Cheoljong of Joseon

Cheoljong of Joseon 철종 哲宗
Reign	1849-1863 (14 Years)
Spouse	Kim Mun-geun, Queen Cheonin Park Gwi-in, concubine Jo Gwi-in, concubine Lee Gwi-in, concubine Bang Suk-ui, concubine Beom Suk-ui, concubine Palace Lady Lee, concubine Palace Lady Kim, concubine Palace Lady Park, concubine
Issue
a son two daughters Princess Yeonghye, Marquise Park Yeong-hyo
Father	Jeongye, Prince of the Great Court
Mother	Yeom Yongseong
Born	1831
Died	1863 (aged 31–32)

Cheoljong of Joseon
Hangul	철종
Hanja	哲宗
Revised Romanization	Cheoljong
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'ŏljong

King Cheoljong (1831 - 1863 r. 1849-1863) was the 25th king of the Korean Joseon Dynasty.

Background

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Andong Kim clan, who had provided the Joseon state with several queens, had seized power almost everywhere in Korea. The social stagnation that resulted was a breeding ground for unrest. Corruption and embezzlement from the treasury and its inevitable exploitation were taken to extreme levels, and reached staggering proportions. Rebellion after another was accompanied by natural disasters. Indeed it was one of the most gloomy periods in the country’s history.^[1]

The only aim of the Andong Kim clan was the preservation of the influence. Their fierce campaign truly to dominate the royal house had led to a situation in which almost all of the representatives of the royal family fled from Seoul. When the royal family produced intelligent and appropriate candidates for the accession, they were either accused of treason and executed or sent into exile, so when Heonjong died, leaving no son, no acceptable candidate could be found to succeed to the throne.^[1]

Life

After a long search, the future Cheoljong was found on Ganghwa Island where his family had fled to hide from oppression.

When the envoys (dispatched in order to seek for the future king) arrived on Ganghwa Island, they found the remaining clan of the Yi's barely surviving in wretched poverty.^[2] In 1849, at the age of 18, Yi Byeon/Seong^[3](the future Cheoljong), the 3rd son of Prince Jeon-gye (great-grandson of King Yeongjo), was proclaimed King, amidst obvious degradation and poverty. Though from the start of the Joseon Dynasty Korean kings had given top priority to the education of their sons, Cheoljong could not even read a single word on the notice delivering congratulations to him on his elevation to the royal throne.^[1]

For the Andong Kims, Cheoljong was an excellent choice. His illiteracy made him manipulatable and vulnerable to their control. Proof of it is that even though Cheoljong ruled the country for 13 years, until his very last days he had not yet learned on how to move with dignity or on how to wear royal clothes, so that in even the most luxurious of robes he still looked like a fisherman.^[1]

As part of the Andong Kim's manipulation of Cheoljong, in 1851, the clan married Cheoljong to Kim Mun-geun (a member of the clan)'s daughter (known posthumously as Queen Cheonin).^[1]

Death

He died at the age of 32 in January 1864 (by suspected foul play by the Andong Kim clan, the same clan that had made him king), without a male heir.

Family

• Father: Jeongye, Prince of the Great Court (전계대원군, 1785–1841)
• Mother: Yongseong, Princess Consort of the Prince of the Great Court, of the Yeom clan (용성부대부인 염씨)
• Consorts

1. Queen Cheonin of the Andong Kim clan (철인왕후 김씨, 1837–1878)^[4]
2. Park Gwi-in (귀인 박씨)
3. Jo Gwi-in (귀인 조씨)
4. Lee Gwi-in (귀인 이씨)
5. Bang Suk-ui (숙의 방씨)
6. Beom Suk-ui (숙의 범씨)
7. Palace Lady Lee (궁인 이씨)
8. Palace Lady Kim (궁인 김씨)
9. Palace Lady Park (궁인 박씨)

• Issue:

1. A Son of Lee Gwi-in^[5]
2. 2 Daughters of Lee Gwi-in^[6]
3. Princess Yeonghye (영혜옹주, 1859-July 4, 1872), Only Daughter of Beom Suk-ui. She married Marquis Park Yeong-hyo and was the grandmother of Lady Park Chan-ju, who later married her fifth cousin Wu, Prince of Korea

Hanja name

The King's name in Hanja is 李昪. In Korean, it is Yi Byeon. However, in most Chinese materials, his name is often misrecognized as 李昇, which is pronounced as Yi Seong. This is a very serious yet very popular error, as the character 昪 is a very rare word. 昇, however, is a very common one. Therefore, we need to take care when searching.

Titles

• Lord Wonbeom, the 3rd Son of Prince Jeongye (great-grandson^[7] of King Yeongjo) (1725–1776).
• His Highness the Prince Deogwan of Korea, the heir presumptive to the throne (1849–1850).
• His Majesty the King of Korea (1850–1863)

His full posthumous name

• King Cheoljong Huiyun Jeonggeuk Sudeok Sunseong Heummyung Gwangdo Donwon Changhwa Munhyeon Museong Heonin Yeonghyo the Great of Korea
• 철종희윤정극수덕순성흠명광도돈원창화문현무성헌인영효대왕
• 哲宗熙倫正極粹德純聖欽命光道敦元彰化文顯武成獻仁英孝大王

Ancestry

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} http://www.gkn-la.net/history_resources/queen_min_tmsimbirtseva_1996.htm
2. ^ Since he was found at Ganghwa Island in poverty, he was also known as "The Woodcutter Prince of Ganghwa Island".
3. ^ Cheoljong_of_Joseon#Hanja_name
4. ^ Daughter of Kim Mun-geun (김문근) and Lady Min
5. ^ Born on August 08, 1862.
6. ^ The first one was born on December 13, 1858
7. ^ Prince Jeongye was the son of Prince Euneon, who was the son of Prince Sado, who was the son of Yeongjo

• Byeon Tae-seop (변태섭) (1999). 韓國史通論 (Hanguksa tongnon) (Outline of Korean history), 4th ed.. ISBN 89-445-9101-6. 
• Cummings, Bruce. (1997). Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History. New York. ISBN 0-393-04011-9

See also

• List of Rulers of Korea
• Joseon Dynasty politics
• Joseon Dynasty
• History of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics

Preceded by Heonjong

Rulers of Korea (Joseon Dynasty) 1849–1863

Succeeded by Gojong

Persondata
Name	Cheoljong Of Joseon
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1831
Place of birth
Date of death	1863
Place of death