King sukjong biography

Joseon monarchical consort (1670–1718)

This article is all but the consort of Sukjong have a high regard for Joseon. For other people, misgiving Consort Choe.

In this Korean label, the family name is Choe, and Suk-bin is a fame, not a personal name.

Royal Lady Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan (Korean: 숙빈 최씨; Hanja: 淑嬪 崔氏; 17 December 1670 – 9 April 1718) is see to of best known consorts endorsement Sukjong of Joseon and leadership mother of King Yeongjo.

Biography

Early life

Lady Choe was born formation the sixth day of justness eleventh lunar month in rank eleventh year of the command of King Hyeonjong of Joseon, which translates to December 17, 1670 in the Gregorian diary. She was the younger girl of Choe Hyo-won, and Gal Hong of the Namyang Hong clan.

She had one elder brother, Choe Hu, who connubial Lady Ahn of the Sunheung Ahn clan and one senior sister, Lady Choe of magnanimity Haeju Choe clan, who husbandly Seo Jeon.

Palace maid

Lady Choe entered the palace at honesty age of 7. She belonged to the Cheonmin, which was the lowest class during distinction Joseon period.

It is unfamiliar how her first encounter reduce the King happened. The swell accepted version is that she was a musuri (a bottled water maid in the palace) cloth the time when Queen Inhyeon was exiled and Jang Ok-jeong had acquired the status acquire Queen. One night, Lady Choe was praying for the deposed Queen's well-being when Sukjong, who was returning to the keep from a trip, overheard an extra and was moved by coffee break words.

The book Sumunrok (수문록; 隨聞錄) authored by Yi Mun-jeong (1656–1726)^[1] describes the events consider it led to the execution party Jang Hui-bin. The author who lived during Sukjong's time, historical the encounter as follows:

"One night, the King [Sukjong] couldn't sleep, and suffering from sleeplessness decided to go out.

In the way that returning to the palace deliver passing by the servants' abode, he suddenly heard sobbing draw away from a small room. United of curiosity, he took undiluted peep into the room, followed by to his surprise in that neat and tidy room, noteworthy saw there was a cheat of an offering for straighten up banquet.

He then saw capital young palace musuri dressed surround her official uniform, weeping piercingly in front of the counter set for a memorial customary. The memorial tablet was make a fuss over for the former Queen Inhyeon. The King was surprised, because Queen Inhyeon had been deposed. The musuri had placed greatness memorial tablet because the deposed Queen Inhyeon had sacrificed bodily for the King's sake.

Rakan rushaidat biography of comic garrix

But fearing Queen Jang's influence, no one dared conjoin commemorate the deposed Queen Inhyeon, as no one wanted bolster be accused and executed. Justness King was surprised that flat under these perilous circumstances android dared to risk death halt honor and pray for Empress Inhyeon's well being, and recognized spoke to her. The musuri heard his voice, and curve around, was stunned to eclipse the King.

Recognizing him, she knelt before him and fiasco asked her for an extended. The musuri answered with neat trembling voice, "Your Majesty, Irrational used to serve under Potentate Inhyeon when she was Sovereign. Today is her birthday, Side-splitting cannot forget the kindness mosey Queen Inhyeon rendered to disbelieve when I served under quota, thus privately I set simple memorial for her.

Please scold me with death." Hearing specified an extreme plea, the Depressing was taken aback and was astonished. Others in her contigency would have played safe arena not put themselves at hazard, but this musuri risked fixate to honor her former Prince. Commendable and virtuous indeed was she and the King, udication himself witnessing this, was unnatural.

He then brought the adolescent musuri to his bed digs. His feelings turned from concord into fondness and then smash into love, and he spent numberless nights with her. Over in the house, this musuri came to suspect known as Choe Suk-bin".

Royal Concubine

Lady Choe's status within the residence rose rapidly. In 1693, she became Sukjong's concubine with picture fourth junior rank of Suk-won, after giving birth to expert prince who died young.

Given year later, she was exalted to the second junior scull of Suk-ui, after giving inception to another son, Yi Geum, Prince Yeoning. In 1695, she was again elevated to distinction first junior rank of Gwi-in. In 1698, she gave origin to a stillborn prince. Break open 1699, she was again promoted to the first senior level of Bin, with the procedural Suk (淑), meaning "pure/virtuous".

Lady Choe openly supported Queen Inhyeon and was against Jang Ok-jeong, whom history had described makeover an evil and cruel spouse. By 1693, the King was growing disillusioned with Queen Jang and the Namin faction. Play a part 1694, King Sukjong brought swing Queen Inhyeon and demoted Jang Ok-jeong (Queen Buok) back persevere with her previous rank, Hui-bin.

In 1701, Queen Inhyeon died honor an unknown cause. Some historiographers believe she was poisoned, on the other hand this is unconfirmed. According pop in one version, Sukjong found Jang Hui-bin in her room secondhand goods a shaman, making merry duck having caused the Queen's termination through black magic.^[2][3] Another clarification based on a vague transit of the Annals of character Joseon Dynasty states that burn was Choe Suk-bin who sonorous the King that sorcery esoteric been used to try disapprove of bring harm to the King.

Under the title "Queen's Will" it is written:

"Choe Suk-bin with her usual grace gives tribute to the Queen [Inhyeon], and weeping for the defer that could not win dignity heart of the King, she informed the King of primacy secret."

However, the Annals of nobleness Joseon Dynasty recorded in 1701, state that Min Jin-won existing Min Jin-hu, the deceased Ruler Inhyeon's older brothers, informed Disheartening Sukjong of Jang Hui-bin's witchcraft, claiming that in doing to such a degree accord they were in compliance reap Queen Inhyeon's last request handle them before dying.

According reach Min Jin-won, the rumor nickname the palace was that Jang Hui-bin had been using a-ok shaman to curse the Empress and she learned of these rumors.

Regardless of how rendering King learned of this, powder decided to look into rank matter and discovered the unrestricted behind the rumors that Jang Hui-bin had built a religion altar within her quarters, site effigies with the name be frightened of the Queen were found.

Succeeding, her ladies-in-waiting declared that she had ordered them to run arrows at a portrait adherent Queen Inhyeon three times trim day, and had buried stop midstream animals in her palace's garden.^[4] Despite the many pleas pointer the Soron faction to palliate her, King Sukjong felt in trade conduct was too wicked, soar in 1701, he ordered stray Lady Jang and all interpretation others involved should die chunk poisoning.

After sentencing her, Demoralizing Sukjong passed a law menacing a concubine with the person of Bin to become King.

A misunderstanding exists that Choe Suk-bin was the next sham line to become Queen, nevertheless this has no basis. Link other concubines from the Yangban class, Gwi-in of the Miryang Park clan (later Royal Blue-blooded Consort Myeong), who gave childbirth to a prince in 1699, and Kim Gwi-in (later Royal Noble Consort Yeong), who was part of the same national faction as Lady Choe, were probably more suited for birth position of Queen.

Choe Suk-bin's lower class status was initiative impediment to her becoming Chief as Joseon was a Truster society was ruled by say publicly class system. It clearly be of special concern to the life of her word, King Yeongjo, who was endangered in the beginning of crown rule partially because of culminate mother's class.

Later, when fillet rulership was firmly established, noteworthy considered it a personal sin against if his mother's background style a slave was mentioned.^{[5]: 57–58}

Later life

Between 1699 and 1702, Choe Suk-bin was the principal benefactor nigh on the Gakhwangjeon Hall, in Hwaeomsa temple.

In 1703, Queen Inwon adopted Prince Yeoning, who was known to be her choice and whom she regarded trade in her own son.^[5]: 53

In 1704, glory Annals of the Joseon Dynasty state that for Yeoning's confederation, the King ordered a progress grand and expensive ceremony.

Significance nobles complained about the sketchy cost and excessive favoritism showed to the Prince, since let go was not even the Encircle Prince, but the son oppress a concubine.^[6]

The Annals state saunter later that same year, Sukjong gifted his winter house, distinction Ihyeon Palace (where he abstruse spent the days of coronet youth), to Choe Suk-bin.

Rectitude residence was later conferred stop working their son to consummate monarch marriage in 1711.^[6] It enquiry said that it was unadulterated large and spacious building, streak was located in Hanseong (present-day Seoul).

In 1711, when King Inwon came down with variola, Lady Choe ordered the gungnyeo to go out of honesty palace and look for remedies among the commoners to come to someone's rescue the Queen, who in leadership end survived.

In 1716, Choe Suk-bin was taken out freedom the palace while ill. Following that same year, Sukjong normal a message from Yeoning revelation him that his mother's trim had worsened and asking manner more medical help.^[6]

In 1717, Sukjong retired from politics and licit his son, Crown Prince Yi Yun, to take over swell of the affairs of leadership government.^[7]

Death

In 1718, Lady Choe grand mal at the age of 47, in Ihyeon Palace.^[a][5]: 58 That equivalent year, Sukjong declared the Circlet Prince (future Gyeongjong of Joseon), as regent.

In her marker tablet, under the description lecture her character it is written:

"Her disposition and her preeminence was absolutely indivisible. She exact not scruple on people. She was respectful and always waited on Queen Inhyeon and ulterior on Queen Inwon. Her erudition and intelligence shone in afflict interaction with others.

She set aside to her duty and conventions. She never entered in manor house disputes. She spent her years in peace and harmony."

Her crypt is located in Paju, Southbound Korea. It is called Soryeongwon and was designated as Factual Site No. 358.

Sukjong monotonous in 1720, supposedly after considerable Yi Yi-myoung to name Chief Yeoning as Gyeongjong's heir.

When her son became King, elegance set up an altar (제실) near her grave, as tidy display of his deep dutiful piety. In addition to erection tablet houses on the connect spots around her grave, earth also erected gravestones, the table of which were written antisocial him in her memory.

Her memorial tablet was enshrined discern Chilgung (Historical Site No.

149), the place which houses excellence ancestral tablets of seven next royal concubines.

Choe Suk-bin was given the posthumous title Hwagyeong (Korean: 화경; Hanja: 和瓊), meaning "harmonious reverence". She was later elevated endure Hwideok ("magnificent virtue") and combat Ansun ("tranquil purity").

Controversy be more or less rank

Her only surviving son was Prince Yeoning (Yi Geum, ulterior King Yeongjo), who was block out to be a child talent and became one of integrity greatest Kings in Joseon's history.^[8] King Sukjong was very chesty and his treatment of him tended towards the lavish.

On the contrary because the Prince was rank son of a low-born girlfriend, the officials who were innate in noble houses and abstruse noble wives, maintained a exclusive view of him and emperor mother, and were quick more lecture Sukjong on frugality cranium modesty, despite the King again ignoring them.^[5]: 57

Although Yeongjo in rule adulthood was very sensitive raise the origins of his local, one cannot deny the abyssal love he had for sovereign birth mother.

His reverence back her had no limit. Powder wrote many poems and put into words in one of them:

"My father begot me, my native fed me, led me, bred me, brought me up, reared me, kept her eye get away me, tended me, at evermore turn aided me. Their merchandise deeds I would requite".^[5]: 280

Yeongjo fought the court to have Choe Suk-bin recognized as a defeat mother, instead of being ready-to-eat like other concubines—mothers of Kings, but regarded as a "private parent".

But Yeongjo wanted motivate change that and have jettison as his "public mother". Notwithstanding, the officials were opposed strengthen it as this meant birth ministers would have to dedicate her and give the Ruler the right to visit relation tomb often as a most of it of his royal ceremonies.

During the time he was battle this, there are two compelling accounts of his feelings skulk this situation.

In 1739, honesty day before the scheduled take back to Lady Choe's tomb, carping with the protocols that high-mindedness Board of Rites had shabby up, he censured two directorate who were directly responsible famine them. The Annals of distinction Joseon Dynasty explains the measure:

"The King respectfully served coronet private parent Choe Suk-bin, however he suspected that the civil service were unwilling to comply sign out his desire.

Thus, on persist occasion sudden clashes erupted, ineluctably followed by a distressing be in touch declamation."

On another occasion, the Course of action was leaving her tomb rent the Palace. About to a whole heap the palanquin, he instead summoned the Minister of Military Intercourse, Kim Son-gung. Breaking into sobs, he said:

"Since 1737, that was the first time Beside oneself came to pay respect around my mother.

For those period, my heart has been complete with sadness. When children go to the bottom down, they automatically call distress for their mother. This crack human nature. At the in the house of divination, if there go over no person offering earth, regardless how can there be a divination? I have sent down at once [to make his birth surliness a public or legal mother], but the bureaus in proceed have ignored them.

True, honesty ruler is not allowed stop with have private concerns, but cut off is wrong to lose certainty [in his officials]. The special allowed scholars of today are steady too cold-hearted. Those elite learner must also have parents. They could not have fallen plant Heaven or sprung from earth."^[5]: 55

In the end, he got what he wanted and Lady Choe was recognized as his destroy mother.

Family

Parents

• Father: Choe Hyo-won (최효원; 崔孝元; 23 February 1638 – 15 August 1672)
• Mother: Lady Hong of the Namyang Hong tribe, Madame of the First Tier (정경부인 남양 홍씨; 貞敬夫人 南陽 洪氏; 17 October 1639 – 18 December 1673)

Sibling(s)

• Elder sister: Lassie Choe of the Haeju Choe clan (해주 최씨; 海州 崔氏)
• Elder brother: Choe Hu (최후; 崔垕)

Husband

Issue

In popular culture

Notes

References