Korean writer and royal (1735?1816)
Lady Hyegyeong of the Pungsan Hong clan
(
Korean
:
혜경궁 풍산 洪氏
;
Hanja
:
惠慶宮 豊山 洪氏
; 6 August 1735 – 13 January 1816), also known as
Queen Heongyeong
(
헌경왕후
;
獻敬王后
),
[a]
was a Korean writer and
Crown Princess
during the
Joseon
period. She was the wife of
Crown Prince Sado
and mother of
King Jeongjo
. In 1903, Emperor Gojong gave her the posthumous name of
Heongyeong, the Virtuous Empress
(
헌경醫皇后
;
獻敬懿皇后
).
Early life
[
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]
Lady Hong was born in 1735, the third child and second daughter of the scholar Hong Bong-han of the Pungsan Hong clan and his first wife, Lady Yi of the Hansan Yi clan. Lady Hong was the
great-great-great granddaughter
of
Princess Jeongmyeong
, a daughter of
Seonjo of Joseon
and
Queen Inmok
.
Because the King is descended from
Prince Jeongwon
, Princess Jeongmyeong’s older half-brother and son of King Seonjo, Lady Hong and the King Yeongjo are also 5th cousins.
One of her father’s younger sisters eventually married
Jo Eom
of the
Pungyang Jo clan
, and became the great-grandmother to
Queen Shinjeong
, wife of
Crown Prince Hyomyeong
and mother of
King Heonjong
. Thus making Lady Hong be a first cousin twice removed of the future Queen.
In her
memoirs
, Lady Hyegyeong recalls being very attached to her parents, sleeping in her parents' room and accompanying her mother during her confinement for the birth of her brother, Hong Nak-sin.
Lady Hyegyeong's parent's marriage suffered strain after the death of her paternal grandfather, but the couple reconciled when the young child refused to eat.
She was taught to read and write
vernacular Korean
by an aunt-in-law, Lady Shin of the
Pyeongsan Shin clan
.
Selection as Crown Princess
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]
In 1744, a royal edict was sent out requesting that families with eligible girls submit their names for the selection of a spouse for the son of
King Yeongjo
, the
Crown Prince Sado
. Lady Yi was unwilling to submit her nine-year-old daughter for consideration, but her husband insisted. For the first selection process, the Hong family was not particularly wealthy, so Lady Yi stitched outfits suitable for presentation at court from old clothes.
Lady Hong thought that she would be too young to be successful, but she was summoned to a private audience with the crown prince's mother and eldest sister.
During the second presentation, three girls were selected, but Lady Hong writes in her memoir that
King Yeongjo
complimented her as a "beautiful daughter-in-law," during their meeting.
The nine-year-old Lady Hong moved into a pavilion outside the
palace
, where she was tutored for a month by her parents and palace staff.
The wedding ceremony with nine-year-old
Crown Prince Sado
was held over a period of seven days in the first month of 1744.
Palace life
[
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]
Lady Hyegyeong's family initially enjoyed a close relationship with their royal in-laws and her father was employed in various official roles during his lifetime.
Hong Bong-han even tutored
Crown Prince Sado
early in his daughter's marriage.
Lady Hyegyeong recalls that, as early as 1745, Prince Sado was displaying strange behaviours, at several points losing consciousness.
The marriage was consummated in the same month as the 14-year-old Prince Sado's
capping ceremony
in 1749.
Lady Hyegyeong gave birth to a son in 1750, but he died in 1752. Later the same year, she had another son named
Yi San
. The birth of a male heir so soon after the death of her eldest son meant that the court was particularly happy to welcome Yi San.
The crown Princess later gave birth to her first daughter, Princess Cheongyeon in 1754, and another daughter, Princess Cheongseon, in 1756.
Crown Prince Sado's illness
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]
During their marriage, Prince Sado showed signs of increasingly severe
mental illnesses
. The symptoms included a sudden terror of thunder,
inability to speak before his father,
and a
wish for death
.
After an argument with his father in 1756, Sado berated an official and, in his haste to pursue him, knocked over a candlestick that started a fire, burning down several buildings.
Lady Hyegyeong, who was five months pregnant with Princess Cheongseon, ran to collect
her son
. When
King Yeongjo
discovered in 1757 that Prince Sado had fathered a daughter, Princess Cheonggeun, with a
secondary consort
, Court Lady Park, he criticised Lady Hyegyeong severely for helping Sado hide this. Afterwards, Lady Hyegyeong disguised the woman and snuck her out of the palace, hiding her at the home of
Princess Hwawan
.
Lady Hyegyeong attempted to support her husband in his illness. Her role in his life included procuring sufficient cloth to make multiple sets of clothes, as the prince's, "clothing phobia," that arose in 1757 caused him to often burn outfits before selecting one to wear.
In the sixth month, Prince Sado entered their pavilion holding the severed head of a eunuch, which he forced the
ladies-in-waiting
to view. Later, he became violent towards the ladies-in-waiting, causing Lady Hyegyeong to report to his mother,
Royal Noble Consort Yeong
, that his illness was worsening. Royal Noble Consort Yeong wanted to speak to Prince Sado, but was persuaded not to, as Lady Hyegyeong said she feared for her own safety if he found out that his wife had spoken to others about it.
In her
memoirs
, Lady Hyegyeong describes fearing for the safety of herself and her children when Prince Sado was having
manic episodes
.
In 1760, she recalls Prince Sado threw a
go board
at her, which hit her in the face and caused such a large bruise around her eye that she had to miss a ceremony for
King Yeongjo
's moving house.
In 1762, Prince Sado summoned his wife. Convinced she was going to die, Lady Hyegyeong first visited her son
Yi San
. On arriving, Prince Sado requested that she bring him their son's cap to wear to meet his father, but Lady Hyegyeong presented him with his own cap.
When he left, Lady Hyegyeong returned to her son, where she later heard a eunuch requesting a rice chest from the kitchens. At this, Yi San ran outside to beg for his father's life and Lady Hyegyeong attempted suicide with scissors, but was stopped. She then went to the wall next to the courtyard where Sado was being sentenced by
King Yeongjo
and listened to her husband beg for his life. She then listened to the sound of Sado trying to get out of the chest.
Lady Hyegyeong wrote a letter begging clemency of
King Yeongjo
for herself and Yi San. The same day, her elder brother arrived with an edict to escort her to her father's home. Lady Hyegyeong was carried to a
palanquin
, where she fainted. Yi San later joined his mother at his grandfather’s Hong Bong-han's house, along with his consort and younger sisters.
Eight days later, Prince Sado was pronounced dead and Lady Hyegyeong returned to the palace for the mourning rituals.
Aftermath
[
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]
She wrote
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong
(
閑中錄
;
Hanjungnok
), detailing her life as the ill-fated Crown Princess, her husband's descent into madness and the deeds for which he was eventually put to death.
[26]
[27]
[28]
Titles
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]
- 6 August 1735 ? January 1744
: Lady Hong, daughter of Hong Bong-han of the Pungsan Hong clan
- January 1744 ? 12 July 1762
: Her Highness, The Crown Princess of Joseon (
왕세자빈
;
王世子嬪
)
- 12 July 1762 ? 17 April 1776
: Her Highness, The Crown Princess Dowager of Joseon (
王世子大賓
;
王世 子大嬪
)
- Crown Princess Consort Hye (
혜빈
;
惠嬪
)
- 17 April 1776 ? 13 January 1816
: Lady Hyegyeong (
혜경궁
;
惠慶宮
)
- Posthumous title
: Queen Heongyeong (
헌경왕후
;
興慶王后
)
Family
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]
- Father
- Hong Bong-han (
홍봉한
;
洪鳳漢
; 1713?1778)
- Mother
- Internal Princess Consort Hansan of the Hansan Yi clan (
閑散夫婦인 寒山 李氏
;
韓山府夫人 韓山 李氏
; 1713?1755)
- Siblings
- Older brother: Hong Nak-in (
홍낙인
;
洪樂仁
; 1729 ? 19 June 1777)
- Older sister: Lady Hong of the Pungsan Hong clan (
풍산 洪氏
;
豊山 洪氏
); died young
- Younger brother: Hong Nak-sin (
홍낙신
;
洪樂信
; 1739?1796)
- Younger brother: Hong Nak-im (
홍낙임
;
洪樂任
; 1741?1801)
- Younger sister: Lady Hong of the Pungsan Hong clan (
풍산 洪氏
;
豊山 洪氏
; 1747??)
- Younger brother: Hong Nak-ryun (
洪樂輪
;
洪樂倫
; November 1750 ? 1813)
- Younger half-brother: Hong Nak-jwa (
洪樂座
)
- Younger half-brother: Hong Nak-dong (
洪낙동
)
- Younger half-brother: Hong Nak-yi (
洪樂이
)
- Husband
- Issue
In popular culture
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]
Film and television
[
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]
Literature
[
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]
Notes
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]
- ^
Lady Hyegyeong was firstly given the posthumous title Queen Gyeongui (
경의王后
;
敬懿王后
), but this title has been dismissed after receiving her other title Queen Heongyeong (
헌경왕후
;
獻敬王后
) after her death.
References
[
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]
Works cited
[
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]
- Kim Haboush, JaHyun (2013).
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegy?ng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea
(2 ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press.
ISBN
978-0-520-20055-5
.
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