Queen Inwon

Born on 3 November 1687 during the thirteenth year of the reign of King Sukjong, the future queen was the second daughter of Kim Ju-shin, entitled as Internal Prince Gyeongeun (경은부원군), and his wife, Internal Princess Consort Garim (가림부부인) of the Imcheon Jo clan. She had one older sister, a younger sister, and two younger brothers.

Through her 3rd great-grandmother, Lady Kim is a 9th great-granddaughter of King Jeongjong and Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Pyeongchang Yi clan; through their son, Yi Jong-saeng, Prince Jinnam.

The 15 year old Lady Kim married the 42 year old King Sukjong on 3 October 1702; following the death of Queen Inhyeon in September and the execution of Jang Hui-bin in November of 1701. Technically, she was Sukjong's fourth queen consort, but is officially recorded as the third queen consort of King Sukjong. Jang Ok-jeong was the actual third queen consort, but was ousted upon Queen Inhyeon's reinstatement.

There is no record of the young Queen and the King having children amongst them. But in 1703, she adopted Royal Noble Consort Suk’s son, Prince Yeoning, who despite being 9 years his senior, was known to be her favorite and whom she regarded as her own son.[2]

In her early years of marriage, it was recorded that the young Queen had suffered from measles, toothaches, boils, and smallpox. Which in 1711, she came down with smallpox prompting Choi Suk-bin to order the gungnyeo to go out of the palace and look for remedies among the commoners to save the Queen, who in the end survived.

Following Sukjong's death in 1720, she was honoured as Queen Dowager Hyesun (혜순왕대비). Although her family was Soron, she changed her faction to Noron after Sukjong's death due to the political turmoil her adoptive son was dealing with within the palace.

King Gyeongjong suffered ill health and was unable to produce an heir—or to do much of anything for that matter. During his reign, the Noron and Soron factions battled for power. The Soron faction were the ruling political faction and supported Gyeongjong, and the Noron faction supported his half-brother, Prince Yeoning. The Noron faction and his step-mother, Queen Dowager Hyesun pressured him to appointed Prince Yeoning as his heir.

According to one theory, Queen Seonui opposed Prince Yeoning and planned secretly to adopt Prince Milpung, a great-grandson of Crown Prince Sohyeon, King Injo's first son. But two months after the King's enthronement, Prince Yeoning was installed as Crown Prince Successor (Wangseje, 왕세제, 王世弟).

Following the death of her step-son, King Gyeongjong, and the accession of her adoptive son, King Yeongjo, in 1724, she was honoured as Grand Queen Dowager Hyesun (혜순대왕대비).

It’s said that during her time in the palace, Queen Dowager Hyesun wrote 3 books: Syeongyun Yusa (션균유사), Syeonbi Yusa (션비유사), and Nyuk Ayukjang (뉵아육장).

During King Yeongjo’s reign, the Queen Dowager received filial piety from her adopted son and his wife, Queen Jeongseong.

On 3 April 1757, her adoptive daughter-in-law Queen Jeongseong had died at the age of 64 within Changdeok Palace.

A month later, the Queen Dowager later died on 13 May 1757 in the thirty-third year reign of King Yeongjo at Changdeok Palace, aged 69. She is buried in Myeongreung in Goyang city, Gyeonggi Province, near the tombs of King Sukjong and his second queen consort, Queen Inhyeon.

She was posthumously honored as Queen Inwon (인원왕후, 仁元王后).

King Yeongjo’s son, Crown Prince Sado, from Royal Consort Yeong, had been said to have grieved immensely; causing his mental illness to worsen. This was because the crown prince was close to his legal grandmother, Queen Inwon, and legal mother, Queen Jeongseong.

His actions eventually caused him to die in a rice chest in 1762; five years after the queen's death.