Queen Sinjeong

Lady Jo was born on 9 January 1809 into the Pungyang Jo clan to Jo Man-yeong and Lady Song of the Eunjin Song clan during King Sunjo's 8th year of reign. Through her paternal great-grandmother, Lady Jo is a first cousin twice removed of Lady Hyegyeong; who is the grandmother of her future father-in-law, King Sunjo.

In 1819, she became Crown Princess Consort when she married Crown Prince Hyomyeong, thus granting her mother the royal title of “Internal Princess Consort Deokan” (덕안부부인, 德安府夫人) and her father, “Internal Prince Pungeun” (풍은부원군, 豊恩府院君). The Crown Princess Consort gave birth to her only son, the future King Heonjeong, on 8 September 1827.

From 1827, her husband had acted as regent for his father when he was ill, but died at the age of 20 in 1830. Her father-in-law King Sunjo soon followed and died from his illness in 1834.

In 1834, the Jo clan seized control over the royal court from the Andong Kim clan. The clan rose to prominence, pushing out the Andong Kim clan that had wielded power since the King Sunjo regime.

Her son, Heonjong of Joseon, became king in 1834 and that same year, her mother died. Through the influence of her mother-in-law, Queen Sunwon, her son married in 1837 to a daughter from her clan, the Andong Kim. She was posthumously honored as Queen Hyohyeon after she died in 1843 at the age of 15.

After the mourning period, her son eventually remarried in 1844 to a daughter from the Namyang Hong clan. However, with the death of the clan leader Jo Man-yeong, the Queen Dowager’s father, in 1846, control of the kingdom once again fell into the hands of the Andong Kim clan.[2]

Anti-Catholic in nature, the Pungyang Jo clan dominated the court when King Heonjeong blamed the Andong Kim clan for being soft on Catholics and launched a persecution, killing hundreds of Catholics, including three French missionary priests.[3][4]

Her son died childless on 25 July 1849, and was succeeded by a distant relative, Cheoljong of Joseon three days later on 28 July. After the death of her son, she was given the title Grand Queen Dowager Hyoyu.

In January 1864, King Cheoljong died without an heir.

The selection of the next king was in the hands of three dowagers: (i) Queen Dowager Hyoyu, mother of King Heonjong; (ii) Queen Dowager Myeongheon, King Heonjong’s second wife; and (iii) Queen Dowager Myeongsun, Cheoljong's wife.[5]

Queen Cheorin, the queen consort of Cheoljong and a member of the Andong Kim clan, claimed the right to choose the next king, despite the fact that traditionally, the eldest queen dowager is the one with the authority to select the new king. Cheoljong’s second cousin, (later) Grand Queen Dowager Hyoyu (Queen Sinjeong), who too had risen to prominence by intermarriage with the Yi family, currently held this title.

The "right of designation" resided, accordingly, with Grand Queen Dowager Sinjeong, as she was the oldest of the dowagers.[6]

Queen Sinjeong saw an opportunity to advance the cause of the Pungyang Jo clan, the only true rival of the Andong Kim clan in Korean politics. As Cheoljong became increasingly ill, Queen Sinjeong was approached by Yi Ha-eung, a descendant of King Injo (r.1623–1649), whose father was made an adoptive son of Prince Eunsin, a nephew of King Yeongjo (r.1724–1776).

The branch that Yi Ha-eung's family belonged to was an obscure line of descent of the Yi clan, which survived the often deadly political intrigue that frequently embroiled the Joseon court by forming no affiliation with any factions. Yi Ha-eung himself was ineligible for the throne due to a law that dictated that any possible heir to the kingdom be part of the generation after the most recent incumbent of the throne, but his second son Yi Myeong-bok, later Emperor Gojong, was a possible successor to the throne.

The Pungyang Jo clan saw that Yi Myeong-bok was only twelve years old and would not be able to rule in his own name until he came of age, and that they could easily influence Yi Ha-eung, who would be acting as regent for the future king. As soon as news of Cheoljong's death reached Yi Ha-eung through his intricate network of spies in the palace, he and the Pungyang Jo clan took the hereditary royal seal — an object that was considered necessary for a legitimate reign to take place and aristocratic recognition to be received — effectively giving her absolute power to select the successor to the throne. By the time Cheoljong's death had become a known fact, the Andong Kim clan was powerless according to law as the seal lay in the hands of the Grand Queen Dowager Sinjeong.

In an apocryphal story, Queen Cheorin sent a minister to fetch the son of Yi Ha-eung, eleven-year-old Yi Myeong-bok, who was flying a kite in a palace garden. The son was brought to the palace in a sedan chair, where Queen Sinjeong rushed forward and called him her son, thus producing the new Joseon king, King Gojong, adopted son of Crown Prince Hyomyeong.[5] This story may or may not be true.

These facts, however, are known to be correct. On 16 January 1864, Yi Myeong-bok was appointed the Prince of Ikseong by Dowager Queen Sinjeong. The next day, his father was granted the title Heungseon Daewongun. On 21 January, Yi Myeong-bok was enthroned as King Gojong, and Dowager Queen Sinjeong began her regency.[6] Yi was apparently chosen because "he was the only suitable surviving male member of the Yi clan and closest by blood to the royal house".[6]

Since Gojong was so young, Queen Sinjeong invited the Daewongun to assist his son in ruling. She virtually renounced her right to be regent in 1866, and though she remained the titular regent, the Daewongun was in fact the true ruler.[6]

But when the Grand Queen Dowager stepped down from regency, Grand Internal Prince Heungseon had immediately started to drive out the influence of the Jo clan. This eventually brought in her adoptive daughter-in-law Queen Min’s intervention as she became involved in Royal politics. Thus bringing down the power and influence of the king’s father and his supporters, and becoming regent while also bringing in the influence of her family, the Yeoheung Min clan.

Queen Sinjeong died on 4 June 1890 during Gojong's 27th year of reign. Nine years after her death, during the 3rd year reign of Emperor Gwangmu, she was given the posthumous title of "Empress Shinjeongik (Hangul: 신정익황후, Hanja: 神貞翼皇后), and Crown Prince Hyomyeong was given the posthumous title of "Emperor Munjoik" (Hangul: 문조익황제, Hanja: 文祖翼皇帝).