Princess Hyohye

Princess Hyohye
효혜공주
Princess Hyohye; 효혜공주
Princess of Joseon
Born	Yi Ok-ha; 13 June 1511; Joseon
Died	6 May 1531 (aged 19); Joseon
Spouse	Kim Hui, Prince Consort Yeonseong (m. 1521⁠–⁠1531)
Issue	Lady Kim Seon-ok of the Yeonan Kim clan
House	Jeonju Yi clan (By birth); Yeonan Kim clan (By marriage)
Father	Jungjong of Joseon
Mother	Queen Janggyeong of the Papyeong Yun clan

Princess Hyohye (Korean: 효혜공주; Hanja: 孝惠公主; RR: Hyohye Gongju; 13 June 1511 – 6 May 1531), born Yi Ok-ha (이옥하; 李玉荷),^[1] was a Joseon Dynasty princess as the daughter of King Jungjong and Queen Janggyeong.^[2] She was the older sister of Injong of Joseon.

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Yi Ok-ha was born on 13 June 1511, as the eldest child and only daughter of King Jungjong and Queen Janggyeong. It was said that she was affectionately doted on by her father.

At the age of 4, she lost her mother to postpartum sickness after the birth of her younger brother, Crown Prince Yi Ho, on March 10, 1515. After her mother’s death, the Princess was raised by her maternal aunt, Princess Consort Paepyeong, wife of Yi Yi, Prince Deokpung, and by Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Uiryeong Nam clan, one of King Seongjong's concubines.^[3] But before Queen Janggyeong died, she entrusted her sister, Princess Consort Paepyeong, Princess Hyohye’s property. Saying that once the young princess became an adult, the princess consort should give it to her daughter.

In 1517, her father remarried, and Queen Munjeong became her step-mother. She had five younger half-siblings, which included the future King Myeongjong.

When her aunt Princess Consort Paepyeong was on her deathbed, she distributed some of Princess Hyohye’s property to her own son, Yi Yi, Prince Gyerim, and the rest to the princess. But the princess was dissatisfied with the distribution of her inherited property, and later complained to Queen Munjeong. This prompted Queen Munjeong to summon Prince Gyerim and rebuked him.

Prince Gyerim was hated by Queen Munjeong and was eventually executed in 1545 for being involved in Eulsasahwa.

Marriage[edit]

On December 14, 1520, there was a selection for the husband of the Princess (buma gantaek; 부마 간택; Prince Consort selection), and Kim Hui, son of Kim Ahn-ro, from the Yeonan Kim clan was selected and was later honoured as Prince Consort Yeonseong (연성위; 延城尉). They were married in November 1521.^[4]

Later life[edit]

In 1528, when she was 17 years old, she suffered from dysentery and was concerned about this and focused on getting treatment.^[5]

On May 6, 1531, at the age of 19, Princess Hyohye gave birth to a daughter, named Kim Seon-ok, but she died not long after due to her postpartum illness. Her husband also died later that same year. It is said that the country was in silence for three days after hearing the news of the Princess’ death. It is unknown as to who took care or what happened to the orphaned daughter of the Princess after the couple died.

She is buried on a hill left from Grand Prince Wolsan’s tomb, in Goyang, South Korea.

Aftermath[edit]

Her younger brother, King Injong, died of unknown causes, after ruling for 9 months.

In an unofficial chronicle it is said that when Injong went to pay his morning respects, Queen Munjeong's face started radiating with a smile only a mother could give to her child. Injong took it as a sign that the Queen Dowager was finally acknowledging him as the King, and in particular as her own son. He ate the ddeok that his step-mother gave him, not knowing that it would be the beginning of the end. He fell ill slowly, not enough to create any suspicion, but quickly enough that historians would later pick up on the event.

The daughter of the Princess, Kim Seon-ok, eventually married Yun Baek-won, the son of Yun Won-ro and nephew of Queen Munjeong. They had one daughter, Yun Gae-mi-chi, in 1555.

During Myeongjong’s reign, Yun Baek-won joined Yi Ryang's faction and was later exiled after trying to get rid of the Sarim faction. However in 1565, Queen Munjeong ordered him to move to a nearby location, Geun-do, because he was Princess Hyohye's only son-in-law.^[6]

In 1589, Yun Baek-won died mysteriously during a meal with his daughter, his illegitimate son Yun Deok-yeong (윤덕경; 1558–?), and concubine. Both siblings suspected each other of poisoning their father, but Yun Deok-yeong suddenly died after the meal as well.

This brought Yun Gae-mi-chi and her father’s concubine, Bok-yi, to be interrogated but both soon died during the questioning due to the suspected poisoned meal they had.

Thirteen years later in 1602, Lady Yun’s eldest son, Yi Sun (이순; 1576–1654), appealed to the government over his mother’s death saying that it was an unfair one. It was later revealed that Yun Baek-won’s brother, Yun Jo-won, was the culprit behind the poisoning of their father, and put the unexplained blame onto his children. It’s states that he had poisoned his brother due to the property he inherited as a Royal in-law and because Yun Baek-won was the head of the Papyeong Yun clan at the time. Thus wanting to inherit everything as he was next in line.^[a]

Family[edit]

Father - Yi Yeok, Jungjong of Joseon (조선 중종왕; 25 April 1488 – 9 December 1544)
- Grandfather - Yi Hyeol, Seongjong of Joseon (조선 성종왕; 20 August 1457 – 20 January 1494)
- Grandmother - Yun Chang-yeon, Queen Jeonghyeon of the Papyeong Yun clan (정현왕후 윤씨; 21 July 1462 – 13 September 1530)
Mother - Yun Myeong-hye, Queen Janggyeong of the Papyeong Yun clan (장경왕후 윤씨; 19 August 1491 – 26 March 1515)
- Grandfather - Yun Yeo-pil, Internal Prince Pawon (윤여필 파원부원군; 1466–1555)
- Grandmother - Internal Princess Consort Suncheon of the Suncheon Park clan (순천부부인 순천 박씨; 1470–1498)

Sibling

Younger brother - Yi Ho, Injong of Joseon (20 March 1515 – 17 August 1545)
Husband - Kim Hui, Prince Consort Yeonseong (김희 연성위; 金禧延城尉; 1508–1531)
Issue
- Daughter - Kim Seon-ok (김선옥; 金善玉), Lady Kim of the Yeonan Kim clan (연안 김씨; 延安金氏; 6 May 1531–?)
  - Son-in-law - Yun Baek-won (윤백원, 尹百源; 1528–1589)
    - Granddaughter - Yun Gae-mi-chi (윤개미치), Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평 윤씨; 1555–1589)

Notes[edit]

^ The Joseon Dynasty seen as a murder case... who is the real murderer? In 1589, Yun Won-baek, a royal relative, died instantly while eating coix porridge and boiled beef. Lady Kim’s daughter, Gaemichi, claimed that the beef sent by the concubine's son, Yun Deok-gyeong, was poisoned, and Yun Deok-gyeong claimed that the coix seed porridge sent by Gaemichi was poisoned and later died. However, the color of the silver hairpin that was placed in her mouth and throat to determine whether she had been poisoned did not change, and the investigators were unable to determine the specific cause and had no choice but to make an ambiguous judgment that she 'died in an unusual manner.' On the day of the incident, Yun Baek-won died instantly after eating beef and coix coix while chatting in the guest room. The royal son-in-law vomited severely after eating a couple of spoonfuls and was revived a few days later, so it was clear that he had been poisoned. Gaemichi, who was the only great-grandchild of the royal family, fought with her father for possession of her mother's property when her mother died. After becoming a widow, a scandal broke out and the relationship between father and daughter was estranged, so people around him were suspicious of Gaemichi, but she was singled out as a suspect. Gaemichi and Yun Baek-won’s concubine Bok-yi, the mother of Yun Deok-gyeong, both died after being poisoned during interrogation. This incident was reinvestigated 13 years later, when Gaemichi's son Yi Sun complained due to resentment, and it was revealed that the murder of Yun Baek-won was his younger brother, Yun Jo-won. In Joseon society, where the concubine system was common, when the head of the family died, the battle for property between descendants was fierce. When the enemy clan was less numerous or weaker than the concubine clan, a group power struggle sometimes took place, and Gaemichi also ended up being sacrificed in this process. ‘Joseon in a Labyrinth – Who is the Real Murderer?’ (published by Geuljar) is a book written by Yoo Seung-hee, an assistant professor at the Humanities Research Institute of the University of Seoul, who has been studying crimes during the Joseon Dynasty for over 10 years. An incident that clearly shows choosing and closing it up. It covers in detail the 14 murder cases, including revenge murders, child injury and murder crimes, murders due to graves and shaman feng shui, and drunken battery murders, as well as the historical background, criminal intent, methods, and examination methods, and the social conflicts at the time hidden behind the cases. Point out the pattern. The author said, "Unlike other crimes, the social impact of murder crimes had a large social repercussion, and when we analyze the causes, unlike misdemeanors, we can easily identify the social characteristics and contradictions of the time."

References[edit]

^ 《선원록》권45 - 중종대왕친록에 이름이 기록되어 있음.
^ "조선왕조실록". Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty (in Korean). Retrieved August 9, 2021.
^ 《국조기사》ㆍ《유분록》
^ "조선왕조실록". Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty (in Korean). Retrieved August 9, 2021.
^ 《중종실록》 23년(1528) 9월 23일 3번째 기사
^ 《명종실록》 31권, 명종 20년(1565년 명 가정(嘉靖) 44년) 4월 6일 (임신)

[7] The Joseon Dynasty seen as a murder case... who is the real murderer? In 1589, Yun Won-baek, a royal relative, died instantly while eating coix porridge and boiled beef. Lady Kim’s daughter, Gaemichi, claimed that the beef sent by the concubine's son, Yun Deok-gyeong, was poisoned, and Yun Deok-gyeong claimed that the coix seed porridge sent by Gaemichi was poisoned and later died. However, the color of the silver hairpin that was placed in her mouth and throat to determine whether she had been poisoned did not change, and the investigators were unable to determine the specific cause and had no choice but to make an ambiguous judgment that she 'died in an unusual manner.' On the day of the incident, Yun Baek-won died instantly after eating beef and coix coix while chatting in the guest room. The royal son-in-law vomited severely after eating a couple of spoonfuls and was revived a few days later, so it was clear that he had been poisoned. Gaemichi, who was the only great-grandchild of the royal family, fought with her father for possession of her mother's property when her mother died. After becoming a widow, a scandal broke out and the relationship between father and daughter was estranged, so people around him were suspicious of Gaemichi, but she was singled out as a suspect. Gaemichi and Yun Baek-won’s concubine Bok-yi, the mother of Yun Deok-gyeong, both died after being poisoned during interrogation. This incident was reinvestigated 13 years later, when Gaemichi's son Yi Sun complained due to resentment, and it was revealed that the murder of Yun Baek-won was his younger brother, Yun Jo-won. In Joseon society, where the concubine system was common, when the head of the family died, the battle for property between descendants was fierce. When the enemy clan was less numerous or weaker than the concubine clan, a group power struggle sometimes took place, and Gaemichi also ended up being sacrificed in this process. ‘Joseon in a Labyrinth – Who is the Real Murderer?’ (published by Geuljar) is a book written by Yoo Seung-hee, an assistant professor at the Humanities Research Institute of the University of Seoul, who has been studying crimes during the Joseon Dynasty for over 10 years. An incident that clearly shows choosing and closing it up. It covers in detail the 14 murder cases, including revenge murders, child injury and murder crimes, murders due to graves and shaman feng shui, and drunken battery murders, as well as the historical background, criminal intent, methods, and examination methods, and the social conflicts at the time hidden behind the cases. Point out the pattern. The author said, "Unlike other crimes, the social impact of murder crimes had a large social repercussion, and when we analyze the causes, unlike misdemeanors, we can easily identify the social characteristics and contradictions of the time."

[1] 《선원록》권45 - 중종대왕친록에 이름이 기록되어 있음.

[2] "조선왕조실록". Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty (in Korean). Retrieved August 9, 2021.

[3] 《국조기사》ㆍ《유분록》

[4] "조선왕조실록". Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty (in Korean). Retrieved August 9, 2021.

[5] 《중종실록》 23년(1528) 9월 23일 3번째 기사

[6] 《명종실록》 31권, 명종 20년(1565년 명 가정(嘉靖) 44년) 4월 6일 (임신)

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