Queen Janggyeong (Joseon)

Posthumous name
	숙신명혜선소의숙장경왕후

Queen Janggyeong
장경왕후
章敬王后
Queen Janggyeong; 장경왕후; 章敬王后
Queen consort of Joseon
Tenure	1507 – 16 March 1515
Predecessor	Queen Dangyeong
Successor	Queen Munjeong
Born	Yun Myeong-hye (윤명혜); 10 August 1491; Hyohyeon-bang, Hanseong, Joseon
Died	16 March 1515 (aged 23); Byeol Hall, Dong Palace, Gyeongbok Palace, Hanseong, Joseon
Burial	Huireung
Spouse	Yi Yeok, King Jungjong (m. 1506–1515)
Issue	Yi Ok-ha, Princess Hyohye; Yi Ho, King Injong;
Posthumous name
Posthumous name
	숙신명혜선소의숙장경왕후
House	Papyeong Yun
Father	Yun Yeo-Pil
Mother	Internal Princess Consort Suncheon of the Suncheon Park clan

Queen Janggyeong (Korean: 장경왕후; Hanja: 章敬王后; 10 August 1491 – 16 March 1515^[a]), of the Papyeong Yun clan, was the wife and second queen consort of Yi Yeok, King Jungjong, the 11th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1507 until her death in 1515.

Biography edit

Yun Myeong-hye (윤명혜) was born on 10 August 1491 during the twenty-second year reign of King Seongjong. Her father, Yun Yeo-pil, was member of the Papyeong Yun clan and her mother was member of the Suncheon Park clan (순천 박씨; 順天朴氏). She was the fifth child within her six siblings and the fourth daughter within her five sisters, and her only older brother, Yun Im.

Through her father, she is a third cousin of Queen Munjeong and Yun Won-hyeong, as well as a great-grandniece of Queen Jeonghui. Her father's sister married a first cousin once removed of Queen Jeongsun; thus making her aunt be a daughter-in-law to Im Sa-hong. As well as a sister-in-law to Yi Hang, Prince Ahnyang (안양군 이항; 1480–1505); who was the son of King Seongjong and Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Chogye Jeong clan, and a grandaunt to Queen Inheon and a great-grandaunt to King Injo.

Because her mother died in 1498 after she gave birth to her younger sister, her maternal aunt, Grand Princess Consort Seungpyeong of the Suncheon Park clan, had raised her in her mother's stead. Although Yun Yeo-pil did not remarry, Lady Yun did have a younger half-sister. But her family or father's ancestry does not mention any record of a concubine or second mother besides her younger half-sister's name and birth year.

Lady Yun's eldest sister, Princess Papyeong, married Prince Deokpung (her half-cousin), who was the son of Grand Prince Wolsan (a son of Queen Insu) and the step-son of her maternal aunt.

In 1506 (during King Jungjong’s first year of reign), Lady Yun had entered the palace as a concubine for the King within the inner court list, granted the title suk-ui (숙의; 淑儀), junior 2nd rank concubine of the King. After Queen Dangyeong was deposed, Yun Suk-ui had been chosen from the other concubines, and became the Queen Consort of Joseon.

On 13 June 1511, the Queen gave birth to Princess Hyohye, the eldest daughter of King Jungjong, and on 10 March 1515, she later gave birth to a son, Yi Ho, the future King Injong.

Death edit

The Queen died six days later in Gyeongbok Palace within the quarters of Gong Palace’s Byeol Hall at the age of 24 due to postpartum sickness. She was buried in Huireung within the city of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province and posthumously honoured with the title Queen Janggyeong.

Aftermath edit

After her death, the 29-year-old King Jungjong later married the 17-year-old daughter of Yun Ji-im of the Papyeong Yun clan, posthumously honoured as Queen Munjeong, in 1517. She gave birth to Princess Uihye in 1521, Princess Hyosun in 1522, an unnamed child in 1528, Princess Gyeonghyeon in 1530, the future King Myeongjong of Joseon in 1535, and Princess Insun in 1542.

As the Crown Prince was the Queen's political protector for a long time, he later turned into a political enemy that she should get rid of for the future of her own son. The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty tells the story of the Queen who threatened the Crown Prince to not to kill her brothers and her own son. Her hostility was not only because her ambition, but also from Yun Im's and late Kim An-ro's manipulation to get rid of the Queen.

Many in the Sarim faction believed that Injong was poisoned by Seongryeol as the late Queen’s son, King Injong’s reign, had lasted only 9 months.but there is no evidence that this was the case. According to unofficial chronicles, there is a tale of Seongryeol finally showing love for her "adoptive" son Injong, after decades of polite indifference (in reality behind-the-scenes hatred).

With politically indifferences and trying to receive the motherly love from his stepmother, it was speculated that Queen Munjeong had slowly poisoned her stepson, King Injong, by feeding him a tteok (rice cake). Which resulted him dying on 7 August 1545 thus giving the throne to her biological son, King Myeongjong of Joseon (King Injong's younger half-brother).

The chronicles also tell that Queen Dowager Seongryeol was frequently visited by spirits at night after Injong's death. As she was disturbed, she moved her residence from Gyeongbok Palace to Changdeok Palace.

Queen Munjeong eventually became Queen Regent throughout the reign of her son until she died twenty years later on 5 August 1565.

Family edit

Parent

Father − Yun Yeo-Pil (윤여필; 尹汝弼; 1466–1555)
Mother − Internal Princess Consort Suncheon of the Suncheon Park clan (순천부부인 순천 박씨; 順天府夫人順天朴氏; 1466–1498)

Sibling

Older sister − Princess Papyeong of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평현부인 윤씨; 坡平縣夫人尹氏; 1485 – 16 January 1536)
Older sister − Princess Consort Papyeong of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평군부인 윤씨; 坡平郡夫人尹氏)
Older brother − Yun Im (윤임; 尹任; 26 July 1487 – 30 August 1545)
Older sister − Yun Cheon-deok (윤천덕; 尹千德), Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (1488–?)
Younger sister − Lady Yun (윤씨; 尹氏; 1498–?)
Younger half-sister − Yun Ok-chun (윤옥춘; 尹玉春; 1518–?)

Consort

Husband − Yi Yeok, King Jungjong (조선 중종; 16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544)
- Father-in-law − Yi Hyeol, King Seongjong (성종대왕; 成宗大王; 1457–1494)
- Mother-in-law − Yun Chang-nyeon, Queen Jeonghyeon of the Papyeong Yun clan (정현왕후 윤씨; 貞顯王后尹氏; 1462–1530)

Issue

Daughter − Yi Ok-ha, Princess Hyohye (효혜공주; 13 June 1511 – 6 May 1531). Husband: Kim Hui (김희; ?–1531); son of Kim Ahn-ro (김안로; 金安老)
Son − Yi Ho, King Injong (조선 인종; 10 March 1515 – 7 August 1545). Wife: Queen Inseong of the Bannam Park clan (인성왕후 박씨; 7 October 1514 – 6 January 1578)

In popular culture edit

Portrayed by Go Bo-gyeol in the 2017 KBS2 TV series Queen for Seven Days.

Notes edit

^ In lunar calendar, the Queen was born on 6 July 1491 and died on 2 March 1515

References edit

Sources edit

장경왕후 (in Korean). Doosan Encyclopedia.

Royal titles
Queen Janggyeong (Joseon) Papyeong Yun clan
Preceded by Queen Dangyeong of the Geochang Shin clan	Queen consort of Joseon 1507–1515	Succeeded by Queen Munjeong of the Papyeong Yun clan

[1] In lunar calendar, the Queen was born on 6 July 1491 and died on 2 March 1515

[a]