Incheon Lee clan

The Incheon Lee clan (Hangul: 인천 이씨, Hanja: 仁川 李氏) is a Korean clan. Historically known as the Gyeongwon Yi clan or Inju Yi clan, it was one of the most powerful clans in the early Goryeo period due their status as in-laws of the ruling House of Wang. According to the 2015 South Korean census, there were 83,855 members of this clan.[1]

Incheon Lee clan
Gyeongwon Yi clan, Inju Yi clan
CountryNorth and South Korea
Current regionIncheon
Place of originGeumgwan Gaya, present-day South Korea
FounderYi Heo-gyeom
Connected membersYi Seungu
Yi Ja-gyeom
Yi Ja-yeon
Queen Inye
Royal Consort Ingyeong
Royal Consort Injeol
Yi Seok
Princess Janggyeong
Royal Consort Jeongsin
Queen Sasuk
Princess Wonsin
Queen Sundeok
Princess Yeondeok
Princess Bokchang
Websitehttp://iclee.or.kr/

Name and origin

An ancestor of the clan, a 23rd generation descendant of King Suro and Heo Hwang-ok, was Heo Gi (許奇). He was sent to Tang China as an ambassador of Silla. Emperor Xuanzong bestowed the surname "Yi" on Heo Gi because he helped him escape from the An Lushan Rebellion.[2] When Yi Heo-gi (李許奇) returned to Silla, King Gyeongdeok awarded him the title of "Prince of Soseong" (邵城伯).

Later, Yi Heo-gyeom, a 10th generation descendant of Yi Heo-gi and the grandfather of Queen Wonseong, began the Incheon Lee clan.[3]

Dominance in early Goryeo

The Gyeongwon Lee clan was thought to have been local aristocrats or hojok from Gyeongwon County (modern-day Incheon). The clan was able to use their marriage ties to the Ansan Kim clan, who were in-laws to the royal family, to become royal in-laws themselves. Yi Ja-yeon, the grandson of Heo-gyeom, married his three daughters to King Munjong. One of those three, Queen Inye, became the mother of three kings, Sunjong, Seonjong, and Sukjong.[4]

From 981 to 1146, the Gyeongwon Lee clan had 27 officials in the central bureaucracy, 12 of whom were first or second grade officials. This was more than any other clan in during that time period.[5]

In 1095, Yi Ja-ui attempted to replace King Heonjong with his nephew, Wang Gyun. However, Prince Gyerim (later King Sukjong) and his allies killed Yi Ja-ui on August 29, 1095 before it could happen.[6]

See also

References
  1. "2015년 인구주택총조사 전수집계결과 보도자료" [Results of the 2015 Census of Population and Housing survey]. Korean Statistical Information Service. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  2. Deuchler, Martina (1992). The Confucian transformation of Korea : a study of society and ideology. Cambridge, Mass.: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University. p. 85. ISBN 9780674160897.
  3. Doosan Encyclopedia 인천이씨 仁川李氏. Doosan Encyclopedia.
  4. Deuchler, Martina (1992). The Confucian transformation of Korea : a study of society and ideology. Cambridge, Mass.: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University. pp. 58–59. ISBN 9780674160897.
  5. Duncan, John B. (1988). "The Formation of the Central Aristocracy in Early Koryŏ". Korean Studies. 12 (1): 49. doi:10.1353/KS.1988.0003.
  6. Rogers, Michael C. (1959). "Studies in Korean History". T'oung Pao. 47 (1): 31–32. doi:10.1163/156853259X00033.
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