Queen Myeongseong

Queen Myeongseong (3 June 1642 – 11 January 1684) of the Cheongpung Kim clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Yi Yeon, King Hyeonjong, the 18th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1659 until her husband's death in 1674, after which she was honored as Queen Dowager Hyeonryeol.

She was a wise and intelligent figure, but her fierce personality was said to be the reason why her husband did not have any concubines. The Southerners mocked her as a reincarnation of Queen Munjeong because of her intervention in the politics.

Biography
The future queen was born in Jangtongbang on 3 June 1642 during the reign of King Injo as the only daughter within four sons. Her father, Kim Woo-myeong, was a member of the Cheongpung Kim clan. Her mother was a member of the Eunjin Song clan who was distantly related to Song Si-yeol and Song Jun-gil.

In 1651, she was arranged to marry the Crown Prince to which her status and title became Crown Princess Consort Kim or.

Her parents also received royal titles; her father received the royal title of “Internal Prince Cheongpung” (청풍부원군 淸風府院君, Cheongpung Buwongun), and her mother received the royal title of “Internal Princess Consort Deokeun of the Eunjin Song clan” (덕은부부인 송씨 德恩府夫人 宋氏, Deokeun Bubuin). Through her younger brother, Kim Seok-yeon, Queen Hyoui is her great-great-grandniece.

Her husband ascended the throne as the 18th Joseon monarch, (temple name: Hyeonjong) in 1659, automatically making her the queen consort. During her husband's reign, she and the King had one son and four daughters; only one died in infancy. The Queen gave birth to an unnamed daughter in 1658, Princess Myeongseon in 1659, Yi Sun in 1661, Princess Myeonghye in 1663, and Princess Myeongan in 1665. In 1667, Yi Sun was appointed as heir to the throne with title Crown Prince Myeongbo.

When her husband died on 17 September 1674, Crown Prince Myeongbo was crowned as the 19th Joseon monarch (temple name: Sukjong) a few days after. Thus, she was honored as Queen Dowager Hyeonryeol.

After the death of her daughter-in-law in 1680, the Queen Dowager was recommended Song Jun-gil’s maternal granddaughter (the future Queen Inhyeon) to become the next Queen Consort for her son. With this recommendation, it’s said the reason Lady Min was chosen due to the fact her family was a supporter of the Seoin faction and was distantly related to the Queen Dowager, and the late Queen Ingyeong. Thus, the young now Queen married her son in 1681, but despite having the upper hand in choosing a wife, her son’s relation with a palace maid would eventually cause havoc between them and the court.

Hyeonryeol frequently intervened in the court, criticizing the Southerners (Namin faction) and framed Grand Prince Inpyeong’s sons (Princes Bokchang, Bokseon, and Bokpyeong) with the accusation of adultery with the palace maids. The reason was that she viewed them as threats to her son’s position.

However, there was no evidence to support her accusation and because of her claim, Kim Woo-myeong, the Queen Dowager’s father, ended up being the suspect of initiating the slander against the princes. Hyeonryeol took it up to herself and knelt outside her quarters, pleading for her son to prove the princes’ crime. In the end, Sukjong exiled the three princes and the Southerners mocked her as a reincarnation of Queen Munjeong because of her intervention in the politics. Kim Woo-myeong chose to confine himself in his house following the incident as he felt humiliated, and he died because of severe depression.

After hearing about Sukjong’s relationship with a palace attendant (Jang Ok-jeong), Hyeonryeol sent Jang Ok-jeong out of the palace, since she apparently believed her low status would make the woman ignorant and wicked. However, the real reason was that the woman’s family background as Southerners made the queen believe that she entered the palace to become a spy for the Southerners. She set up a ceremony to pray for her son’s recovery after Sukjong fell unconscious. Hyeonryeol was a firm believer of Shamanism and upon consulting with a shaman, decided to pray and get doused with water while wearing summer clothes despite it being winter. She was hit with a bad flu in January and died in the same month on 11 January 1684 in Changdeok Palace’s Jeoseung Hall.

Although the ministers urged for the shaman to be executed, Sukjong decided to exile her. For her posthumous title, “Myeong” was for being cautious and “Seong”  was for spreading goodness and simplicity; being posthumously honoured as Queen Myeongseong (명성왕후 明聖王后, Myeongseong Wanghu).

Family

 * Father − Kim Woo-myeong (1619–1675)
 * Mother − Internal Princess Consort Deokeun of the Eunjin Song clan (1621–1660)

Sibling(s)

 * Older brother − Kim Man-ju
 * Younger brother − Kim Seok-ik
 * Younger brother − Kim Seok-yeon (1648 – 17 August 1723)
 * Younger brother − Kim Seok-dal
 * Younger half-brother - Kim Seok-cheon
 * Younger half-sister - Lady Kim of the Cheongpung Kim clan
 * Younger half-brother - Kim Seok-gu
 * Younger half-brother - Kim Seok-je
 * Younger half-sister - Lady Kim of the Cheongpung Kim clan
 * Younger half-brother - Kim Seok-seon
 * Younger half-brother - Kim Seok-sun

Spouse

 * King Hyeonjong of Joseon (14 March 1641 – 17 September 1674)
 * Father-in-law − King Hyojong of Joseon (3 July 1619 – 23 August 1659)
 * Mother-in-law − Queen Inseon of the Deoksu Jang clan (9 February 1619 – 19 March 1674)

Issue

 * Unnamed daughter (1658–1658)
 * Daughter − Princess Myeongseon (1659 – 12 September 1673)
 * Son-in-law − Maeng Man-taek of the Sinchang Maeng clan (1660–1710)
 * Son − Yi Sun, King Sukjong (7 October 1661 – 12 January 1720)
 * Daughter-in-law − Queen Ingyeong of the Gwangsan Kim clan (25 October 1661 – 16 December 1680)
 * Daughter-in-law − Queen Inhyeon of the Yeoheung Min clan (15 May 1667 – 16 September 1701)
 * Daughter-in-law − Queen Inwon of the Gyeongju Kim clan (3 November 1687 – 13 May 1757)
 * Daughter − Princess Myeonghye (12 September 1663 – 11 June 1673)
 * Son-in-law − Shin Yo-gyeong of the Pyeongsan Shin clan
 * Daughter − Yi On-Hui, Princess Myeongan (30 January 1665 – 16 May 1687)
 * Son-in-law − Oh Tae-ju of the Haeju Oh clan (1668–1716)
 * Adoptive grandson − Oh Won (1700–1740); son of Oh Jin-ju

In popular culture

 * Portrayed by Kim Hae-sook in the 1988 MBC TV series 500 Years of Joseon:Queen In Hyun.
 * Portrayed by Kyeon Mi-ri in the 1995 SBS TV series Jang Hee Bin.
 * Portrayed by Kim Young-ae in the 2002–3 KBS2 TV series Royal Story: Jang Hui-bin.
 * Portrayed by Park Jung-soo in the 2010 MBC TV series Dong Yi.
 * Portrayed by Lee Ga-hyun in the 2012 MBC TV series The King's Doctor.
 * Portrayed by Kim Sun-kyung in the 2013 SBS TV series Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love.