3 August 1567) #Son - Yi Bu, Crown Prince Sunhoe (; 1 July 1551 – 6 October 1563) ##Daughter-in-law - Crown Princess Gonghoe of the Musong Yun clan (; 1550 – 14 April 1592) #Adoptive son -

Seonjo of Joseon Seonjo (; 6 December 1552 – 6 March 1608), personal name Yi Yeon (), was the 14th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was known for promoting Confucianism and attempting reforms at the beginning of his reign. However, he later gained ...

(; 26 November 1552 – 16 March 1608) ##Adoptive daughter-in-law - Queen Uiin of the Bannam Park clan (; 5 May 1555 – 5 August 1600) ##Adoptive daughter-in-law - Queen Inmok of the Yeonan Kim clan (; 15 December 1584 – 13 August 1632) ### Adoptive granddaughter -

Princess Jeongmyeong Princess Jeongmyeong (; 27 June 1603 – 8 September 1685) was a Joseon Royal Princess as the tenth daughter of King Seonjo from Queen Inmok. During her older half-brother's reign, she suffered hardships, and her title was revoked, but later it ...

(; 27 June 1603 – 8 September 1685) ### Unnamed adoptive granddaughter (1604); died prematurely ### Adoptive grandson - Yi Ui, Grand Prince Yeongchang (; 12 April 1606 – 19 March 1614)

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Jang Hee-jin Jang Hee-jin (; born May 9, 1983) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as a model for the fashion magazines ''CeCi'', ''Marie Claire'', and ''Cindy the Perky''. Jang has appeared in several television series and films, including '' ...

in the 2016

JTBC JTBC (shortened from Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company; ; stylized in all lowercase) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on December 1, ...

TV series '' Mirror of the Witch''.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Insun, Queen 16th-century Korean people 1532 births 1575 deaths Regents of Korea Royal consorts of Joseon Queens consort of Korea 16th-century women rulers *