Myeongjong of Joseon
| Yi Hwan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Joseon | |||||||||
| Reign | 1545–1567 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Injong of Joseon | ||||||||
| Successor | Seonjo of Joseon | ||||||||
| Regent |
Queen Munjeong (1545–1565) |
||||||||
| Born | 3 July 1534 | ||||||||
| Died | 3 August 1567 (aged 33) | ||||||||
| Consort | Queen Insun | ||||||||
| Issue | Crown Prince Sunhoe | ||||||||
|
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| House | Jeonju Yi | ||||||||
| Father | Jungjong of Joseon | ||||||||
| Mother | Queen Munjeong | ||||||||
| Posthumous name | |
|---|---|
| King Myeongjong Gongheon Heoneui Somun Gwangsuk Gyeonghyo the Great of Korea 명종공헌헌의소문광숙경효대왕 明宗恭憲獻毅昭文光肅敬孝大王 |
|
| Temple name | |
| Myeongjeong |
| Myeongjong of Joseon | |
| Hangul | 명종 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 明宗 |
| Revised Romanization | Myeongjong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Myŏng-jong |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 이환 |
| Hanja | 李峘 |
| Revised Romanization | I Hwan |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Hwan |
Myeongjong of Joseon (3 July 1534 – 3 August 1567, r. 1545–1567) was the 13th king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Jungjong, and his mother was Queen Munjeong, who was Jungjong's third queen.
He became king in 1545 at the age of 12 following the death of his half-brother, Injong. Since he was too young to rule the kingdom, Queen Munjeong governed the nation in his name.
There were two political factions at the time Myeongjong came to power; Greater Yoon, headed by Yoon Im, Injong's maternal uncle, and Lesser Yoon, headed by Myeongjong's maternal uncles, Yoon Won-hyeong and Yoon Wonro. (Yoon Im and Yoon Brothers were close relatives by that period's standards - Yoon Im's great-grandfather was older brother of Yoon Brothers' great-great-grandfather.) Greater Yoon took power in 1544, when Injong succeeded Jungjong; but they failed to wipe out their opposition, since Queen Munjeong protected the Lesser Yoon faction and other opposition officials.
After the death of Injong in 1545, Lesser Yoon replaced Greater Yoon as the majority in the royal court and brutally ousted their adversaries in the Fourth Literati Purge of 1545. Yoon Im was executed, as were many of his followers.
The Lesser Yun faction continued to attack their opposition. In 1546, Yun Won-hyeong impeached his older brother, Yun Won-ro, who was executed a few days later along with his followers. Facing no opposition from the government, Yun Won-hyeong became Minister of the Interior in 1548, Vice Premier in 1551 and ultimately Prime Minister in 1563.
Despite Yun Won-hyeong's violent rule, Queen Munjeong was an effective administrator, distributing to the common people land formerly owned by the nobility. However, she held on to rule even after the king reached his majority at the age of 20.
After the death of Queen Munjeong in 1565, the king decided to rule the kingdom by himself and had his uncle Yun Won-hyeong put to death, along with his second wife Jeong Nan-jeong, who also rose to power due to her close friendship and being second sister-in-law to Queen Munjeong. Yun Won-hyeong allowed corruption to flourish in the government; while the kingdom was unstable, Jurchens, Japanese, and rebellious troops rampaged at will and threatened the government itself. Rebel leader Im Kkeok-jeong was arrested and executed in 1552, but outside invasion continued; the Joseon Dynasty had to re-mobilize its army and navy along to protect its borders.
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