Queen Jeonghui

The future Queen later married Grand Prince Suyang at the age of ten in 1428, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the tenth year of King Sejong's reign. She was given the titles of Grand Princess Consort Samhanguk (삼한국대부인, 三韓國大夫人) and eventually, Grand Internal Princess Consort Nakrang (낙랑부대부인, 樂浪府大夫人).

There was a lot of controversy surrounding the marriage as it was widely believed that Grand Prince Suyang was supposed to marry her elder sister but instead preferred her for a series of political and social reasons.

Grand Prince Suyang was always seen as a political threat even while he was young to his older brother the future King Munjong because the latter appeared to be much stronger and more competent as a leader which had worried his father to the point of choosing him a wife from a less prominent but dignified family and what was even a conciliatory role to restrain Suyang's ambition was the fact that his principle wife had only received basic education which made her somewhat illiterate based on the fact that she could barely read Hangja.

As the Grand Internal Princess Consort Nakrang, she bore Sejo's sons Prince Dowon and the Future King Yejong and helped her husband in the first coup in which he overthrew Kim Jeong Seo and installed himself as the Chief State Chancellor.

Lady Yun became Queen upon her husband's accession to the throne in 1455, after a second coup d'état this time round against his weak and young nephew, King Danjong.

When Grand Prince Suyang ascended the Royal throne and become Sejo of Joseon , his legal wife was automatically raised to the Status of Queen Wangbi or 'Jungjeon Mama' a position which strengthened her husband's position and initially started the power shift that paved way for the Papyeong Yun clan's entry into the higher corridors of power.

The Queen was very wise and intelligent, had great knowledge of all affairs within and outside the palace while she was quick-witted and cautious, very virtuous and calculative Sejo once praised her to be very diligent in all issues big and small and more than once acted with high regard of her position as a mother of the nation and the High head of the Naemyongbu.

To strengthen her own influence in the Inner Court she had her son elevated to the position of Crown Prince and her favourite daughter in law Lady Han the future Queen Insu elevated to the position of Crown Princess. She engineered a Series of political marriages within the Royal families and established a strong network of Eunuchs and Court Ladies along with spies in the Palace which enabled her to play a conciliatory role for her husband's position.

She made great efforts to further her own education in the Chinese classics even if she was a poor student and her daughter in laws skill surpassed hers and during her regime as Queen order returned to the Inner Court which had collapsed since the death of Queen Soheon.

Tragically, only Two years after her husband Sejo had taken the throne, Her eldest son the Crown Prince Uigyeong and Queen Insu's husband perished due to an illness which shocked the entire Country including the aging King, the Queen herself distraught went into a bitter period of depression during his mourning period and seeing that her husband's throne was shaken she orchestrated a number of schemes and convinced him to consider her second son and the future Yejong as his successor as her Grandson, the Grand Heir Wolsan at the time was considered too young.

This political decision strained the relationship between the Mother in law and her daughter in law whose firm belief that her son Prince Wolsan was the best choice of a candidate for the position of the Crown Prince and for a moment Sejo himself was hesitant to have Yejong succeed him because his health was naturally poor like that of his Uncle King Munjong as well but nonetheless, the Queen had her way because the future Queen Insu at the time was powerless in rank and the influence of the Cheongju Han Clan on Joseon Dynasty politics was at the Genesis of its wane.

Sejo outlived his son by eleven years and eventually in 1468, the old and Great meritorious King of Joseon perished having upheld the legacy of his father Sejong of Joseon and was immediately succeeded by his second son who became Yejong of Joseon , a decision that was greatly influenced by his spouse the Queen who was elevated to the rank of 'Royal Queen Dowager'' wangtaebi mama with the honorary name of Jaesong.

Because Yejong was weak and sickly, the officials supported the Queen Dowager who being the most influential elder in the Palace and legally the King's mother and political protectress to pursue an unofficial regency.

Queen Dowager Jaesong oversaw all civil and military matters on behalf of the King and further strengthened her political footing by appointing able Ministers and members of her family to Senior Official positions until she came to dominate the entire Court, she was the second woman in the Dynasty to wield tremendous power after Queen Wongyeong of the Yoheung Min Clan who was also the Queen Consort of Taejong of Joseon .

Her daughter in law Queen Insu's position was strained as a matter of fact to the point that she had not received a Royal Title owing to the fact that her son's position as the Grand Heir had gradually been lost with the birth of Yejong's first son in 1465 after the death of her husband.

The Queen eventually relinquished the role when Yejong's health showed great improvement as it had started to stirr the strongly Confucian Joseon society and had seemingly attracted too much censure from the scholars of Sungkyunkwan but nonetheless virtually held onto her political power as she struggled to limit the power of the Royal Clan which still had a number of Princes that opposed Sejo's line of succession.

In 1469, roughly a year since King Yejong had ascended the throne and had showed signs of recovery, he died suddenly at the age of 20 without having named his successor and another fierce strife ensued within the Court.

Yejong's eldest son the Royal Prince Jean was only four years and the Officials were strongly opposed to the idea of having a very young King because of two main reasons, the first being that political power would either solely slide into the Monopoly of either the Royal Clan through ambitious Royal relatives or the King's maternal relatives and secondly because the tragic fate of Danjong of Joseon was most likely to repeat itself.

As the first occupant of the position of Royal Grand Queen Dowager in the Dynasty, Queen Jeonghui as the most Senior surviving member of the Royal household reserved the right to solve the Official dispute by choosing a successor that would be acceptable and for her position, instrumental.

The choice of the new King sufficed as Yejong was succeeded by his youngest nephew and Queen Jeonghui's grandson, Prince Jalsan, who was third in the line of succession to the throne, rather than his own son, Grand Prince Jean. The official reasons given were that Grand Prince Jean was deemed to young at 4 years old to become King and that Prince Wolsan was too sickly, but the more likely reason for this choice was Jalsan's marriage to the daughter of the powerful Han Myeong-hoe who had initially helped Sejo take power and much allied himself with Queen Jeonghui during his lifetime.

As Seongjong was only 13 at the time of his accession and still a minor, the Royal Court invited Queen Jeonghui to rule the nation as regent in his stead occupying the position officially this time round though still observing the initial prerogatives she'd exercised during her first informal regency and equally forming a regency council with her as the head.

This time round, her daughter-in-law and Seongjong's mother, Queen Insu (whose husband had never actually been King) was to function as her political advisor to pacify the Han Clan which backed her into making a political comeback that she equally reviewed petitions revised by the Royal Grand Queen Dowager but her position was still strained as she was yet to receive a Royal Title and at times the Royal Grand Queen Dowager acted independently even without her knowledge on most Affairs that Queen Insu's political influence was still curtailed.

When political pressure increased and the Royal Grand Queen Dowager named Insu as the Queen but with an unspecified status first because she was not the Queen Consort of her own son Seongjeong and second because she was not the widow of the former King, because her husband was a Posthumous King and she was still alive, as the Queen Mother the need to determine her rank eventually induced her mother in law to designate her as the Queen Dowager who was Senior to Yejong's widow, Queen Ansun.

It was during her regency that the Joseon Dynasty enjoyed political stability and diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty peaked with trade florishing between the two States and furthermore a significant move was made for the common farmers to receive the right to cultivate fields that had originally belonged to the military. In 1474, the code of law, first ordered by King Sejo, was completed and put into effect and as a patron of the Arts and Buddhism, she commissioned Buddhist paintings and Sutras the most famous perhaps being the Sutra that was Commissioned by the Three Queens, herself, Insu and Ansun.

Queen Jeonghui's regency ultimately ended in 1476 when she stepped down as King Seongjeong had reached his majority, she loosely held onto her political power wary of her daughter in law, the Queen Mother's ambition and was still consulted on some Official matters but preferred to be reserved and active only with affairs within the Palace. Her final vivid exercise of Royal power was her conniving with Officials and intense aggression towards Seongjeong's second Queen Consort Deposed Queen Yun forcing her deposition after her altercation with two of his concubines and her scratching him, eventually ordering for her to commit suicide by poison in 1482.

She died peacefully on 6 May 1483, in the fourteenth year of King Seongjong's reign at the age of 65 having outlived her husband by 15 years and was Posthumously honoured as QUEEN JEONGHUI after which political power shifted into the hands of Queen Insu who became the most influential elder in the Palace.

Her reign and regency was well received and her influence in politics was embraced by a majority of the people having been one of the most successful regencies held in the history of Joseon, Ultimately her descendant Queen Munjeong is widely believed to have inherited most of her traits and very much like her Grand-aunt she stood out to be one of the most politically apt and broad-minded Joseon Queens to have lived.

• Father − Yun Beon, Duke Jeongjeong, Internal Prince Papyeong (증 영의정 파평부원군 정정공 윤번, 判中樞 贈 領議政 坡平府院君 貞靖公 尹璠) (1384 - 1448)
  • a) Grandfather − Yun Seung-rye (윤승례, 尹承禮) (? - 13 October 1397)
    • b) Great-grandfather − Yun Cheok (윤척, 尹陟) (? - 1384)
      • c) Great-great-grandfather − Yun Ahn-suk (윤안숙, 尹安淑)[3][4]
        • d) Great-great-great-grandfather − Yun Bo (윤보, 尹珤) (? - 1329)
        • d) Great-great-great-grandmother − Lady Park (박씨, 朴氏); daughter of Park Bo (박보, 朴保)
    • b) Great-grandmother − Lady Yi of the Jeonui Yi clan (전의이씨)
  • a) Grandmother − Lady Gwon of the Andong Gwon clan (안동 권씨, 安東 權氏); Yun Seung-rye’s second wife
  • a) Step-grandmother - Princess Gyeongan of the Changnyeong Seong clan (경안택주 창녕 성씨, 慶安宅主 昌寧 成氏)[5]
• Mother − Grand Internal Princess Consort Heungnyeong of the Incheon Yi clan (흥녕부대부인 인천 이씨, 興寧府大夫人 仁川 李氏) (1383 - 1456)[6]
  • Grandfather − Yi Mun-hwa, Duke Gongdo (1358 – 1414) (공도공 이문화, 恭度公 李文和)[7]
  • Grandmother − Lady Choi of the Chungju Choi clan (충주 최씨, 忠州 崔氏)

Sibling(s)

6 older sisters, 2 older brothers, 1 younger brother

• Older sister − Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평 윤씨, 坡平 尹氏)
  • Brother-in-law - Hong Won-yong, Duke Janggan, Prince Gannyeong (강녕군 장간공 홍원용, 江寧君 章簡公 洪元用) of the Namyang Hong clan (1401? - 1466)[8][9]
• Older brother − Yun Sa-bun, Duke Yijeong, Prince Paseong (파성군 이정공 윤사분, 坡城君 夷靖公 尹士昐) (1401 - 1471)
  • Sister-in-law - Lady Jang of the Deoksu Jang clan (정경부인 덕수 장씨, 貞敬夫人 德水 張氏)
    • Nephew − Yun Heum, Duk Gonggan (호조판서 공간공 윤흠, 尹欽)
• Older sister − Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (정경부인 파평 윤씨, 貞敬夫人 坡平 尹氏)
  • Brother-in-law - Seong Bong-jo, Uuijeong, Duke Yangjeong, Internal Prince Changseong (우의정 창성부원군 양정공 성봉조, 右議政 昌成府院君 襄靖公 成奉祖) of the Changnyeong Seong clan (1401 - 1474)[10]
    • Nephew − Seong Yul (성율, 成慄)
• Older brother − Yun Sa-yun, Duke Seongan, Prince Yeongpyeong (공조판서 영평군 성안공 윤사윤, 工曹判書 鈴平君 成公安 尹士昀) (1409 - 7 December 1461).[11]
  • Sister-in-law - Lady Choi of the Suwon Choi clan (부산현부인 수원 최씨, 釜山縣夫人 水原 崔氏)
    • Nephew − Yun Bo (윤보, 尹甫)[12]
      • Grandnephew − Yun Yeo-pil (윤여필, 尹汝弼) (1466 - 1555)[13]
      • Grandnephew − Yun Yeo-hae (윤여해, 尹汝諧)
• Older sister − Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (정경부인 파평 윤씨, 貞敬夫人 坡平 尹氏)
  • Brother-in-law - Yi Yeon-sun (공조참판 이연손, 工曹參判 李延孫) (? - 1463)
• Older sister − Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평 윤씨, 坡平 尹氏)
  • Brother-in-law - Yi Yeom-ui, Duke Horyeo (지중추부사 호려공 이염의, 知中樞府事 胡戾公 李念義) (1409? - 1492)
• Older sister − Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평 윤씨, 坡平 尹氏)
  • Brother-in-law - Oh Deok-gi (오덕기, 吳慶基)
• Older sister − Princess Consort Anseong of the Papyeong Yun clan (정경부인 안성군부인 윤씨, 貞敬夫人 安城郡夫人 尹氏)
  • Brother-in-law - Han Gye-mi, Duke Munyang, Internal Prince Seowon (서원부원군 문양공 한계미, 西原府院君 文襄公 韓繼美) (1421 - 1471)[14][15]
• Younger brother − Yun Sa-heun, Duke Yangpyeong, Internal Prince Pacheon (영돈녕 파천부원군 양평공 윤사흔, 領敦寧 坡川府院君 襄平公 尹士昕) (1422 - 1485).[16]
  • Sister-in-law - Lady Kim of the Gyerim Kim clan (계림 김씨, 鷄林 金氏)
    • Nephew − Yun Suk-gyeom (윤숙겸, 尹叔謙)
    • Nephew − Yun Gye-gyeom (윤계겸, 尹繼謙) (1442 - 1483)[17]
      • Grandnephew − Yun Ok (윤욱, 尹頊) (1459 - 1485)[18]
      • Grandnephew − Yun Rim (윤림, 尹琳)
    • Nephew − Yun Yu-ui (윤유의, 尹由義)
    • Nephew − Yun Yu-rye (윤유례, 尹由禮)
    • Nephew − Yun Yu-ji (윤유지, 尹由智)

Husband

• King Sejo of Joseon (2 November 1417 – 23 September 1468)
  • Mother-in-law - Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Sim clan (12 October 1395 – 19 April 1446) (소헌왕후 심씨)
  • Father-in-law - King Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450) (세종)

Issue

• Son - Yi Jang, Crown Prince Uigyeong (3 October 1438 – 20 September 1457)
  • Daughter-in-law - Queen Sohye of the Cheongju Han clan (7 October 1437 – 11 May 1504)
    • Grandson − Yi Jeong, Grand Prince Wolsan (5 January 1455 - 22 January 1489)
      • Granddaughter-in-law - Grand Internal Princess Consort Seungpyeong of the Suncheon Park clan (1455 - 20 July 1506)[19][20][21]
    • Granddaughter − Princess Myeongsuk (1456 - 1482)
      • Grandson-in-law - Hong Sang (1457 - 1513)
    • Grandson − Yi Hyeol, King Seongjong (19 August 1457 - 19 January 1495)
      • Granddaughter-in-law - Queen Gonghye of the Cheongju Han clan (8 November 1456 - 30 April 1474)[22]
      • Granddaughter-in-law - Queen Jeheon of the Haman Yun clan (15 July 1455 - 29 August 1482)
      • Granddaughter-in-law - Queen Jeonghyeon of the Papyeong Yun clan (21 July 1462 - 13 September 1530)
• Daughter - Yi Se-seon, Princess Uisuk (1441 – 1477)
  • Son-in-law - Jeong Hyeon-jo (1440 – 13 July 1504) of the Hadong Jeong clan[23][24]
• Son - Yi Hwang, King Yejong (14 January 1450 – 31 December 1469)
  • Daughter-in-law - Queen Jangsun of the Cheongju Han clan (22 February 1445 – 5 January 1462),[25]
  • Daughter-in-law - Queen Ansun of the Cheongju Han clan (12 March 1445 – 3 February 1499)
• Daughter - Yi Se-hui, Princess Uiryeong or Princess Uihwa.[26][27]
  • Son-in-law - Kim Cha-dong[28][29]

• Royal Consort Hui-bi of the Papyeong Yun clan - a concubine of King Chunghye of Goryeo and Jeonghui’s ancestor
• Queen Jeonghyeon - Queen Jeonghui’s descendant
• Queen Janggyeong- Queen Jeonghui’s descendant
• Queen Munjeong - Queen Jeonghui’s descendant
• Yun Won-hyeong - Queen Jeonghui’s descendant

• Portrayed by Jung Hye-sun in the 1984-1985 MBC TV series The Ume Tree in the Midst of the Snow
• Portrayed by Choi Ran in the 1990 KBS TV series Dance Toward the Broken Heavens (파천무)
• Portrayed by Hong Se-mi in the 1994 KBS TV series Han Myeong-hoe
• Portrayed by Han Hye-sook in the 1998-2000 KBS TV series King and Queen.
• Portrayed by Yang Mi-kyung in the 2007-2008 SBS TV series The King and I.
• Portrayed by Kim Seo-ra in the 2011 KBS2 TV series The Princess' Man.
• Portrayed by Kim Mi-sook in the 2011-2012 JTBC TV series Insu, The Queen Mother.

• Korea Heads
• "Royal Ladies of Joseon Dynasty". The Talking Cupboard. 2 April 2015.