List of Joseon royal consorts explained

The following is a list of queen consorts, queen dowagers and grand queen dowagers of Kingdom of Joseon and empress consort and empress dowager of Korean Empire.

Title

The Joseon dynasty (also transcribed as Chosŏn or Chosun, Korean: 대조선국; 大朝鮮國,) was a Korean dynastic kingdom that lasted for five centuries.^[1] Joseon King accepted Chinese suzerainty and acknowledged the Chinese emperor as their nominal overlord^[2] until the Gabo Reform in December 1894. The Primary Consort of the Joseon King bore the title wangbi (왕비, 王妃), translated as Queen in English, with the style of "Her Royal Highness" (mama; 마마, 媽媽). The title used in the court language was junggungjeon (중궁전, 中宮殿) or jungjeon (중전, 中殿), translated as "Center Palace" in English. Wanghu (왕후, 王后), the title for the Primary Consort of the King during pre-Joseon era, became a posthumous title.

The title Royal Queen Dowager (왕대비, 王大妃) was given to the widow of a king. Queen Dowager (대비, 大妃), originally was the short form of Royal Queen Dowager, but it became a lesser rank title during the reign of King Cheoljong and King Gojong. The widow of the previous king was called the Grand Royal Queen Dowager (대왕대비, 大王大妃),.

After Second Gabo Reform in December 1894, which proclaimed the severance of the subordinate relationship with China, royal titles also changed. The title changed from wangbi to wanghu and from wangdaebi to wangtaehu (왕태후, 王太后).

In October 1897, King Gojong proclaimed Korea as an empire and he assumed the title of Emperor (hwangje; 황제, 皇帝) in order to assert Korea's independence. Automatically, his wife held the title of empress consort (hwanghu; 황후, 皇后) and the monarch's widow held the title empress dowager (hwangtaehu; 황태후, 皇太后). From all the consorts of Joseon's ruler, only Empress Sunjeong held the rank of empress consort during her lifetime. Empress Myeongseong died in 1895, two years before the Korean Empire was proclaimed.

List

Queens and empresses consort

Kingdom of Joseon

King	Queen consort		Birth	Became Consort	Ceased to be consort	Death
King	Posthumous name and maiden clan	Titles	Birth	Became Consort	Ceased to be consort	Death
Yi Dan, King Taejo	Queen Sinui		1337			21 October 1391
Yi Dan, King Taejo	Queen Sindeok		12 July 1356	17 July 1392	15 September 1396
Yi Gyeong, King Jeongjong	Queen Jeongan		22 January 1355	5 September 1398	28 November 1400	2 August 1412
Yi Bang-won, King Taejong	Queen Wongyeong		29 July 1365	10 January 1401	9 September 1418 husband’s abdication	18 August 1420
Yi Do, King Sejong	Queen Soheon		12 October 1395	9 September 1418	19 April 1446
Yi Hyang, King Munjong	Queen Hyeondeok		17 April 1418			10 August 1441
Yi Hong-wi, King Danjong	Queen Jeongsun		1440	1454	11 June 1455	7 July 1521
Yi Yu, King Sejo	Queen Jeonghui		8 December 1418	1455	23 September 1468	6 May 1483
Yi Hwang, King Yejong	Han Naeng-yi, Queen Jangsun		22 February 1445			5 January 1462
Yi Hwang, King Yejong	Queen Ansun		18 April 1445	1468	31 December 1469	3 February 1499
Yi Hyeol, King Seongjong	Han Song-yi, Queen Gonghye		8 November 1456	1469	30 April 1474
	Queen Jeheon		15 July 1455	1476	1479	29 August 1482
	Yun Chang-nyeon, Queen Jeonghyeon		21 July 1462	1480	1494	13 September 1530
Yi Yung, Prince Yeonsan	Princess Consort Geochang		15 December 1476	1494	2 September 1506	16 May 1537
Yi Yeok, King Jungjong	Queen Dangyeong		7 February 1487	18 September 1506	25 September 1506	27 December 1557
	Yun Myung-hye, Queen Janggyeong		10 August 1491	1507	16 March 1515
	Queen Munjeong		2 December 1501	1517	29 November 1544	5 May 1565
Yi Ho, King Injong	Queen Inseong		7 October 1514	1544	8 August 1545	6 January 1578
Yi Hwan, King Myeongjong	Queen Insun		27 June 1532	1545	3 August 1567	12 February 1575
Yi Yeon, King Seonjo	Queen Uiin		5 May 1555	1569	5 August 1600
Yi Yeon, King Seonjo	Queen Inmok		15 December 1584	1602	16 March 1608	13 August 1632
Yi Hon, Prince Gwanghae	Queen Hyejang of the Munhwa Yu Clan		15 August 1576	1608	1623	31 October 1623
Yi Jong, King Injo	Queen Inyeol		16 August 1594	1623	16 January 1636
Yi Jong, King Injo	Queen Jangnyeol		16 December 1624	December 1638	17 June 1649	20 September 1688
Yi Ho, King Hyojong	Queen Inseon		9 February 1619	1649	23 June 1659	19 March 1674
Yi Yeon, King Hyeonjong	Queen Myeongseong		13 June 1642	1659	17 September 1674	21 January 1684
Yi Sun, King Sukjong	Kim Ok-Hye, Queen Ingyeong		25 October 1661	1674	16 December 1680
	Queen Inhyeon		15 May 1667	1681	5 March 1688
	Queen Inhyeon		15 May 1667	1694	16 September 1701
	Jang Ok-jeong, Queen Buok		3 November 1659	1688	1694	9 November 1701
	Queen Inwon		3 November 1687	1702	12 July 1720	13 May 1757
Yi Yun, King Gyeongjong	Queen Danui		11 July 1686	20 May 1696	8 March 1718
Yi Yun, King Gyeongjong	Queen Seonui		14 December 1705	1720	11 October 1724	12 August 1730
Yi Geum, King Yeongjo	Queen Jeongseong		12 January 1693	30 November 1724	3 April 1757
Yi Geum, King Yeongjo	Queen Jeongsun		2 December 1745	1759	22 April 1776	11 February 1805
Yi San, King Jeongjo	Queen Hyoui		5 January 1754	1776	18 August 1800	10 April 1821
Yi Gong, King Sunjo	Queen Sunwon		8 June 1789	1802	13 December 1834	21 September 1857
Yi Hwan, King Heonjong	Queen Hyohyeon		27 April 1828	1837	18 October 1843
Yi Hwan, King Heonjong	Queen Hyojeong		6 March 1831	1844	25 July 1849	2 January 1904
Yi Byeon, King Cheoljong	Queen Cheorin		27 April 1837	1851	16 January 1864	12 June 1878
Yi Hui, King Gojong Emperor Gwangmu	Min Ja-yeong, Empress Myeongseong		17 November 1851	20 March 1866	January 1895
Yi Hui, King Gojong Emperor Gwangmu	Min Ja-yeong, Empress Myeongseong		17 November 1851	January 1895	8 October 1895

Korean Empire

Emperor	Empress consort		Birth	Became empress consort	Ceased to be empress consort	Death
Emperor	Posthumous name and maiden clan	Titles	Birth	Became empress consort	Ceased to be empress consort	Death
Yi Cheok, King Sunjong	Empress Sunmyeong		20 November 1872			5 November 1904
Yi Cheok, King Sunjong	Yun Jeung-sun, Empress Sunjeong		19 September 1894	20 July 1907	29 August 1910	3 February 1966

Queens and empresses dowager