Queen Sinui (; 6 October 1337 – 25 November 1391), of the

Cheongju Han clan The Cheongju Han clan () is a Korean clan well known for their many female members including six queens. The Cheongju Han clan was one of the most prominent clans during the Goryeo period and Joseon period, currently, the Cheongju Han is kno ...

, was the first wife of

Yi Seong-gye Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Seong-gye (), later Yi Dan (), was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdi ...

(future King Taejo of

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 ...

). She was the mother of King Jeongjong and King Taejong. She was firstly given the title of Consort Jeol () in 1393. After her second son ( Yi Bang-gwa) became king, she was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

honored as Queen Sinui (). In 1899, after the founding of the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

, she was elevated as Sinui, the Dignified Empress ().

Biography

Early life

The future Queen Sinui was born during

King Chungsuk of Goryeo Chungsuk (30 July 1294 – 3 May 1339), personal name Wang Man (), né Wang To (), also known by his Mongolian name Aratnashiri (阿剌忒訥失里), was the 27th king of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea, reigning from 1313 to 1330 and again fro ...

's 5th year of reign on 6 October 1337. Born into the

, Lady Han was the fifth child within ten siblings to Han Gyeong and his wife, Lady Shin of the Saknyeong Shin clan. In some sources, she is noted as a member of the Anbyeon Han clan, which was founded by Han Ryeon (), a ninth-generation descendant of Han Ran (), the progenitor of the Cheongju Han clan.

Marriage and later life

In 1351, when she was 15 years old, she was arranged to marry

who was 2 years older than her. She later gave birth to 6 sons and 2 daughters from 1354 to 1370s. While Yi Seong-gye (later Yi Dan) was traveling through the battlefield, Lady Han took care of the household affairs in his hometown and helped out. During the Goryeo Dynasty, aristocratic men were allowed two wives; one wife was known as the ''Gyeongcheo'' (), the capital wife, while the other wife was known as the ''Hyangcheo'' (), the countryside wife. In Gaegyeong (modern-day

Kaeseong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close ...

), Yi Seong-gye welcomed Lady Kang, a daughter of Kang Yun-seong, from the noble Goksan Kang clan, as his second, ''Gyeongcheo'', wife in 1370. Lady Kang would later become Queen Hyeon. In 1388, during the 14th year of King U of Goryeo's reign, Lady Han stayed in Jaebyeok-dong,

Pocheon Pocheon (; ) is an landlocked, inland Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in northeast Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It covers 2 with a population of 160,176 people, according to the 2008 census. Pocheon lies between Seoul and the mou ...

, and fled back to Dongbuk-myeon with her children and remaining family under the guidance of her fifth son Yi Bang-won.《태조실록》 1권, 총서 89번째기사 (Translation: ''《The Annals of King Taejo》 Volume 1, the 89th article in the series'') This eventually led her to be concerned about the threat of her life and she later passed away on 25 November 1391 at the age of 54. Her tomb is called Jeneung and is located in present-day

Kaesong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region cl ...

, North Korea.

Post-Death

A year after Lady Han's death, her husband established the

period; thus having her husband become king and her children become princes and princesses. During King Taejo's 2nd year of reign in 1393, she was posthumously given the title of Queen Jeol (절비, 節妃; ''Jeolbi'' meaning ''Faithful Consort''). In 1398, during the first year of reign of her second eldest son, King Jeongjong, Lady Han was honored as Queen Sinui (). After the death of Queen Hyeon in 1396, Queen Sinui's fifth son, Yi Bang-won, eventually led a coup d'etat with his wife, Princess Jeongnyeong's encouragement, while King Taejo was in mourning for his second wife. This event led to the deaths of

Chŏng Tojŏn Chŏng Tojŏn (; October 6, 1342 – October 6, 1398), also known by his art name Sambong (), was a prominent Korean scholar-official during the late Goryeo to the early Joseon periods. Chŏng Tojŏn was an adviser to the Joseon founder Yi Sŏ ...

and his supporters, as well as the late

Queen Sindeok Queen Sindeok (; 12 July 1356 – 15 September 1396), of the Goksan Kang clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the second wife and queen consort of Yi Dan, King Taejo; the first monarch of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. She was queen consort of Jo ...

's two sons: Yi Bang-beon, Grand Prince Muan and Yi Bang-seok, Grand Prince Uian. This incident became known as the First Strife of Princes.

Family

*Father: Han Gyeong, Internal Prince Ancheon (; 1300–?) *Mother: Grand Lady of Samhan State of the Saknyeong Shin clan (; 1303–?) *Sibling(s): ** Older sister: Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan (; 1322–?) ** Older sister: Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan (; 1326–?) ** Older sister: Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan (; 1328–?) ** Older sister: Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan (; 1330–?) ** Brother: Han Seong-gi, Prince Ansan () ** Brother: Han Geom, Duke Yangjeong, Prince Ancheon () ** Brother: Han Chang-su, Duke Yangjeong, Prince Anwon () ** Brother: Han Geum-gang () ** Brother: Han Yung-jeon () *Husband: Yi Seong-gye, King Taejo of Joseon (; 27 October 1335 – 18 June 1408) **Father-in-law: King Hwanjo of Joseon (; 20 January 1315 – 3 June 1361) **Mother-in-law: Queen Uihye of the Yeongheung Choe clan (; 1304–?) Issue(s): *Son: Yi Bang-woo, Grand Prince Jinan (; 1354 – 15 January 1394) *Son: Yi Bang-gwa, Grand Prince Yeongan (; 18 July 1357 – 15 October 1419) *Son: Yi Bang-ui, Grand Prince Ikan (; 1360 – 26 September 1404) *Daughter: Princess Gyeongsin (; 1362 – 29 April 1426) *Son: Yi Bang-gan, Grand Prince Hoean (; 2 July 1364 – 10 April 1421) *Son: Yi Bang-won, Grand Prince Jeongan (; 13 June 1367 – 30 May 1422) *Son: Yi Bang-yeon, Grand Prince Deokan (; 1370–1385) *Daughter: Princess Gyeongseon (; 1372–?)

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Tae Hyun-shil in the 1983 KBS TV series ''

Foundation of the Kingdom Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

''. * Portrayed by Kim So-won in the 1983 MBC TV series ''

The King of Chudong Palace ''The King of Chudong Palace'' () is a 1983 South Korean historical television series, the first installment of the drama series ''500 Years of Joseon Dynasty'' by director Lee Byung-hoon and writer Shin Bong-seung. It aired on MBC from March ...

''. * Portrayed by Han Young-Sook in the 1996 KBS TV series '' Tears of the Dragon''. * Portrayed by Lee Duk-hee in the 2021

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

TV series ''

The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won ''The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won'' () is a South Korean television series starring Joo Sang-wook in the title role. With this series, KBS revived its historical drama series after 5 years, as the last KBS historical series '' Jang Yeong-sil' ...

''.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinui, Queen 1337 births 1391 deaths Royal consorts of Joseon Queens consort of Korea 14th-century Korean people 14th-century Korean women People from Kumya County Mothers of Korean monarchs