Taejong of Joseon

Born in 1367 as the fifth son of King Taejo and Queen Sinui, he qualified as an official of the Goryeo dynasty in 1382. During his early days, he helped his father in earning the support of the citizens and of many influential figures in the government.[2] Yi Bang-won helped his father in the founding of the new dynasty by assassinating powerful officials such as Jeong Mong-ju, who remained loyal to Goryeo. He was called Prince Jeongan during the reign of King Taejo and was taught by Confucian scholars including Won Cheon-seok.[3][4][5]

After helping in the overthrowing the previous dynasty and the establishment of Joseon, he expected to be appointed as the successor to the throne. However, his father and Chief State Councillor Jeong Do-jeon favored Taejo's eighth son and Yi Bang-won's half-brother (second son of Queen Sindeok), Yi Bang-seok, as the crown prince. This conflict arose chiefly because Jeong Do-jeon, as the principal architect of the ideological, institutional and legal foundations of the new dynasty, saw Joseon as a kingdom led by its ministers through appointment by the king. In contrast, Yi Bang-won sought direct rule through an absolute monarchy. These differences ultimately contributed to an environment of deep political tension. Following the sudden death of Queen Sindeok in 1398, Yi Bang-won led a coup d'état while King Taejo was in mourning for his second wife. This event led to the deaths of Jeong Do-jeon and his supporters, as well as the late Queen Sindeok's two sons including the crown prince. The incident became known as the "First Strife of Princes" (왕자의 난 in Korean).

Aghast at the fact that his sons were willing to kill each other for the crown, and psychologically exhausted from the death of his second wife, King Taejo abdicated and immediately crowned his second son (the oldest-surviving son) Yi Bang-gwa, or King Jeongjong, as the new ruler. One of King Jeongjong's first acts as monarch was to revert the capital to Gaegyeong (modern-day Kaesong), where he is believed to have been considerably more comfortable. Yet Yi Bang-won retained real power and was soon in conflict with his disgruntled older brother Yi Bang-gan, Prince Hoean (회안군 이방간), who also yearned for power. In 1400, General Park Bo, who was disappointed that Yi Bang-won did not reward him enough for his actions in the First Strife of Princes, allied with Yi Bang-gan and rebelled in what came to be known as the "Second Strife of Princes". Yi Bang-won successfully defeated his brother's forces, then executed Park Bo and sent Yi Bang-gan into exile. King Jeongjong, who was afraid of his powerful brother, named Yi Bang-won as crown prince and abdicated in the same year. Yi Bang-won assumed the throne of Joseon at long last as King Taejong, the third monarch of the Joseon dynasty.[6]

In the beginning of Taejong's reign, his father Taejo refused to relinquish the royal seal that signified the legitimacy of any king's rule. Taejong began to initiate policies he believed would prove his qualification to rule. One of his first acts as king was to abolish the privilege enjoyed by the upper echelons of government and the aristocracy to maintain private armies. His revoking of such rights to field independent forces effectively severed their ability to muster large-scale revolts, and drastically increased the number of men employed in the national military. Taejong's next act as king was to revise the existing legislation concerning the taxation of land ownership and the recording of state of subjects. With the discovery of previously hidden land, national income increased twofold.[7]

He also initiated the system of hopae, an early form of identification recording the bearer's name and residence, used to control the movement of people.[8] He also set a big drum in front of the palace, so the common people, when they had some problems, could come and consult the king.

Taejong is remembered for ordering 100,000 pieces of metal type and two complete fonts in 1403. Predating Gutenberg and Laurens Janszoon by several decades, he accomplished the metal movable type.[9][10][11][12]

In addition, he created a strong central government and an absolute monarchy. In 1399, Taejong had played an influential role in scrapping the Dopyeong Assembly, a council of the old government administration that held a monopoly in court power during the waning years of the Goryeo dynasty, in favor of the State Council of Joseon, a new branch of central administration that revolved around the king and his edicts. After passing the subject documentation and taxation legislation, King Taejong issued a new decree in which all decisions passed by the State Council could only come into effect with the approval of the king. This ended the custom of court ministers and advisors making decisions through debate and negotiations amongst themselves, and thus brought the royal power to new heights. Shortly thereafter, Taejong installed an office, known as the Sinmun Office, to hear cases in which aggrieved subjects felt that they had been exploited or treated unjustly by government officials or aristocrats.

However, Taejong kept Jeong Do-jeon's reforms intact for the most part. He promoted Confucianism, which was more like a political philosophy rather than a religion, thus demoting Buddhism, which was far from daily living and decayed from the power given by Goryeo. He closed many temples that were established by Goryeo kings, and seized their large possessions and added them to the national treasury. Meanwhile, he honored Jeong Mong-ju with the posthumous title of Chief State Councillor (equivalent to Prime Minister), even though it was he who assassinated Jeong — leading to an irony of history, in which Jeong Do-jeon was vilified throughout the Joseon dynasty while Jeong Mong-ju was honored despite his opposition to its foundation.

In foreign policy, he was a straight hardliner — he attacked the Jurchens on the northern border and Japanese pirates on the southern coast. Taejong is also known for being responsible for the Ōei Invasion of Tsushima Island in 1419.

He promoted publications, commerce and education, and also gave full independence and encouraged the Uigeumbu (roughly equivalent to the Supreme Court).

In 1418, Taejong abdicated and gave the throne to his third legitimate son Yi Do (Sejong the Great), but continued to rule with an iron fist and deciding important matters. He executed or exiled some of the supporters who helped him ascend to the throne and later expected favors, in order to strengthen the royal authority and subdue corruption. In order to limit the influence of in-laws and powerful clans, he executed Sejong's father-in-law Shim On and his younger brother Shim Jeong, as well as all four brothers of his wife Queen Wongyeong, after he discovered they and the queen had been manipulating politics.

Taejong remains a controversial figure who killed many of his rivals (including Jeong Mong-ju and Jeong Do-jeon) and yet ruled effectively to improve the populace's lives, strengthen national defense, and lay down a solid foundation for his successor Sejong's rule.[13]