Gwanghaegun of Joseon

Infobox Korean name
hangul=광해군
hanja=光海君
rr=Gwanghaegun
mr=Kwanghaegun
hangulborn=이혼
hanjaborn=李琿
rrborn=I Hon
mrborn=I Hon

Gwanghaegun or Prince Gwanghae (1574–1641; reigned 1608–1623) was the fifteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty. His personal name was "Yi Hon". Since he was deposed in a coup, later official historians did not give him a temple name like Taejo or Sejong. He was married to Lady Ryu.

Birth and Background

He was the second son of King Seonjo, born to Lady Gong, a concubine. When Japan invaded Korea to attack the Ming Empire, he was installed as Crown Prince. While the king fled north to the border with Ming, he set the branch court and fought defensive battles. During and after the Seven Year War(1592–1598), he acted as de facto ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, commanding battles and taking care of reconstruction of the nation after the devastating war in the place of old and weak King Seonjo.

Although it brought prestige to him, his position was still unstable. He had the elder but incompetent brother Imhaegun (Prince Imhae, 임해군, 臨海君) and a younger but legitimate brother Yeongchangdaegun (Grand Prince Yeongchang, 영창대군, 永昌大君), who was supported by the Lesser Northerners faction. Fortunately for him, King Seonjo's abrupt death made it impossible for his most favorite son Yeongchangdaegun to succeed the throne.

Violence of Greater Northerner faction

When King Seonjo died, he named Prince Gwanghae as his official successor to the throne, and ordered his advisers to make a royal document. However, Yu Yeong-gyeong of Lesser Northerners faction hid the document and plotted to install Grand Prince Youngchang as king, only to be found out by the head of Great Northerners faction (북인; 大北), Jeong In-hong. Yu was executed immediately and Grand Prince Youngchang was arrested and died the next year.

After the incident, Prince Gwanghae tried to bring officials from various political and regional background to his court, but his plan was interrupted by Greater Northerners including Yi Icheom and Jeong In-hong. Then Greater Northerners began to take out members of other political factions out of the government, especially Lesser Northerners. At last in 1613 Greater Northerners put their hand on Grand Prince Yeongchang; his grandfather Kim Je-nam was found guilty of treason and executed, while Yeongchang was sent into exile, where he was murdered. At the same time Greater Northerners suppressed the Lesser Northerners; In 1618 Yeongchang's mother, Queen Inmok, was stripped off her title and imprisoned. However, Gwanghae had no power to stop this even though he was the official head of the government.

Achievements

Despite the bad reputation in later times, he was a talented and realistic politician. He endeavored to restore the country and sponsored restoration of documents. As a part of reconstruction, he revised land ordinance and redistributed the land to people; he also ordered rebuilding of Changdeok Palace along with several other palaces. He was also responsible for the reintroduction of the "hopae" identification system after a long period of disuse. [cite book|title=Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary|publisher=Routledge|location=United Kingdom|date=1999|last=Rutt|first=Richard|coauthors=Pratt, Keith L.; Hoare, James|id=ISBN 0700704639 (p252)]

In foreign affairs he sought a balance between the Ming Empire and the Manchus. Since he realized Joseon was unable to compete with the Manchu military power, he tried to keep friendly relationship with the Manchus, while the kingdom was still under the suzerainty of Ming, which angered Ming and dogmatic Confucist Koreans. However the critically worsened Manchu-Ming relationship forced him to send ten thousand soldiers to aid Ming in 1619. However, the Battle of Sarhū ended in Manchu's overwhelming victory. The Korean General Gang Hong-rip lost two-thirds of his troops and surrendered to Nurhaci. Gwanghaegun negotiated independently for peace with the Manchus and managed to avoid another war. He also restored diplomatic relationship with Japan in 1609 when he reopened trade with Japan, and he sent his ambassadors to Japan in 1617.

During his reign, Gwanghaegun encouraged publishing in order to accelerate reconstruction and to restore the kingdom's former prosperity. Many books came out during his reign, including famous medical book Donguibogam. Many historical records were rewritten in this period.

In 1616, tobacco was first introduced to Korea and soon popularized by many aristocratic noblemen.

Dethronement and Later Life

In 1623 Gwanghaegun was deposed by the Westerners faction with a coup. He was confined first on Ganghwa Island and then Jeju Island, where he died in 1641. He does not have a royal mausoleum like the other Joseon rulers. His and Lady Ryu's remains were buried in a comparatively humble site in Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province. The Westerners faction installed Neungyanggun as the sixteenth king Injo and took pro-Ming and anti-Manchu policies, which brought two Manchu invasions.

Family

* Father: King Seonjo (선조)
* Mother: Royal Noble Consort Gong of the Kim clan (공빈 김씨)
* Consosrts:
# Princess Consort Munseong of the Yu clan (문성군부인 유씨) [After her husband's deposition, she was known as "Deposed Queen Yu" (폐비 유씨).]
# Lady Lee (상궁 이씨)
# Lady Kim (상궁 김씨) [She is said to be his father's concubine]
# Lady Choi (상궁 최씨)
* Issue: Deposed Prince Successor (폐세자), Only Son of Princess Consort Munseong of the Yu clan.

His eulogistic posthumous name

* King Checheon Heungun Jundeok Honggong Sinseong Yeongsuk Heummun Inmu Seoryun Ipgi Myungseong Gwangryeol Yungbong Hyeonbo mujeong Jungheui Yecheol Jangeui Jangheon Sunjeong Geoneui Sujeong Changdo Sungeop the Great of Korea
* 체천흥운준덕홍공신성영숙흠문인무서륜입기명성광렬융봉현보무정중희예철장의장헌순정건의수정창도숭업대왕
* 體天興運俊德弘功神聖英肅欽文仁武敍倫立紀明誠光烈隆奉顯保懋定重熙睿哲壯毅章憲順靖建義守正彰道崇業大王

Legacy

Althouth Gwanghaegun is one of only two deposed kings who were not restored and given the temple name(the other one being Yeonsangun, the tyrant who greatly contributed to the decline of the nation), many people consider him as the victim of feuds between political factions. He did better job taking care of his country than his predecessor, or his successor, King Injo, each of them who caused the Seven Year War and Manchu Invasion. In modern South Korea, Gwanghaegun is considered a great and wise king, not a despot.

References

ee also

*List of Koreans
*List of Korean monarchs
*List of Korea-related topics