Queen Sindeok

Queen Sindeok
Empress Consort of Korea
(posthumously)
Queen Consort of Joseon
Tenure13 August 1392 – 23 September 1396
PredecessorNone
SuccessorQueen Jeongan
Born20 July 1356
Goksan County, Seohae Province, Goryeo
Died23 September 1396(1396-09-23) (aged 40)
Hanseong, Joseon
Burial
Jeongneung, Seoul, South Korea
SpouseKing Taejo
Issue
Detail		2 sons, 1 daughter
Posthumous name
  • Joseon: Queen Sunwon Hyeongyeong Sindeok (순원현경신덕왕후; 順元顯敬神德王后)
  • Korean Empire: Empress Sunwon Hyeongyeong Sindeok Go (순원현경신덕고황후; 順元顯敬神德高皇后)
Clan
  • Goksan Kang (by birth)
  • Jeonju Yi (by marriage)
DynastyYi
FatherKang Yun-seong, Internal Prince Sangsan
MotherInternal Princess Consort Jinsan, of the Jinju Kang clan
ReligionBuddhism
Korean name
Hangul
신덕왕후
Hanja
神德王后
RRSindeok wanghu
MRSindŏk wanghu

Queen Sindeok (Korean: 신덕왕후; Hanja: 神德王后; 20 July 1356 – 23 September 1396), of the Goksan Kang clan, was the second wife of King Taejo, the founder of Joseon. Known as Queen Hyeon during her tenure, she was queen of Joseon from 1392 until her death in 1396. She served as Taejo's political advisor and had great influence in the founding of Joseon. Following the establishment of the Korean Empire, she was honored as Empress Sindeokgo.

Biography

Early life

The future Queen Sindeok was born during the reign of King Gongmin of Goryeo, as the younger daughter among four sons and two daughters. Her father was Kang Yun-seong and her mother was a lady from the Jinju Kang clan.

Lady Kang's uncle, Kang Yun-chung (강윤충), married a daughter of Grand Prince Wanchang, Yi Seong-gye's uncle. Through this relationship, she was able to come into contact with Yi Seong-gye and soon became his wife.

Marriage

According to legends, Yi Seong-gye's first meeting with Lady Kang happened as such: one day while hunting a tiger, Yi Seong-gye got thirsty and found a well, and there was a woman at the well. When Yi Seong-gye asked the woman to pour him some water, she poured water into a gourd and then floated a handful of willow leaves on top of the water. At this, Yi Seong-gye rebuked her, saying, "What kind of evil is this?". The woman replied shyly that she had to rush because he was thirsty, and if he drank the cold water, he would get sick. After hearing this, Yi Seong-gye was deeply moved by, and looked carefully at the oustandingly beautiful woman. He was mesmerized by her wisdom and beauty. The woman at the well was Lady Kang. This story is the same as the story of the meeting between King Taejo of Goryeo and Queen Janghwa. Queen Janghwa and Lady Kang were both daughters of prominent aristocratic clans and the second wives of the founder of their respective dynasties.

During the Goryeo period, aristocratic men were allowed two wives; one wife was known as the kyŏngch'ŏ (경처), the capital wife, while the other wife was known as the hyangch'ŏ (향처), the countryside wife. Lady Kang married Yi Seong-gye in the late 1360s or early 1370s as his second (kyŏngch'ŏ) wife. At the time of the marriage, Lady Kang was more than 20 years younger than her husband; he already had a first (hyangch'ŏ) wife, Lady Han, and at least four sons, with the eldest among them being older than Lady Kang.

In early 1392, when Yi Seong-gye was seriously injured after falling off his horse and Jeong Mong-ju attempted to eliminate him, Lady Kang urgently sent Yi Seong-gye's fifth son, Yi Bang-won, who was observing mourning at the tomb of his mother, to bring Yi Seong-gye to safety.

Furthermore, it was said that it was Lady Kang who appeased Yi Seong-gye's anger when he severely rebuked Yi Bang-won for assassinating Jeong Mong-ju.

With the founding of the new dynasty, Lady Kang became the first queen of Joseon and received the honorific title hyeon (현; lit. ''illustrious'').

Involvement in politics

Lady Kang made a political alliance with Jeong Do-jeon, and successfully convinced King Taejo to choose her second son, Yi Bang-seok, as successor to the throne.[1]

The adult sons of Lady Han, particularly Yi Bang-won, were outraged by the fact that their youngest half-brother, who was 10 years old at the time and hadn't contributed in any way to the founding of Joseon, had become the crown prince.

Death and aftermath

Lady Kang died four years after her second son's appointment as crown prince. She was buried within Jeongneung (정릉) in present-day Seongbuk District, Seoul.

Her death affected King Taejo immensely. To pray for her soul, he built a small hermitage next to her tomb, and had incense and tea offered every morning and evening. He then ordered the construction of Heungcheonsa Temple to the east of the tomb; as soon as it was completed, it became a daily routine for Taejo to visit his wife's tomb and the temple. After touring the two sites, he would spend the evenings with his two sons by Lady Kang, and only return to his chambers upon hearing the temple bell ringing to announce the offering of prayers at the tomb. Moreover, Taejo would only pick up his chopsticks to eat during meals after hearing the Buddhist scriptures being chanted to pray for Lady Kang's repose.

Soon after Lady Kang's death, the First Strife of the Princes (제1차 왕자의 난) broke out, resulting in the elimination of her sons and the death of her son-in-law, leaving her only daughter, Princess Gyeongsun, to become a Buddhist nun. Shortly after, King Taejo abdicated in favor of his eldest surviving son, Yi Bang-gwa (posthumously King Jeongjong), who later passed the throne to Yi Bang-won (posthumously King Taejong).

As she had completely captivated King Taejo and, with the help of figures like Jeong Do-jeon, had her own son appointed as crown prince, the resentment of Lady Han's children against her had long reached its peak. Ultimately, this resentment persisted after Lady Kang's death and became the cause for King Taejong establishing regulations that banned sons of concubine birth from taking the civil service examination, effectively barring them from becoming high-ranking government officials.[1]

Titles

  • During the reign of King Gongmin (r. 1351–1374):
    • Lady, of the Goksan Kang clan (곡산 강씨; 谷山康氏)
      • Kang Yun-seong's daughter (강윤성의 딸)
      • Lady Kang (강씨; 康氏)
    • Mistress Boryeongtaek[b] (보령택주; 保寧宅主; from unknown date)
  • During the reign of King Taejo (r. 1392–1398):
    • Queen Hyeon (현비; 顯妃; from 13 August 1392)
    • Queen Sindeok (신덕왕후; 神德王后; from 1396)
  • During the reign of Emperor Gojong (r. 1897[c]–1907):
    • Empress Sindeokgo (신덕고황후; 神德高皇后; from 1899)

Family

  • Father: Kang Yun-seong (강윤성), Internal Prince Sangsan (상산부원군; ?–1358)
  • Mother: Internal Princess Consort Jinsan (진산부부인), of the Jinju Kang clan (진주 강씨)
  • Sibling(s)
    • Brother: Kang Deuk-ryong (강득룡)
    • Brother: Kang Sun-ryong (강순룡)
    • Brother: Kang Gye-gwon (강계권; ?–1413)
    • Brother: Kang Yun-gwon (강유권)
    • Sister: Lady, of the Goksan Kang clan (곡산 강씨)[d]
  • Husband: King Taejo (태조대왕; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408)
    • Father-in-law: Yi Ja-chun (이자춘), King Hwanjo (환조대왕; 1315 – 3 May 1360)
    • Mother-in-law: Queen Uihye (의혜왕후), of the Yeongheung Choe clan (영흥 최씨; ?–1336)
  • Issue
    • Princess Gyeongsun (경순공주; ? – 17 September 1407)
    • Yi Bang-beon (이방번), Grand Prince Muan (무안대군; 1381 – 14 October 1398)
    • Yi Bang-seok (이방석), Grand Prince Uian (의안대군; 1382 – 14 October 1398)

Ancestry

Ancestors of Queen Sindeok
Kang Deuk-ham
(강득함)
Kang Suk-jae
(강숙재)
Kang Seo
(강서)
Kang Yun-seong, Internal Prince Sangsan
(상산부원군 강윤성)
Lady, of the Jangsu Hwang clan
(장수 황씨)
Queen Sindeok
Kang Eun
(강은)
Internal Princess Consort Jinsan, of the Jinju Kang clan
(진산부부인 진주 강씨)

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ lit. ''safeguarding and peaceful''.
  2. ↑ Or Mistress of Boryeong[a] Residence.
  3. ↑ Reigned as king from 1864 to 1897.
  4. ↑ Married Shin Gwi (신귀).

References

  1. 1 2 [신병주의 역사에서 길을찾다] 조선 태조의 무덤이 동쪽으로 간 까닭은?. Segye Ilbo (in Korean). 31 March 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
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