Yejong (Korean: 예종; Hanja: 睿宗; 23 January 1450 – 9 January 1470), personal name Yi Hwang (이황; 李晄), firstly titled Grand Prince Haeyang (해양대군; 海陽大君), was the eighth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He succeeded his father, King Sejo, in 1468, when he was 19 years old, but was too physically ill to govern, and died a year later.[1]
One of the most prominent incidents during his reign was the trial and death of General Nam Yi, who was famous for having suppressed Yi Si-ae's Rebellion along with General Gang Sun. At the age of 28, Nam Yi was appointed as Minister of Military Affairs. However, when Yejong took the throne, Yu Ja-gwang, who was jealous of Nam Yi, accused him of treason when he found out that the king himself was not fond of the general. Yu also involved Gang Sun and initiated a trial witnessed by Yejong. They were found guilty and executed, while Yu Ja-gwang was promoted to a high office. After this incident, there were many cases where Yu accused ministers who were apparently more prestigious than himself.
Biography
He was born in 1450 as the second son of Grand Prince Suyang (as King Sejo was known at the time) and his primary consort, Grand Internal Princess Consort Nakrang (later Queen Jeonghui). He was promoted to crown prince at the age of 7, after the sudden death of his elder brother, Crown Prince Uigyeong.
In 1468, his father abdicated, but since Yi Hwang was not yet 20 years old and had been physically weak since his childhood, his mother, Queen Dowager Jaseong, came to unofficially rule as Queen Regent for the nation instead. According to records of this era, political decisions were taken by the queen and three subjects nominated by King Sejo.
Although his reign lasted just 14 months, several incidents had occurred. In 1468, the treason of Nam I greatly influenced the court politics. Just before his death in 1469, Joseon started to prohibit all trade with Japan. Yi Hwang also granted common farmers the right to cultivate fields which originally belonged to the military.
He died shortly before his 20th birthday and was buried alongside his second wife, Queen Ansun, in the Seooneung Cluster located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.[2] Their tomb is known as Changneung (창릉).[3]
After Yejong's death, the throne was not inherited by his son. Instead, his nephew and the second son of Crown Prince Uigyeong, Grand Prince Jalsan, became the heir and was posthumously honored as King Seongjong.[4]
Both of Yejong's sons, Grand Prince Inseong and Grand Prince Jean, died without issue. In 1874, during the reign of Gojong, Yi Ong, Prince Seoseong of the Third Junior Rank (서성부정 이옹; 1487–1510) and a great-great-grandson of Sejong the Great, was posthumously appointed as heir to Grand Prince Inseong; similarly, Yi Pa [ko] (이파; 1515–1571), a great-great-grandson of Jeongjong of Joseon, was also granted the title Prince Nakpung (Nakpung Gun; 낙풍군) and became heir to Grand Prince Jean.[5][6][7][8]
# denotes that the king was deposed and never received a temple name.
^Those who were listed were not reigning monarchs but posthumously recognized; the year following means the year of recognition.
^Only the crown princes that didn't become the king were listed; the former year indicates when one officially became the heir and the latter one is that when one died/deposed. Those who ascended to the throne were excluded in the list for simplification.
^The title given to the biological father, who never reigned, of the kings who were adopted as the heir to a precedent king.
^The de jure monarch of Korea during the era was the Emperor of Japan, while the former Korean emperors were given nobility title "King Yi" instead.
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