King Jungjong
| Yi Yeok | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Joseon | |||||||||
| Reign | 1506–1544 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Yeonsangun of Joseon | ||||||||
| Successor | Injong of Joseon | ||||||||
| Born | 16 April 1488 | ||||||||
| Died | 29 November 1544 (aged 56) | ||||||||
| Consort |
Queen Dangyeong Queen Janggyeong Queen Munjeong |
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| Issue |
Injong of Joseon Myeongjong of Joseon |
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| House | Jeonju Yi | ||||||||
| Father | Seongjong of Joseon | ||||||||
| Mother | Queen Jeonghyeon | ||||||||
| Posthumous name | |
|---|---|
| King Jungjong Gonghee Hwimun Somu Heumin Seonghyo the Great of Korea 중종공희휘문소무흠인성효대왕 中宗恭僖徽文昭武欽仁誠孝大王 |
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| Temple name | |
| Jungjong |
| Jungjong of Joseon | |
| Hangul | 중종 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 中宗 |
| Revised Romanization | Jungjong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chungjong |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 이역 |
| Hanja | 李懌 |
| Revised Romanization | I Yeok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yi Yŏk |
Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544, r. 1506–1544), born Yi Yeok or Lee Yeok, ruled during the 16th century in what is now Korea. He succeeded his half-brother, Yeonsangun, because of the latter's tyrannical misrule, which culminated in a coup placing Jungjong on the throne.
On the day Yeonsangun was deposed, soldiers belonging to the coup leaders surrounded the house of his half-brother Grand Prince Jinseong. He was about to kill himself, thinking that Yeonsangun was finally going to kill him; but, dissuaded by his wife, Grand Prince Jinseong found himself becoming the eleventh king of Joseon Dynasty, or King Jungjong. Jungjong worked hard to wipe out the remnants of the Yeonsangun era by reopening the Seonggyungwan, royal university, and Office of Censors, which criticizes inappropriate actions of the king. However, during the early days of his reign, Jungjong could not exert regal authority freely because those who put him on the throne exercised immense power. When the three main leaders of coup died of old age and natural causes eight years later, Jungjong began to assert his authority and carried out a large-scale reformation of the government with help of Jo Gwang-jo and other Sarim scholars.
Jo Gwang-jo strengthened local autonomy by establishing a self-governing system called Hyang'yak, promulgated Confucian writings by translating them in Korean hangul and distributing them widely, pursued a land reform that would distribute land more equally between the rich and poor, and introduced a supplementary system for recruiting talents to the government. He also believed that any talented people including slaves should be appointed as officials regardless of social status. As Inspector General, he enforced the laws strictly so that no official dared to receive a bribe or exploit the local populace during this time according to Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.
However, the reforms faced much opposition from conservative nobles who led the coup in 1506 that placed Jungjong in power. After four years of reformist agenda, Jungjong abruptly abandoned Jo Gwang-jo's programs because he either lost confidence in Jo's programs or feared that Jo was becoming too powerful. While Jungjong and Jo Gwang-jo shared the reformist agenda, Jungjong was also chiefly interested in solidifying royal authority whereas the latter was more concerned with neo-Confucian ideology, according to which those who rule must be a virtuous example to the rest. Finally in November 1519, when conservative officials slandered Jo Gwang-jo to be disloyal by writing "Jo will become the king" (주초위왕, 走肖爲王) with honey on leaves so that caterpillars left behind the same phrase as if in supernatural manifestation, Jungjong executed Jo Gwang-jo on charge of factionalism and exiled many of his followers, abruptly abandoning his reforms. This incident is known as the Third Literati Purge of 1519 or Gimyo massacre of scholars.
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Wikipedia