Queen Insu
Queen Insu (7 October 1437 - 11 May 1504) (소혜왕후 한씨) was the only wife of Crown Prince Uigyeong of Joseon. She was given the title honorary Queen Insu when her son became king in 1469. 'Queen Sohye' is her posthumous name. She was co-regent of Korea during the minority of her sons alongside her mother-in-law Queen Jeonghui.
Queen Sohye 소혜왕후 | |||||
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Queen Regent of Joseon | |||||
Regency | 1468 – 1477 with Queen Jeonghui | ||||
Monarch | King Yejong of Joseon King Seongjong of Joseon | ||||
Grand Queen Dowager of Joseon | |||||
Reign | 1494 - 1504 | ||||
Predecessor | Queen Jeonghui | ||||
Successor | Queen Munjeong | ||||
Queen Dowager of Joseon | |||||
Reign | 1471 - 1494 | ||||
Predecessor | Queen Jeonghui | ||||
Successor | Queen Jeonghyeon | ||||
Crown Princess of Joseon | |||||
Reign | 1455 – 1457 | ||||
Predecessor | Crown Princess Hyeondeok | ||||
Successor | Crown Princess Jangsun | ||||
Born | 7 October 1437 Hanseong, Kingdom of Joseon | ||||
Died | 11 May 1504 (aged 66) Palace Changgyeong Kingdom of Joseon | ||||
Spouse | King Deokjong of Joseon | ||||
Issue | Yi Jeong, Grand Prince Wolsan King Seongjong of Joseon Princess Myeongsuk | ||||
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House | Cheongju Han | ||||
Father | Han Hwak | ||||
Mother | Lady Hong of the Namyang Hong clan |
Life
She was a member of the Chongju Han family, a powerful yangban family with a long tradition of providing male family members to the royal administration offices and women members to the posts of royal consorts. She was given a high education in Confucian values and the Chinese classics.
She was selected to be the consort of the crown prince in accordance to tradition. In 1455, her husband was appointed crown prince, and she his first ranked consort. In the royal palace, she became known for her scholarly interest in Confucian education and devoted to the education of the royal grandsons. She had a good relationship to the king, who referred to her as a good daughter-in-law. When her husband died, her father-in-law entrusted her with the care of her son the crown prince.
When her son succeeded to the throne in 1468, he gave her the title Queen Insu. In 1474, she was given the title Queen Dowager Insu. She was named regent during the minority of her son, in co-regency with her mother-in-law.
She died when she was pushed by her grandson king Yeonsangun after an altercation. After her death, he named her Queen Sohye.
Authorship
She was the author of the Naehun (Instructions for women) from 1475, a Confucian morality guidebook for women, describing appropriate behavior for a woman in accordance with Confucian ideals; with the exception of a few poems, this is the first known book written by a woman in Korea.[1][2]
Family
- Father: Han Hwak (1400 - 11 September 1456) (한확)
- Mother: Lady Hong of the Namyang Hong clan (남양 홍씨)
- Husband: Yi Jang, Crown Prince Uigyeong (1438 – 2 September 1457) (이장 의경세자)
- Son: Yi Jeong, Grand Prince Wolsan (1454 - 21 December 1488) (이정 월산대군)
- Daughter-in-law: Grand Princess Consort Seungpyeong of the Suncheon Park (1455 - 20 July 1506) (승평부대부인 박씨)
- Son: King Seongjong of Joseon (19 August 1457 – 20 January 1494) (조선 성종)
- Daughter-in-law: Queen Gonghye of the Cheongju Han clan (8 November 1456 – 30 April 1474) (공혜왕후 한씨)
- Daughter-in-law: Queen Jeheon of the Haman Yun clan (15 July 1455 – 29 August 1482) (제헌왕후 윤씨)
- Daughter-in-law: Queen Jeonghyeon of the Papyeong Yun clan (21 July 1462 – 13 September 1530) (정현왕후 윤씨)
- Daughter: Princess Myeongsuk (1455 - 4 October 1482) (명숙공주)
- Son-in-law: Hong Sang (1457 - 1513) (홍상)
- Son: Yi Jeong, Grand Prince Wolsan (1454 - 21 December 1488) (이정 월산대군)
In popular culture
- Portrayed by Ban Hyo-jung in the 1995 KBS TV series Jang Nok Soo.
- Portrayed by Chae Shi-ra in 1998-2000 KBS1 TV series "The King and the Queen"
- Portrayed by Yoon So-jung in the 2005 film The King and the Clown.
- Portrayed by Jeon In-hwa in the 2007-2008 SBS TV series The King and I.
- Portrayed by Chae Shi-ra and Hahm Eun-jung in the 2011-2012 JTBC TV series Insu, The Queen Mother.
References
- Young-Key Kim-Renaud, Creative Women of Korea: The Fifteenth Through the Twentieth Centuries, 2015
- "Queen Sohye's Instruction for Women - Queen Sohye (Queen mother Insu, Seongjong's mother)". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2019-08-23.