Gwanghaegun of Joseon
| Gwanghaegun of Joseon | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: | 광해군 |
| Hanja: | 光海君 |
| Revised Romanization: | Gwanghaegun |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Kwanghaegun |
Gwanghaegun or Prince Gwanghae (1574–1641; reigned 1608–1623) was the fifteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty. His personal name was Yi Hon (李琿). Since he was deposed in a coup, later official historians did not give him a temple name like Taejo of Joseon|Taejo or Sejong the Great of Joseon|Sejong. He was married to Lady Ryu (부인류씨 ; 夫人柳氏).
Birth and Background
He was the second son of Seonjo of Joseon|King Seonjo, born to Lady Kim, a concubine. When Japan invaded Korea to attack the Ming Dynasty|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 Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea|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, 臨海君) and a younger but legitimate brother Yeongchangdaegun (Prince Yeongchang, 永昌大君), who was supported by the Lesser Northerners faction (小北). 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(大北)
When King Seonjo died, he named Gwanghaegun as his official successor to the throne, and ordered his advisers to make a royal document. However, Yoo Young Gyung of Lesser Northerners faction hid the document and plotted to install Prince Imhae as king, only to be found out by the head of Great Northerners faction (大北), Jeong In-hong. Yoo was executed immediately and Imhaegun was arrested and died the next year.
After the incident, Gwanghaegun tried to bring officials from various political and regional background to his court, but his plan was interrupted by Greater Northerners including Yi Yicheom 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, Gwanghaegun 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 Changdeokgung|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.[1]
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 Sarhu|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 (西人) with a coup. He was confined first on Ganghwa Island (江華島) and then Jeju Island (濟州島), 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 (綾陽君) as the sixteenth king King Injo of Joseon|Injo and took pro-Ming and anti-Manchu policies, which brought two Manchu invasions.
Legacy
Althouth Gwanghaegun is one of only two deposed kings who were not restored and given the temple name(the other one being Yeonsangun of Joseon|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 Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea|Seven Year War and Manchu Invasion.
In modern South Korea, Gwanghaegun is considered a great and wise king, not a despot; his diplomatic skill was recalled by many people who felt worried about the international situation which included an invisible feud between People's Republic of China|China and the United States. Many people argued that South Korean government needs to position itself carefully in order to survive in the changing world, not to fall like in 1636 when Korea surrendered to Qing Dynasty, or in 1910 when Korea was annexed by Japan.
See also
- List of Koreans
- List of Korean monarchs
- List of Korea-related topics
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
External Links
- Cultural Heritage: Treasures 1243. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
- Gwanghaegun of Joseon. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
- Gwanghaegun of Joseon: A Wisdom Archive on Gwanghaegun of Joseon. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
| Preceded by: Seonjo |
Korean monarchs (Joseon Dynasty) 1608–1623 |
Succeeded by: Injo |
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- ↑ Rutt, Richard and Pratt, Keith L.; Hoare, James (1999). Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary. United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 0700704639. (p252)
