Tuesday, March 19, 2024
KOREAN HISTORYLANGUAGE&CULTURE

Early Joseon Kings and Historical Drama (1392-1494)

It’s a rocky start to the Joseon period with nine kings in just over 100 years! And THREE of them abdicated:

King Taejo (r.1392 – 1398) King Jeongjong (r. 1398-1400) King Taejong (r.1400 – 1418); King Sejong (r.1418-1450); King Munjong (r.1450-1452); King Danjong (r.1452-1455); King Sejo (r.1455-1468); King Yejong (r.1468-69); King Seongjong (r.1469-1494)

A quick overview of the period

The early Joseon kings were tough warriors who had helped found the new Joseon dynasty. King Taejong in particular was a force to be reckoned with. Then the period became more stable and entered a golden age under the 32-year reign of King Sejong. But after him there was instability again in the monarchy with sickness and young weak rulers opening the way for a coup d’état.

related posts:

Overview of Joseon Kings 

Mid Joseon Kings & Historical Drama (1494-1649)

Late Joseon Kings & Historical Drama (1649-1910)

I got all the information here from the following books and websites:

The Annals of King Taejo (translated and annotated by Choi Byong Hyon, Harvard University Press)
The Land of Scholars Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism by Kang Jae-eun
A Review of Korean History vol. 2 Joseon Era by Han Young Woo
Click into the Hermit Kingdom: Virtual Adventure into the Joseon Dynasty by Yang Sun-jin
Great Korean Portraits by Cho Sun Mi )
A Korean History for International Readers, the association of Korean history teachers
(and of course various online Wiki articles 😉 )

WARRIORS FORM THE NEW DYNASTY

King Taejo (r.1392 – 1398) King Jeongjong (r. 1398-1400) King Taejong (r. 1400 – 1418)

The early kings of Joseon were hardy military men who preferred hunting and sleeping outdoors to studying. (They had to be like that to overthrow the previous Goryeo dynasty!)

king taejo

(1) 태조 King Taejo, Yi Seong-gye (r.1392-1398)

The family name of the ruling dynasty was Yi and the name of the first king of Joseon was Yi Seung-gye. He was given the title of King Taejo after he died (so that’s why we won’t catch him being called King Taejo to his face in any dramas!) But I’ll use the posthumous title of the kings in these posts.

His original portrait is one of only 4 kings that have survived today. Read about the portraits of Joseon Kings here. He came from Jeonju where his portrait was enshrined.

Find out more about the king’s name: TAEJO vs. TAEJONG Why do some Joseon Kings have the title JO and others JONG?  

YI SEONG GYE and JEONG DO JEON

King Taejo had been a general in the Goryeo army before he became King. And in the Annals of King Taejo he’s described like a hero from an action film: high up on a hill, he sits on a white horse with a red arrow and white feathers gazing down at his men.

He joined forces with Jeong Do Jeon a scholar who had been exiled during the Goryeo Dynasty. And together they created a powerful leadership with their military-literati combo.

They moved the capital to Hanyang (Seoul) and made bureaucratic, military, and ideological reforms.

By now Buddhism had got a bad reputation with corrupt monks leading decadent lifestyles! The decline in morals in society was blamed for the fall of the Goryeo dynasty and the new leaders wanted to introduce a new moral ideology. So Buddhism was suppressed in favour of Confucianism.

So far so good, but after King Taejo founded Joseon, his ambitious sons began fighting over who should become his successor. (he had 8 sons altogether) This was known as the Strife of Princes. and in the end King Taejo couldn’t take it anymore and he abdicated and became a Buddhist recluse while his sons continued to fight for power!

related posts:

Book Review: The Annals of King Taejo (English translation)

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annals of King Taejo

(2) 정종 King Jeongjong Yi Bang-gwa (r.1398-1400)

King Jeongjong (Taejo’s 2nd son) didn’t last long on the throne.

His younger brother (Taejo’s 5th son and future King Taejong) was still determined to be king and had started to kill anyone in his way. He had already killed off the prime minister (Jeong Do-jeon) and his own half-brother (Taejo’s 8th son, when he was made Crown Prince!) So there was clearly little hope for King Jeongjong…

Even when Jeongjong was the king, it was still his fierce brother who held the real power. So after two years he abdicated and let his brother take the throne! My Country (JTBC / Netflix 2019) covers this period.

king taejong

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(3) 태종 King Taejong, Yi Bang-won (r.1400-1418)

A strong but ruthless ruler who abdicated but continued to hold the real power.

King Taejong wanted an absolute monarchy. So he clashed with (and killed) Jeong Do-jeon (the first prime minister of Joseon) who believed that the government ministers should make the political decisions – not the king.

Then he strengthened the monarchy by introducing a central government system State Council of Joseon (의정부) which meant that all final decisions had to be approved by the king.

Written records from the time give us a peek into his character:

All the daily happenings at court were noted by the sagwan record keepers who went with the king to all his appointments. (These records were used to compile the annals of the king after his death). Taejong is described in the Annals of King Taejo as a brave warrior: When coming back from Ming on a ship there was a terrible storm. Other boats were sinking and panic was all around him. But, we are told, Taejong stands serene and calm…

He was also a keen hunter (which didn’t go down well with the officials who considered it unbecoming in a king). The sagwan attended his hunting trips too! But he must have wanted to keep his manly image in tact, because when he fell off his horse (while hunting a deer) he ordered the sagwan NOT to write the incident in the Annals of Joseon.

But EVERYTHING that happened had to be written objectively in the record books. So this incident was included – including King Taejong’s order NOT to include it! Aigoo.

We meet King Taejong in Deep Rooted Tree (SBS 2011) after he has abdicated to hand the throne to his son King Sejong. But he still  holds the real political power. He was the third king of Joseon and the third king in a row to abdicate!

Read more about the sagwan in my drama review of Rookie Historian

Read more about the first Joseon kings in my book Review: The Annals of King Taejo

king sejong deep rooted tree

(4) 세종 King Sejong the Great, Yi Do (r.1418-1450)

The most famous Joseon king

After the violent power struggles of the first years of the Joseon Dynasty we come to a more peaceful and stable time with the reign of King Sejong the Great, the most famous king of Joseon.

King Sejong’s big claim to fame is that he developed the new writing system of hangul. But lots of other good stuff happened during his reign too.

He is considered to be the most scholarly of the kings along with King Jeongjo (1778-1800) and encouraged education. He opened a state research institute – Hall of Worthies (chiphyunjeon) and promoted foreign language learning (since lack of foreign language ability was a problem at the time).

He also formed a Confucian oriented political process, helped the poor by improving the social status of servants, developed metal type cast printing, encouraged scientific technical advancement, and developed gunpowder weaponry.

There have been several dramas about King Sejong.

Find dramas in the Chart of Joseon Kings and Related Dramas

chart of Joseon Kings and  related historical dramas

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In Deep Rooted Tree (SBS 2011) the young Sejong is portrayed as an intelligent bookish king who is often over-powered and intimidated by his warrior father, King Taejong. The older King Sejong is portrayed as a workaholic desperate to realise his dream to create an alphabet for the common people whilst still scarred by the difficult relationship he had with his father.

He also faces opposition from many noblemen who DO NOT want commoners to be able to read! And he struggles to overcome self-doubt and self-criticism as officials around him begin to be murdered …OK that last bit about the murders is probably artistic licence for a mystery drama!

Another claim to fame is that King Sejong is the only king to appear on money. We can find him on the 10,000 won note. On the back of the note are more achievements developed during his reign: a map of constellations and stars carved into black stone and an astronomical clock.

King Sejong died at the age of 53. He had various illnesses including diabetes which made him blind.

Related posts:

King Sejong’s tomb and museum in Yeoju about an hour from Seoul.

Different styles of Hangul 

The Hangul Museum 

FIGHTING FOR POWER AFTER KING SEJONG

After the stable 32 years of King Sejong’s reign, things turn pear-shaped with sickness and usurpers causing havoc.

(5) 문종 King Munjong, Yi Hyang (r.1450-1452)

He had achieved a lot when he was crown prince, but died of illness after only a couple of years as King.

(6) 단종 King Danjong, Yi Hong-wi (r.1452-1455)

He was 12 years old when he came to the throne and had little power, so his uncle Yi Yu (a.k.a Grand Prince Suyang) usurped the throne in a coup! Charming. 

(7) 세조 King Sejo, Yi Yu (r.1455-1468)

King Sejong’s son became King Sejo after he usurped the throne from his nephew King Danjong, and then had him killed. Still, he was considered a successful leader of the country.

He made many reforms – the most important was compiling the gyeongguk daejeon Grand Code for State Administration – the first written form of constitutional law.

But not everybody agreed with the way he had become king and some scholars refused to recognise him as king. He executed the scholars who tried to put King Danjong back on the throne!

THE START OF MILITARY DECLINE

And it seems that King Sejo was always looking over his shoulder, afraid of losing his position. So after his coup in 1455, he began to limit military and weapon production (to stop a coup against himself!) The problem was that the military began to lose discipline and innovation stagnated.

King Sejong had been keen to develop gunpowder when defence of the country was taken seriously. But during King Sejo’s reign, it began to be neglected.

This neglect of security would cause major problems in the invasions of the mid Joseon period...

king Injo and Manchu Invasions

(8) 예종 King Yejong, Yi Gwang (r.1468-1469)

King Sejo’s son King Yejong (r. 1468-1469) died of illness after only a year on the throne.

(9) 성종 King Seongjong, Yi Hyeol (r.1469-1494)

King Seongjong (nephew of King Yejong) was only 13 when he came to the throne, so his grandmother Queen Jeonghee ruled in his place along with his mother Queen Insu.

He was a successful ruler and there was prosperity and economic growth during this time.

Jewel in the Palace, (MBC, 2003) the story of Jang-geum a royal cook and first female physician to the king, starts here when the king orders the execution of his consort, Lady Yun (mother of future king, Yeonsangun).

By all accounts, Lady Yun had a difficult personality and in a fit of jealous rage attacked the king! She was sent from the palace in disgrace and then was forced to drink poison.

But this would lead to literati purges and many deaths later…

jewel in the palace and yeonsangun

King Seongjong’s tombs can be visited in central Seoul in Gangnam, at Seoulleung  and Jeongneung tomb. It’s quite unusual to have tombs in the centre of the city as they need so much space. So a walk around here makes a peaceful escape from hectic modern Seoul life.

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related posts:

Overview of Joseon Kings 

Mid Joseon Kings & Historical Drama (1494-1649)

Late Joseon Kings & Historical Drama (1649-1910)

6 thoughts on “Early Joseon Kings and Historical Drama (1392-1494)

  • Dear DramasROK,
    Another great article on the Joseon Kings. King Sejong the Great is definitely my favorite as he is so kool. I am interested (curious) about your next report on Prince Yeonsangun (double nominative mixed-modes languages – Prince Yeonsan). After all Yeonsangun was so freaky and mean – the greatest tyrant of all Joseon, I think everyone was too scared to say anything to him, or else it was to the chairs with the leg breaking logs and the hot burning iron rods on the body. One thing we learned from the Han Guk Sageuks is don’t mess with MOM. I liked Queen Insu.
    Thank you for the concise report and information. Anyong ! Chuck Leaghty

    Reply
    • Yes, Yeonsangun was quite a handful by all accounts. I watched the Korean film The King and The Clown (2005) recently which portrays his cruel and violent temper. Not exactly a sage king…

      Reply
  • Dear DramasROK,
    I have read about King Sejo. I also saw a Sageuk Drama that centered around his daughter (maybe ‘Princess’ Man’) and his rise to and sustainment of power of the Joseon Nation. Yes, many historians exhibit dislike to his methods, BUT he saw an opportunity, and he seized the throne. AND he was King Sejong’s (second maybe) son – does that make it right ? AND he eliminated all opposition. Very effective management. I just think he could (should) have done better with young King Danjong. Iron fist politics in the Joseon times. I guess I will end this comment with ‘a Grand Prince has to do what a Grand Prince has to do.
    Thank you for the great informative article. Komapso ! Chuck Leaghty

    Reply
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