Munjong of Joseon

Issue
among others...Danjong of Joseon

Names
Yi Hyang (이향; 李珦)
Era name and dates
Adopted the era name of the Ming dynasty: Gyeongtae (Jingtai) (경태; 景泰): 1450–1452
Posthumous name
Joseon: King Heummyeong Insuk Gwangmun Seonghyo the Great (흠명인숙광문성효대왕; 欽明仁肅光文聖孝大王) Ming dynasty: Gongsun (공순; 恭順)
Temple name
Munjong (문종; 文宗)

ClanJeonju YiDynastyYiFatherSejong of JoseonMotherQueen SoheonReligionKorean Confucianism (Neo-Confucianism)

Korean name
Hangul	문종
Hanja	文宗
Revised Romanization	Munjong
McCune–Reischauer	Munjong
Birth name
Hangul	이향
Hanja	李珦
Revised Romanization	I Hyang
McCune–Reischauer	Yi Hyang
Courtesy name
Hangul	휘지
Hanja	輝之
Revised Romanization	Hwiji
McCune–Reischauer	Hwichi

Monarchs of Korea
Joseon monarchs
Taejo 1392–1398 Jeongjong 1398–1400 Taejong 1400–1418 Sejong 1418–1450 Munjong 1450–1452 Danjong 1452–1455 Sejo 1455–1468 Yejong 1468–1469 Seongjong 1469–1494 Yeonsangun 1494–1506 Jungjong 1506–1544 Injong 1544–1545 Myeongjong 1545–1567 Seonjo 1567–1608 Gwanghaegun 1608–1623 Injo 1623–1649 Hyojong 1649–1659 Hyeonjong 1659–1674 Sukjong 1674–1720 Gyeongjong 1720–1724 Yeongjo 1724–1776 Jeongjo 1776–1800 Sunjo 1800–1834 Heonjong 1834–1849 Cheoljong 1849–1864 Gojong 1864–1897
v t e

Munjong (Korean: 문종; Hanja: 文宗; 15 November 1414 – 10 June 1452), personal name Yi Hyang (이향; 李珦), was the fifth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. As the eldest son of Sejong the Great and Queen Soheon, he succeeded to the throne in 1450.

Biography

Yi Hyang was the longest serving heir apparent during the Joseon period, holding the position for a record 29 years.

In January 1421, Sejong instructed that his eight-year-old son be educated by scholars from the Hall of Worthies, then in October the same year, he was invested as crown prince and sent to study at the Sungkyunkwan.^[2] From 1442 until his own ascension to the throne in 1450, Yi Hyang served as regent and took care of state affairs during the final years of his father's reign, as Sejong developed various illnesses and disorders.^[3]

Most of his achievements were during his time as crown prince. Although credit is primarily given to Jang Yeong-sil for inventing the water gauge, the Annals of the Joseon dynasty affirm that it was the prince who found measures of water levels in the ground. Yi Hyang also contributed to the development of the Korean vernacular script (today known as Hangul).^[4]

Reign

Yi Hyang ascended to the throne as King Munjong in 1450, and his reign marked the beginning of an imbalance of power at the Joseon court. Gim Bi-hwan describes the "interaction of the royal authority, administrative power, remonstrative power, and the collective authority of scholars outside the office," before Munjong as contributing to a situation that allowed the country to function constitutionally. During Munjong's reign, however, the balance collapsed, setting the stage for his brother to lead a coup d'etat in 1452 against Munjong's son.^[5]

Munjong's reign also saw the demolition of Gyejodang Hall, a building within Gyeongbokgung Palace, a facility that was used by Munjong when he was crown prince to handle state affairs on behalf of his father, Sejong and to greet foreign envoys.^[6]

Marriage

Munjong was first married to Lady Gim of the (old) Andong Gim clan, between 1427 and 1429. She reportedly used witchcraft to gain his love. She also burned the shoes of Munjong's concubine, and made her drink the ashes with alcohol. When her father-in-law, King Sejong, found out about these actions, he deposed her.

The same year his first wife was ousted, Munjong remarried to Lady Bong of the Haeum Bong clan. She was deposed in 1436, when it was discovered that she had a homosexual love affair with one of her palace maids named So-ssang (소쌍).

Lastly, in 1437, Lady Gwon of the Andong Gwon clan became the third wife of Munjong, while he was still the crown prince. Originally a concubine, she gave birth to two daughters, one of whom was Princess Gyeonghye, and to Yi Hong-wi, Mujong's only surviving son, who later became King Danjong. Lady Gwon died in 1441, soon after the birth of her son, and when her husband took the throne, she was posthumously honored as "Queen Hyeondeok" (Hyeondeok Wanghu; 현덕왕후, 顯德王后).

Family

• Father: King Sejong of Joseon (조선 세종; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450)
• Mother: Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan (소헌왕후 심씨; 12 October 1395 – 19 April 1446)

Consort(s) and their respective issue

• Crown Princess Hwi of the (old) Andong Gim clan (휘빈 김씨; 1410–1429)
• Crown Princess Sun of the Haeum Bong clan (순빈 봉씨; 1414–1436)
• Queen Hyeondeok of the Andong Gwon clan (현덕왕후 권씨; 17 April 1418 – 10 August 1441)
  • First daughter (1432–1433)
  • Princess Gyeonghye (경혜공주; 1436 – 30 December 1473), second daughter
  • Crown Prince Yi Hong-wi (왕세자 이홍위; 9 August 1441 – 7 November 1457), first son
• Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Namyang Hong clan (숙빈 홍씨; 1418 – ?)
  • Fourth daughter (1441–1444)
• Royal Consort Sug-ui of the Nampyeong Mun clan (숙의 문씨; 1426–1508)
• Royal Consort So-yong of the Munhwa Yu clan (소용 유씨)
• Royal Consort So-yong of the Andong Gwon clan (소용 권씨)
• Royal Consort So-yong of the Dongnae Jeong clan (소용 정씨)
  • Second son
• Royal Consort So-yong of the Papyeong Yun clan (소용 윤씨)
• Court Lady Yang (사칙 양씨)
  • Princess Gyeongsuk (경숙옹주; 1439–1482), third daughter
  • Fifth daughter (1450–1451)
• Court Lady Jang (상궁 장씨)
  • Third son

Ancestry

In popular culture

• Portrayed by Hwang Chi-hoon in the 1983 MBC TV series The King of Chudong Palace.
• Portrayed by Jeon Moo-song in the 1998 KBS TV series King and Queen.
• Portrayed by Oh Eun-chan and Lee Sang-yeob in the 2008 KBS TV series The Great King, Sejong.
• Portrayed by Park Jung-chul in the 2008 film The Divine Weapon.
• Portrayed by Jung Dong-hwan in the 2011 KBS2 TV series The Princess' Man.
• Portrayed by Sunwoo Jae-duk in the 2011 JTBC TV series Insu, the Queen Mother.
• Portrayed by Kim Tae-woo in 2013 film The Face Reader.
• Portrayed by Han Jeong-woo and Choi Seung-hoon in the 2016 KBS1 TV series Jang Yeong-sil.

Notes

References

• Kim, Bi-Hwan (2014). "A Constitutionalist Interpretation of Confucian Politics in the Early Joseon Dynasty". In Kang, Jung In (ed.). Contemporary Korean Political Thought in Search of a Post-Eurocentric Approach. London: Lexington Books. pp. 243–266.
• Jung, Jae-Hoon (2006). "Royal Education of Princes in the Reign of King Sejong". The Review of Korean Studies. 9 (3): 133–152.
• Yeon, Jaehoon (2010). "Was the Korean alphabet a sole invention of King Sejong?". Journal of Korean Culture. 14: 1–20.

External links

• http://navercast.naver.com/contents.nhn?rid=77&contents_id=57444

Munjong of Joseon House of Yi Born: 15 November 1414 Died: 10 June 1452
Regnal titles
Preceded by Sejong	King of Joseon 8 April 1450 – 10 June 1452	Succeeded by Danjong