Yeongjo of Joseon explained

Yeongjo of Joseon

Caption:Portrait of King Yeongjo
Succession:King of Joseon
Reign:16 October 1724 – 22 April 1776
Coronation:Injeongmun Gate, Changdeok Palace, Hanseong
Cor-Type:Enthronement
Predecessor:Gyeongjong
Regent:
Successor:Jeongjo
Spouse:
    Spouse-Type:Spouse(s)
    Issue:Crown Prince Sado
    Issue-Link:
    1. Family
    Issue-Pipe:among others...
    Full Name:Yi Geum (이금; 李昑)
    Dynasty:Yi
    Posthumous Name:
    • Joseon: King Igmun Seonmu Huigyeong Hyeonhyo the Great → King Jeongmun Seonmu Huigyeong Hyeonhyo the Great (익문선무희경현효대왕 → 정문선무희경현효대왕; 翼文宣武熙敬顯孝大王 → 正文宣武熙敬顯孝大王)
    • Qing dynasty: Jangsun (장순; 莊順)
    Temple Name:Yeongjong (영종; 英宗) → Yeongjo (영조; 英祖)
    House:Jeonju Yi
    House-Type:Clan
    Father:Sukjong of Joseon
    Mother:
    Succession1:Regent of Joseon
    Reign-Type1:Tenure
    Reign1:4 December 1721 – 16 October 1724
    Reg-Type1:Monarch
    Regent1:Gyeongjong
    Birth Date:31 October 1694
    Birth Place:Bogyeongdang Hall, Changdeok Palace, Hanseong, Joseon
    Death Place:Jipgyeongdang Hall, Gyeonghui Palace, Hanseong, Joseon
    Place Of Burial:Wonneung Mausoleum, Dongguneung Cluster, Guri, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
    Hangul:영종, later 영조
    Hanja:, later
    Rr:Yeongjong, later Yeongjo
    Mr:Yŏngjong, later Yŏngjo
    Hangulborn:이금
    Rrborn:I Geum
    Mrborn:Yi Kŭm
    Hangulja:광숙
    Rrja:Gwangsuk
    Mrja:Kwangsuk
    Othername1:Art name
    Hangul1:양성헌
    Rr1:Yangseongheon
    Mr1:Yangsŏnghŏn

    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 ascending to power, he was known as Prince Yeoning . His life was characterized by political infighting and resentment due to his biological mother's low-born origins.

    In 1720, a few months after the accession of his elder half-brother, Yi Yun (posthumously King Gyeongjong), as the 20th king, Yeoning became the crown prince. This induced a large controversy between the political factions. Nevertheless, four years later, at the death of Gyeongjong, he ascended to the throne.

    Yeongjo is most remembered for his persistent attempts to reform the taxation system, and reconcile the various factions under his Tangpyeong policy . His reign of nearly 52 years was also marked by the highly controversial execution of his only surviving son, Crown Prince Sado, in 1762. However, in spite of this controversy, Yeongjo has earned a positive reputation in Korean history due to his efforts to rule by Confucian ethics.

    Biography

    Succession to the throne

    In 1720, King Sukjong died and Crown Prince Yi Yun, Sukjong's eldest son, ascended to the throne as King Gyeongjong, at the age of 33. Before he died in 1720, Sukjong supposedly told Yi I-myeong to name Prince Yeoning as Gyeongjong's heir, but in the absence of a historiographer or scribe, no record exists. At this time, the Noron faction unsuccessfully tried to pressure the new king to step down in favor of his younger half-brother.

    A few months after Gyeongjong's enthronement, Prince Yeoning was installed as Crown Prince Brother (Wangseje; 왕세제, 王世弟). This aggravated the power struggle and led to the of 1721. The Noron sent petitions to the king to no effect while the opposing Soron faction used this to their advantage — claiming the Noron were trying to usurp power and subsequently getting their rival faction removed from several offices.

    Members of the Soron faction then came up with a plan to assassinate Yeoning under the pretence of hunting for a white fox said to be haunting the palace, but he sought shelter with his adoptive mother, Queen Dowager Hyesun. Afterwards, he told the king that he would rather go and live as a commoner.

    On 11 October 1724, King Gyeongjong died. The Soron accused Yeoning of being involved in his brother's death due to the earlier attempt of the Noron faction to have him placed on the throne. Many historians, however, now believe that he could have died from food poisoning caused by contaminated seafood, as he displayed symptoms of the illness. Homer Hulbert described this in his book The History of Korea, where he said, "But we may well doubt the truth of the rumor, for nothing that is told of that brother indicates that he would commit such an act, and in the second place a man who will eat shrimps in mid-summer, that have been brought 30 miles from the sea without ice might expect to die".[1] On 16 October 1724, Prince Yeoning ascended the throne as King Yeongjo, the 21st ruler of Joseon.

    Reign

    He was a deeply Confucian monarch, and is said to have had a greater knowledge of the classics than his officials. During the reigns of Yeongjo and his grandson Jeongjo, Confucianization was at its height, as well as the economic recovery from the wars of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His rulership has been called one of the most brilliant reigns in Joseon's history.[2]

    Yeongjo worried deeply for his people. The Annals of the Joseon dynasty record that one day in the 4th year of his reign, King Yeongjo woke up to the sound of early morning rain and said to his courtiers:

    Oh dear! We have had flood, drought and famines for the past four years because of my lack of virtue, and this year we even went through an unprecedented revolt by a traitor named Yi In-jwa. How can my poor people manage their livelihood under such hardship? There is an old saying, 'War is always followed by a lean year'. Fortunately, however, we haven’t had a big famine for the past two years and we pin our hopes on a good harvest this year. Yet I am still nervous because, while the season for harvesting is around the corner, there is no way of knowing if there will be a flood or drought before then. Nobody knows whether a cold rain will pour suddenly and flood the fields awaiting harvest. My lack of goodness might bring upon us such awful things as I fail to win the sympathy of heaven. How can I earn the sympathy of heavens if I do not self-reflect and make efforts myself? I should start with reflecting on myself.[3]

    As he worried that rain would ruin the harvest and force his unfortunate people to starve, the king ordered his courtiers to reduce the taxes and decrease the number of dishes in his own meals.

    One early morning 25 years later (1753), the continuous rain reminded Yeongjo of the flood during the 4th year of his reign, when he had eaten less food:

    Oh! Floods and droughts really happen because I lack virtue. I am much older than that year, but how can my compassion for the people and will to work hard for them be less than back then?".[4]

    Yet again, he ordered a reduction in the number of dishes on his dining table.

    People around him described him as an articulate, bright, benevolent and kind monarch. He was penetrating in observation and quick of comprehension.[5]

    Yi In-jwa's Rebellion

    After the ascension of King Yeongjo to the throne, the position of the Noron faction was restored, and a coalition of the radical faction of the Namin and the excluded Soron faction instigated Yi In-jwa's Rebellion under the pretext of protecting King Gyeongjong.[6] Yeongjo pursued a policy of equal recruitment, believing that factional strife was detrimental to the country's development.[7] In response, the radical faction of the Soron group justified their rebellion by raising suspicions about the circumstances of King Gyeongjong's death and claiming that King Yeongjo was not the legitimate heir of King Sukjong, thereby securing their power. The rebellion began on March 15 when their leader, Yi In-jwa captured Cheongju Castle. The rebel forces, marching toward Hanyang (present-day Seoul), were defeated by the royal army, and the support from the Yeong and Honam regions was also suppressed by local forces, leading to the suppression of the rebellion and execution of Yi In-jwa and his family.[8]

    Policies

    Realising the detrimental effect on state administration of the factional strife, Yeongjo attempted to end it as soon as he ascended the throne. He reinstated the short-lived universal military service tax, and then went beyond the palace gates to solicit the opinions of officials, literati (scholars), soldiers and peasants. Yeongjo reduced the military service tax by half and ordered the variance be supplemented by taxes on fisheries, salt, vessels and an additional land tax. He also regularized the financial system of state revenues and expenses by adopting an accounting system. His pragmatic policies allowed payment of taxes on grain from the remote mountainous areas Gyeongsang Province, to the nearby port, with payment in cotton or cash for grain. The circulation of currency was encouraged by increasing coin casting.

    Yeongjo's concern for improvement of the peasant's life was manifest in his eagerness to educate the people by distributing important books in the Korean script (Hangul), including the Book of Agriculture.

    The pluviometer was again manufactured in quantity and distributed to local administration offices and extensive public work projects were undertaken. Yeongjo upgraded the status of posterity of the commoners, opening another possibility for upward social mobility and inevitable change. His policies were intended to reassert the Confucian monarchy and a humanistic rule, but they were unable to stem the tide of social change that resulted.

    Mercantile activities rapidly increased in volume. The accumulation of capital through monopoly and wholesales expanded through guild organisations and many merchants were centred in Hanseong. The traditional division of government chartered shop, the license tribute goods suppliers and the small shopkeepers in the alley and streets were integrated and woven into a monopoly and wholesale system.

    Regardless of status, many yangban aristocrats and commoners engaged in some kind of merchant activities. Thus Hanseong made great strides as a commercial and industrial city and hub in the 18th century. The popular demand for handicrafts and goods such as knives, mane hats, dining tables and brassware was ever-increasing. Restrictions on wearing the mane hat originally denoting yangban status, virtually disappeared.

    Even bootlegging of books became commercialised as competition developed among the well-to-do yangban who engaged in the publication of collected literary works by their renowned ancestors. This also led to printing popular fiction and poetry. The people especially appreciated satire and social criticism. One example is the Chunhyangjeon (Tales of Chunghyang) about the fidelity of the gisaeng's daughter, which was widely read as a satire aimed to expose the greed and snobbery of government officials.[9]

    Anti-corruption

    The King is also renowned for having treasured Park Mun-su, whom he appointed as secret royal inspector (Amhaengeosa; 암행어사). Park, who had earned great merit in putting down Yi In-jwa's rebellion in 1728, went around the nation arresting corrupt local officers in the name of the King.

    Catholicism

    Yeongjo was the first king to take action against Roman Catholic activities in the country. By the 18th century, Catholicism was beginning to acquire a following especially in the Gangwon and Hwanghae provinces. In 1758, Yeongjo officially outlawed Catholicism as an evil practice.

    Crown Prince Sado

    The only significantly dismal incident during Yeongjo's reign was the death of his son, Crown Prince Sado. History indicates Sado suffered from mental illness, randomly killing people in the palace and raping palace maids. Because Yeongjo could not execute his son without also implicating his daughter-in-law and grandson, he ordered Sado to climb into a wooden rice chest on a hot July day in 1762. After two days, King Yeongjo had the chest containing Sado tied with rope, covered with grass, and moved to the upper palace. Sado responded from inside the chest until the night of the seventh day; the chest was opened and he was pronounced dead on the eighth day.[10] During the 19th century, there were rumors that Crown Prince Sado had not been mentally ill, but had been victimised by a court plot. This, however, is contradicted by both the memoirs written by Sado's widow and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.

    As a means to preserve the legitimacy of Sado's son as his own heir, Yeongjo decreed that the boy be registered as the son of the deceased Crown Prince Hyojang and Crown Princess Consort Hyosun.[11]

    Death

    Yeongjo had lived with poor health for much of his life, and was even infected with parasitic worms. Because of this, he took many precautions to stay healthy, which some speculate may have contributed to his death at a relatively old age.[12]

    Fourteen years after Crown Prince Sado's death, his son and Yeongjo's grandson, Yi San (posthumously King Jeongjo), became King. The early part of the new King's years were marked by political intrigues and fear of court officials who were afraid that he would seek revenge on them for petitioning the punishment that caused the death of his father, Crown Prince Sado.

    Yeongjo is buried with his second wife, Queen Jeongsun, in the royal tomb of Wonneung in Guri, Gyeonggi Province.

    Family

    Consort(s) and their respective issue

    In popular culture

    See also

    Notes and References

    1. Book: Hulbert . Homer B. . Homer Hulbert . The History of Korea . 2 . The Methodist Publishing House . 1905 . Seoul . 164 . 2013-09-10 . 9780700707003.
    2. Web site: The history of Korea . 2014-06-04.
    3. Yeongjo Sillok, 27 July 1728 (4th year of his reign)
    4. Yeongjo Sillok, 23 July 1753 (29th year of his reign)
    5. The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong Pag. p.250
    6. Book: Jackson . Andrew . The 1728 Musin Rebellion: Politics and Plotting in Eighteenth-Century Korea . 2016 . University of Hawaii Press . 18–27 .
    7. News: 이인좌의 난. ko . KBS World. 2023-11-19. Yi In-jwa's Rebellion.
    8. Web site: 이인좌의 난 (李麟佐의 亂). ko . . 2023-11-19. Yi In-jwa's Rebellion.
    9. Web site: Archived copy . 2013-01-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151226230912/http://www.koreaaward.com/kor/151 . 26 December 2015 .
    10. Book: Kim Haboush, JaHyun . The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea . Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong . University of California Press . 2013 . 978-0-520-20055-5 . 2 . Berkeley . 281–282 . JaHyun Kim Haboush.
    11. Book: Kim Haboush, JaHyun . JaHyun Kim Haboush. The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea . Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong . 978-0-520-20055-5 . 2013 . 2 . Berkeley . University of California Press . 18.
    12. Web site: 이 . 상곤 . 2013-10-23 . 영조, 뱃속 회충을 이렇게 길들였다! . 2023-09-18 . . ko.
    13. Web site: '해치' 이순재→송강호→정일우, 영조 캐릭터 변천사. 2 March 2019. 7 March 2019. Ilgan Sports. ko.
    14. Web site: Baek. Byung-yeul. Same role, different actors. The Korea Times. 2014-11-09. 18 August 2014.
    15. Web site: SBS announces the cast of 'Haechi'. 9 November 2018. Korea JoongAng Daily.
    16. Web site: After serving his country, Jung Il-woo is back: The actor once again dons hanbok for an upcoming SBS drama. 29 January 2019. Korea JoongAng Daily.