14 Facts About Queen Jeonghyeon

Queen Jeonghyeon, of the Papyeong Yun clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and third queen consort of Yi Hyeol, King Seongjong and the mother of Yi Yeok, King Jungjong.

Queen Jeonghyeon was queen consort of Joseon from 1479 until her husband's death in 1495, after she was then honoured as Queen Dowager Jasun during the reigns of her adoptive son, King Yeonsan from 1495 to 1506, and her son, King Jungjong from 1506 to 1530.

Queen Jeonghyeon came to wield considerable power and influence a number of political decisions which secured her son's position on the throne her excessive reliance on her kin and paternal clan paved way for the occurrence of the second and third literati purges.

The Queen Jeonghyeon had a fairly good upbringing because of her background having been born to the privileged Yangban society and she received education in both Hangul and Hangja where she excelled with remarkable calligraphy skills, she was naturally a reserved woman who was known to be intelligent and smart, more courteous than many women of her era, she was beautiful and warm hearted to many.

Queen Jeonghyeon was given the title of Suk-ui with second junior rank having born King Seongjong a son, Grand Prince Jinseong, and three princesses; Princess Suksun, and two unnamed princesses who died prematurely.

The new Queen Jeonghyeon however proved to be temperamental and highly jealous of Seongjong's remaining concubines and Yun Chang-nyeon was not a exception, she'd even stooped to poisoning one of them in 1477.

One night in 1479 during a heated argument with her husband and two of his Consorts, which was rumored to have supposedly been orchestrated by Yun Chang-nyeon, and the concubines who had now become afraid of the young Queen Jeonghyeon, she clawed the King, leaving visible scratch marks on his face.

Since the position of the Queen Jeonghyeon couldn't be left vacant still, Seongjong was urged by the Royal Court, and both his Grandmother and mother, to choose a new mother for the nation.

Two years after her instatement in 1482, the Queen Jeonghyeon supposedly influencing the ladies of the Inner Court, pushed for the execution of the Deposed Queen Jeonghyeon.

The Deposed Queen Jeonghyeon Yun, having resided outside the Palace for three years, eventually met the fate that she'd helped mete out of so many people when a Royal Edict was issued sentencing her to commit suicide by swallowing poison.

Queen Jeonghyeon adopted the young boy officially a year later and showered him with love as though he were her own, ordering all ladies of the palace and Eunuchs to keep their mouths shut about his maternity with the resuscitation of Queen Yun.

The Queen Jeonghyeon Consort was elevated to the rank of Royal Queen Jeonghyeon Dowager and granted the honorary name when writing the tombstone of Seongjong.

Queen Jeonghyeon's son made a statement highlighting her virtues, "The Queen Mother was benevolent and harmonious with her family and did not seek a government post for her maternal relatives".

Queen Jeonghyeon is buried in Seonreung with her husband and his first wife, Queen Gonghye.