Queen Sinjeong (; 9 January 1809 – 23 May 1890), of the

Pungyang Jo clan The Pungyang Cho clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. According to the 2015 Korean census, the clan has 124,262 members. Origin Cho Maeng (), who was originally known by the name of Pa-u (), was born ...

, was the only wife of

Crown Prince Hyomyeong Crown Prince Hyomyeong (18 September 1809 – 25 June 1830), personal name Yi Yeong, and posthumously honored as King Munjo, was a member of the Joseon dynasty. Life and death The prince was the eldest son of King Sunjo, husband of Queen Sin ...

and mother of

Heonjong of Joseon Heonjong (; 8 September 1827 – 25 July 1849), personal name Yi Hwan (), was the 24th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. His father was Crown Prince Hyomyeong, who died at the age of 20 before becoming king, and his mother was Queen Sinj ...

. She was never formally a Queen but was known as Queen Dowager Jo () during the reign of her son before

Cheoljong of Joseon Cheoljong (; 25 July 1831 – 16 January 1864), personal name Yi Won-beom (), later Yi Byeon (), was the 25th monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. After Heonjong of Joseon, King Heonjong died without any descendants in 1849, Queen Sun ...

granted her a proper title, Queen Dowager Hyoyu (). After the previous king died, she was known as Grand Queen Dowager Hyoyu (), and served as nominal regent during Gojong's minority, between 1864 and 1873. Although she left all '' de facto'' power to the King's father, Grand Internal Prince Heungseon, and only kept the formal title.

Biography

Birth and family background

Lady Jo was born on 9 January 1809 into the

Jo Man-yeong Jo Man-yeong (; 1776–1846) was a Korean politician and court minister of the Joseon period. He was the leader of the Pungyang Jo clan. The clan rose to prominence, pushing out the Andong Kim clan that had wielded power since the King Sunjo regi ...

and Lady Song of the Eunjin Song clan during King Sunjo's 8th year of reign. Through her paternal great-grandmother, Lady Jo is a first cousin twice removed, or a second cousin, of

Lady Hyegyeong ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

; who was the grandmother of her future father-in-law, King Sunjo. As well as a 5th great-granddaughter of

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 ...

and a 6th great-granddaughter of

Queen Inmok Queen Inmok (; 5 December 1584 – 3 August 1632), of the Yonan Kim clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and second queen consort of Yi Yeon, King Seonjo, the 14th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1602 until her ...

and

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 ...

Marriage and death of husband

In 1819, she became Crown Princess Consort when she married

, thus granting her mother the royal title of “Internal Princess Consort Deokan” () and her father, “Internal Prince Pungeun” (). The Crown Princess Consort gave birth to her only son, the future King Heonjeong, on 8 September 1827. From 1827 and then on, her husband had acted as regent for his father when he was ill, but died at the age of 20 in the summer of 1830. During this time, her royal status was unspecified but was referred to Queen Dowager Jo. Her life was similar to that of Queen Sohye who never became Queen, but was the mother of King Seongjong. Struggling with his illness, her father-in-law King Sunjo soon followed and died on 13 December 1834. Soon after the late King's death, the Jo clan seized control over the royal court from the

Andong Kim clan The Andong Kim clan () refers to two bon-gwan, Korean clans of Elder Andong Kim Clan (구 안동 김씨) and the New Andong Kim Clan (신 안동 김씨), respectively. They were prominent yangban, yangban families during Korea's Joseon, Joseon Dy ...

. The clan rose to prominence, pushing out the

that had wielded power since the King Sunjo regime.

Accession of son

Her son,

, became king in 1834 and that same year, her mother died. Through the influence of her mother-in-law,

Queen Sunwon Queen Sunwon (; 8 June 1789 – 21 September 1857), of the Andong Kim clan was the queen consort and wife of Sunjo of Joseon. She was known as Queen Dowager Myeonggyeong () after her husband's death in 1834. She served as regent between 1834 and ...

, her son married in 1837 to a daughter from her clan, the Andong Kim. She was posthumously honored as

Queen Hyohyeon Queen Hyohyeon (; 27 April 1828 – 6 October 1843) of the Andong Kim clan, was the wife and the queen consort of King Heonjong of Joseon, the 24th monarch of the Joseon Dynasty. She was posthumously called as Hyohyeon, the Accomplishment Empress ...

after she died in 1843 at the age of 15. After the mourning period, her son eventually remarried in 1844 to a daughter from the

Namyang Hong clan Namyang Hong clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Gyeonggi Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Namyang Hong clan members was 487,488. The Namyang Hong clan is divided into the D ...

. However, with the death of the clan leader

, the Queen Dowager's father, in 1846, control of the kingdom once again fell into the hands of the Andong Kim clan. Anti-Catholic in nature, the Pungyang Jo clan dominated the court when King Heonjeong blamed the Andong Kim clan for being soft on Catholics and launched a persecution, killing hundreds of Catholics, including three French missionary priests.

Death of son, accession of distant relative

Her son died childless on 25 July 1849, and was succeeded by a distant relative,

three days later on 28 July. After the death of her son, she was given the title Grand Queen Dowager Hyoyu. Queen Sunwon then adopted a male relative after the death of her grandson, King Heonjong died, and he had no issue with either of his wives thus the lineage of King Jeongjo died out. Some officials suggested that a distant royal member, Yi Ha-jeon (), could succeed the throne. But he was eight years old, as well as a descendant of Grand Internal Prince Deokheung, and merely an 11th cousin once removed to Heonjong. The grandmother of the late king, Queen Dowager Myeonggyeong (King Sunjo's widow), preferred to choose the next king herself from closer relatives. From those relatives, she selected Yi Won-beom, one of few living descendants of King Yeongjo and a second cousin once removed to Heonjong. She decided to adopt him as the heir and sent officials to ask his family to return to the mainland from Ganghwa Island. When Yi Won-beom arrived in the palace, he was first given the royal title of "Prince Deokwan" (), and descendants of Prince Euneon were again regarded as royalty. On July 28, 1849, Cheoljong ascended the throne in

Changdeok Palace Changdeokgung () is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Historic Sites (South Korea), Historic Site of South Korea, it is among the best preserved of all Korean palaces. It and its neighboring palace Cha ...

, and the Queen Dowager served as regent for two years. Once again, with her influence, the Queen Dowager Cheoljong married the daughter of Kim Mun-geun, who was a third cousin of Queen Sunwon, in November 1851. The daughter was later known as

Queen Cheorin Queen Cheorin (; 27 April 1837 – 12 June 1878), of the Andong Kim clan, was queen consort of Joseon by marriage to King Cheoljong. She was known as Queen Dowager Myeongsun () after the death of her husband and during King Gojong's reign. Whe ...

. Queen Cheorin had their only son in 1858, named

Yi Yung-jun Yi Yung-jun (; 22 November 1858 – 25 May 1859) was an heir presumptive of Joseon (''wonja'', 원자, 元子) as the only son of Yi Byeon, King Cheoljong and Queen Cheorin. From birth, he became a ''Wonja'', unlike his half-brothers. He died on ...

, but the infant died less than a year later in 1859. Following the wedding of Cheoljong in 1851, Queen Sunwon ended her regency. However, politics were still controlled by Queen Sunwon's family, the Andong Kim clan. But when the Grand Queen Dowager died in 1857, all power was drawn to the Pungyang Jo clan and being the most senior member as Grand Queen Dowager, she was able to enforce her family's influence. In January 1864, King Cheoljong died without an heir, but had a daughter who lived until 1872.

Selection of a new king 1864

The selection of the next king was in the hands of three dowagers: (i) Queen Dowager Hyoyu, mother of King Heonjong; (ii) Queen Dowager Myeongheon, King Heonjong's second wife; and (iii) Queen Dowager Myeongsun, Cheoljong's wife.

, the queen consort of Cheoljong and a member of the Andong Kim clan, claimed the right to choose the next king, despite the fact that traditionally, the eldest queen dowager is the one with the authority to select the new king. Cheoljong's second cousin, (later) Grand Queen Dowager Hyoyu (Queen Sinjeong), who too had risen to prominence by intermarriage with the Yi family, currently held this title. The "right of designation" resided, accordingly, with Grand Queen Dowager Sinjeong, as she was the oldest of the dowagers.Choe Ching Young. The Rule of the Taewŏn’gun, 1864-1873: Restoration in Yi Korea. Cambridge, Mass.: East Asian Research Center, Harvard University, 1972. Queen Sinjeong saw an opportunity to advance the cause of the Pungyang Jo clan, the only true rival of the Andong Kim clan in Korean politics. As Cheoljong became increasingly ill, Queen Sinjeong was approached by Yi Ha-eung, a descendant of

King Injo Injo (; 7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), personal name Yi Jong (), was the 16th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was a grandson of King Seonjo and the eldest son of Prince Jeongwon. He ascended to the throne after leading a ''coup ...

(r. 1623–1649), whose father was made an adoptive son of Prince Eunsin, a nephew of

King Yeongjo Yeongjo (; 31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong by his concubine, Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan. Before asc ...

(r. 1724–1776). The branch that Yi Ha-eung's family belonged to was an obscure line of descent of the Yi clan, which survived the often deadly political intrigue that frequently embroiled the Joseon court by forming no affiliation with any factions. Yi Ha-eung himself was ineligible for the throne due to a law that dictated that any possible heir to the kingdom be part of the generation after the most recent incumbent of the throne, but his second son

Yi Myeong-bok Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 1907, first as the last king ...

, later

Emperor Gojong Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate List of monarchs of Korea, Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 19 ...

, was a possible successor to the throne. The Pungyang Jo clan saw that Yi Myeong-bok was only twelve years old and would not be able to rule in his own name until he came of age, and that they could easily influence Yi Ha-eung, who would be acting as regent for the future king. As soon as news of Cheoljong's death reached Yi Ha-eung through his intricate network of spies in the palace, he and the Pungyang Jo clan took the hereditary royal seal — an object that was considered necessary for a legitimate reign to take place and aristocratic recognition to be received — effectively giving her absolute power to select the successor to the throne. By the time Cheoljong's death had become a known fact, the Andong Kim clan was powerless according to law as the seal lay in the hands of the Grand Queen Dowager Sinjeong. In an apocryphal story, Queen Cheorin sent a minister to fetch the son of Yi Ha-eung, eleven-year-old Yi Myeong-bok, who was flying a kite in a palace garden. The son was brought to the palace in a sedan chair, where Queen Sinjeong rushed forward and called him her son, thus producing the new Joseon king, King Gojong, adopted son of

.Cumings, Bruce. Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. This story may or may not be true. These facts, however, are known to be correct. On 16 January 1864, Yi Myeong-bok was appointed the Prince of Ikseong by Dowager Queen Sinjeong. The next day, his father was granted the title

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (; 24 January 1821 – 22 February 1898) was the title of Yi Ha-eung, the regent of Joseon during the minority of Emperor Gojong in the 1860s. Until his death, he was a key political figure of late Joseon Korea. He was also ca ...

. On 21 January, Yi Myeong-bok was enthroned as King Gojong, and Dowager Queen Sinjeong began her regency. Yi was apparently chosen because "he was the only suitable surviving male member of the Yi clan and closest by blood to the royal house".

Events of the regency

Since Gojong was so young, Queen Sinjeong invited the Daewongun to assist his son in ruling. She virtually renounced her right to be regent in 1866, and though she remained the titular regent, the Daewongun was in fact the true ruler. But when the Grand Queen Dowager stepped down from regency, Grand Internal Prince Heungseon had immediately started to drive out the influence of the Jo clan. This eventually brought in her adoptive daughter-in-law

Queen Min Empress Myeongseong (; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895) was the official wife of Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire. During her lifetime, she was known by the name Queen Min (). After the founding o ...

's intervention as she became involved in Royal politics. Thus bringing down the power and influence of the king's father and his supporters, and becoming regent while also bringing in the influence of her family, the

Yeoheung Min clan The Yeoheung Min clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. The 2015 Korean census counted 167,124 members of the Yeoheung Min clan. Origin The progenitor of the Yeoheung Min clan was long thought to be Min C ...

Death and posthumous titles

Queen Sinjeong died on 4 June 1890 during Gojong's 27th year of reign. Nine years after her death, during the 3rd year reign of

Emperor Gwangmu Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 1907, first as the last king ...

, she was given the posthumous title of "Empress Shinjeongik (), and Crown Prince Hyomyeong was given the posthumous title of "Emperor Munjoik" ().

Family

* Father **

(; 20 June 1776 – 2 December 1846) * Mother ** Internal Princess Consort Deokan of the

Eunjin Song clan Eunjin Song clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their ''Bon-gwan'' is in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. In a 2015 estimate, they numbered 226,050. Their founder was , a descendant of Song Ju eun. See also * Korean clan names of foreign or ...

(; 1776–1834) * Siblings ** Older brother - Jo Byeong-gwi (; 1796–?) ** Older brother - Jo Byeong-gi (; 1798–1858); became the adoptive son of his uncle Jo In-yeong (; 1782–1850) ** Younger sister - Lady Jo of the Pungyang Jo clan (; 1811–?) ** Younger sister - Lady Jo of the Pungyang Jo clan (; 1812–1865) ** Younger sister - Lady Jo of the Pungyang Jo clan (; 1813–?) * Husband ** Yi Yeong, Crown Prince Hyomyeong (; 18 September 1809 – 25 June 1830) *** Mother-in-law -

of the

(; 8 June 1789 – 21 September 1857) *** Father-in-law - Yi Gong, King Sunjo of Joseon (; 29 July 1790 – 13 December 1834) * Issue ** Son - Yi Hwan, King Heonjong of Joseon (; 8 September 1827 – 25 July 1849) *** Daughter-in-law -

of the

(; 27 April 1828 – 18 October 1843) — No issue. *** Daughter-in-law -

Queen Hyojeong Queen Hyojeong (; 6 March 1831 – 20 December 1903) of the Namyang Hong clan, was the second wife and queen consort of King Heonjong of Joseon, the 24th monarch of the Joseon Dynasty. After his death in 1849, she was known as Queen Mother Mye ...

of the

(; 6 March 1831 – 2 January 1904) — No issue. ** Adoptive son - Yi Myeong-bok, Emperor Gojong of Korea (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919) *** Adoptive daughter-in-law - Min Ja-yeong, Empress Myeongseong of the

(; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895)

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Kim Yong-rim Kim Yong-rim (; born March 3, 1940) is a South Korean actress. Kim made her acting debut in 1961 and has since worked steadily in Korean drama Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean language, Korean-language ...

in the 2001–2002

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 Myeongseong Empress Myeongseong (; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895) was the official wife of Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire. During her lifetime, she was known by the name Queen Min (). After the founding o ...

''. * Portrayed by

Jung Hye-sun Jung Hye-sun (; born February 21, 1942), birth name Jung Young-ja (), is a South Korean actress. Jung made her entertainment debut as a voice actress with the KBS Daejeon Daejeon (; ) is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, fifth-l ...

in the 2012 MBC TV series ''

Dr. Jin ''Dr. Jin'' () is a 2012 South Korean historical television drama series, starring Song Seung-heon in the title role of Dr. Jin, a 21st-century neurosurgeon who travels back in time to the Joseon Dynasty. Also starring Park Min-young, Lee Beom ...

''. * Portrayed by

Chae Soo-bin Bae Soo-bin (; born July 10, 1994), known professionally as Chae Soo-bin (), is a South Korean actress. She first gained recognition for her role in the television series ''Love in the Moonlight'' (2016), and transitioned into leading roles, n ...

in the 2016 KBS2 TV series ''

Love in the Moonlight ''Love in the Moonlight'' () is a South Korean television series starring Park Bo-gum, Kim Yoo-jung, Jung Jin-young, Chae Soo-bin, and Kwak Dong-yeon. It is a coming-of-age story and youth romance set during 19th-century Joseon Dynasty base ...

''. * Portrayed by Kim Bo Yun in the 2020 TV series King Maker: The Change of Destiny. * Portrayed by

Jo Yeon-hee Jo Yeon-hee is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''One Dollar Lawyer'', '' Mr. Queen'', '' One the Woman'' and '' Black Dog: Being A Teacher''. She also appeared in movies '' The Houseguest and My Mother'', ''S ...

in the 2020 tvN TV series ''

Mr. Queen ''Mr. Queen'' () is a 2020 South Korean television series based on the Chinese web series '' Go Princess Go''. Directed by Yoon Sung-sik, it stars Shin Hye-sun as Queen Cheorin and Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheoljong. The drama is about Queen ...

''.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinjeong 1809 births 1890 deaths 19th-century women regents 19th-century regents Regents of Korea Royal consorts of Joseon Queens consort of Korea Pungyang Jo clan Mothers of Korean monarchs