Queen Heongyeong 헌경왕후 |
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Crown Princess of Joseon | |||||
Tenure | 1744 - 1762 | ||||
Predecessor | Crown Princess Jo | ||||
Successor | Crown Princess Kim | ||||
Born | 6 August 1735 Hanseong, Kingdom of Joseon |
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Died |
13 January 1816 (aged 80) Hanseong, Kingdom of Joseon |
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Burial | Yungneung, Hwaseong 37°12′44″N 126°59′26″E / 37.21222°N 126.99056°ECoordinates: 37°12′44″N 126°59′26″E / 37.21222°N 126.99056°E |
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Spouse | Crown Prince Sado | ||||
Issue | Yi Jeong Yi San Princess Cheongyeon Princess Cheongseon |
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House | Pungsan Hong | ||||
Father | Hong Bong-Han | ||||
Mother | Lady Lee of the Hansan Lee clan |
Posthumous name | |
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효강자희정선휘목유정인철계성헌경왕후 孝康慈禧貞宣徽穆裕靖仁哲啓聖獻敬王后 |
Lady Hyegyeong | |
Hangul | 헌경왕후 |
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Hanja | 獻敬王后 |
Revised Romanization | Heongyeong wanghu |
McCune–Reischauer | Hŏn’gyŏng wangu |
Lady Hyegyeong (6 August 1735 – 13 January 1816), also known as Queen Heongyeong, was a Korean writer and noblewoman during the Joseon Dynasty. She was the wife of Crown Prince Sado and mother of King Jeongjo.
Lady Hyegyeong was born in 1735, the third child of the scholar Hong Bong-han and his wife Madame Lee, as well as their second daughter. Hyegyeong was the great-great-great grandchild of Princess Jeongmyeong, a daughter of Seonjo of Joseon. 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 Naksin. 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, Madame Sin.
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. Madame Lee 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 Madame Lee stitched outfits suitable for presentation at court from old clothes. Lady Hyegyeong 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 Hyegyeong writes in her memoir that King Yeongjo complimented her as a, "beautiful daughter-in-law," during their meeting.
Lady Hyegyeong moved into a pavilion outside the palace, where she was tutored for a month by her parents and palace and palace staff. The wedding ceremony with Crown Prince Sado was held over a period of seven days in the first month of 1744.
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 Prince Sado's capping ceremony in 1749.