Heungseon Daewongun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yi Ha-eung 이하응
Photograph by Homer Hulbert
Grand Internal Prince of Joseon
Predecessor	Grand Internal Prince Jeongye
Successor	Title abolished
Regent of Joseon
Regency	21 January 1864 – 31 October 1873 with Queen Sinjeong
Predecessor	Cheoljong of Joseon
Successor	Queen Myeongseong
Born	21 December 1820 Hanseong, Korea
Died	22 February 1898 (1898-02-23) (aged 77) Seongjeosibli, Korea
Spouse	Grand Internal Princess Consort Sunmok
Issue	Prince Imperial Heungchin Emperor Gojong of Korea Prince Imperial Waneun (illegitimate)
Dynasty	House of Yi
Father	Yi Gu, Prince Namyeon
Mother	Princess Consort Min

Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 興宣大院君, 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898) was a very important political figure in Joseon (old Korea). His real name was Yi Ha-eung. He is best known as the Daewongun, which means "Grand Internal Prince". This title was given to the father of a king who didn't rule himself.

Heungseon Daewongun became the regent (a person who rules for a young king) when his son, Emperor Gojong, became king at a young age in the 1860s. He tried to make many changes to Joseon and also kept a strict policy of keeping Korea isolated from other countries.

Biography

Early Life and Challenges

Yi Ha-eung was born in 1820. He was the fourth son of Prince Namyeon. He was a descendant of King Injo.

Heungseon Daewongun was very smart and studied Confucianism and classic Chinese texts. He was also good at calligraphy (fancy writing) and painting. Even though he was part of the royal family, he didn't have much power early in his life. The powerful Andong Kim clan controlled most of the government, which made it hard for him to get important jobs. He was often poor and had to sell his paintings to make money.

Rise to Power

Heungseon Daewongun became powerful when his second son, Yi Myeong-bok, was chosen to be the new king.

In January 1864, King Cheoljong died without a son to take his place. The decision of who would be the next king was up to three royal women, especially Queen Sinjeong, who was the oldest.

Yi Myeong-bok, who was only eleven years old, was chosen to be the new king. On January 21, he became King Gojong. Because Gojong was so young, his father, Yi Ha-eung, was given the special title of Daewongun and became the regent. This meant he would rule the country for his son.

Queen Sinjeong officially remained the regent, but the Daewongun was the one who truly made all the decisions and ran the country.

Later, King Gojong needed to get married. The Daewongun chose a girl from the Min family, Lady Min. He noticed she was very strong-willed. He didn't know then that she would become his biggest political rival.

Important Reforms

Grand Internal Prince Heungseon as Regent

During his time as regent, the Daewongun tried to make many changes. His main goal was to reduce the power of the old noble families who had taken too much control from the kings.

When he took power in 1864, he wanted to make the government stronger and fairer. He fought against corruption, made rules for the royal family, and even taxed the rich noble class called the yangban. He wanted to bring back the strong rule of kings like Sejong the Great from earlier times.

One of his most famous projects was rebuilding Gyeongbok Palace. This palace was first built by the first Joseon king but was mostly destroyed by fire and during a Japanese invasion. The rebuilding took over seven years and was very expensive. He also managed to weaken the power of the Andong Kim clan, giving more authority back to the royal family.

However, many of his reforms didn't last long. When King Gojong became old enough to rule on his own in 1874, he made the Daewongun step back from power and changed many of his policies.

Foreign Policy: Isolation

The Daewongun had a very clear foreign policy: he wanted Joseon to stay isolated from almost all other countries, except China. He believed this would protect Korea's traditions and way of life.

He refused to make treaties or trade with Western countries. He also had strict rules against foreign religions like Christianity and tried to keep foreigners out of Korea. For example, he was involved in the General Sherman incident where an American ship was destroyed. His policy became even stricter after a German merchant tried to dig up his father's grave in 1868 to force trade, and after an American attack on Gwanghwado in 1871.

This isolation policy helped strengthen Korean pride and protect Confucian traditions. It kept Joseon from being influenced by Western ideas and changes. However, it also meant that Korea couldn't trade much or develop new industries like other countries were doing. The Daewongun wanted to protect the traditional social classes, especially the noble yangban, which he feared would collapse if Western ideas and trade were allowed.

Many people debate whether this isolation policy was good or bad. Some say it delayed Korea's progress and might have led to later problems, like the Japanese rule of Korea. Others argue that it was a necessary step to protect Korea's unique culture at the time.

Retirement and Return

In 1874, King Gojong was old enough to rule by himself. His wife, Queen Min, encouraged him to take full control, which meant the Daewongun had to retire from politics.

The Daewongun briefly returned to power during the Imo Incident in 1882. This was a mutiny (rebellion) by some soldiers. King Gojong asked his father to help calm the situation. The Daewongun took charge of the government again.

However, both Japanese and Chinese forces came to Korea because of the rebellion. A Chinese diplomat decided the Daewongun should be removed. He was arrested and taken to China, accused of taking too much power.

Return to Korea

In 1885, the Chinese sent the Daewongun back to Korea, even though Queen Min and her supporters didn't want him back. He was unhappy when Queen Min signed a treaty with Russia. He even tried to help his grandson, Yi Jun-yong, to overthrow King Gojong.

Gabo Reform

In 1894, Japan was becoming very powerful in Korea. They wanted a leader in Korea who would work with them during the Gabo Reform, which aimed to modernize Korea. They asked the Daewongun to help. He agreed, and Japanese soldiers freed him from house arrest. He promised Japan that if the reforms worked, Japan would not take any Korean land. He then went to the palace and told King Gojong that he was taking over again.

However, the Japanese soon realized that the Daewongun was more interested in gaining power and removing his enemies than in real reforms. By late 1894, Japan decided they couldn't trust him. A new Japanese official told the Daewongun to stop interfering in political matters.

Involvement in Queen Min's Death

In 1895, Japanese officials in Korea were planning to remove King Gojong's wife, Queen Min. They decided to involve the Daewongun in their plan because they knew he was angry enough to help. On October 8, 1895, Japanese agents went to the palace. The Daewongun was involved in these events, and sadly, Queen Min died that morning.

Death

The Daewongun passed away in 1898, a little over a year after Korea became the Korean Empire.

Family

• Father: Yi Gu, Prince Namyeon (1788 – 1836)
  • Grandfather: Yi Byeong-won (1752 – 1822)
    • Adoptive Grandfather: Yi Jin, Prince Eunsin (1755 – 1771)
  • Grandmother: Lady Jeong of the Yeonil Jeong clan
    • Adoptive Grandmother: Lady Hong of the Namyang Hong clan (1755 – 1821)
• Mother: Princess Consort Min of the Yeoheung Min clan (1788 – 1831)
  • Grandfather: Min Gyeong-hyeok (1746–1815)
  • Grandmother: Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan
• Consorts and their Children:

1. Grand Internal Princess Consort Sunmok of the Yeoheung Min clan (1818 – 1898)
   1. Lady Yi (1838 – 1869)
   2. Yi Jae-myeon, Prince Imperial Heungchin (1845 – 1912)
   3. Emperor Gojong of Korea (1852 – 1919)
   4. Lady Yi (1861 – 1899)
2. Gye Seong-wol
   1. Yi Jae-seon, Prince Waneun (1842 – 1881)
   2. Lady Yi (1855 – 1869)
3. Kisaeng Chuseon (? – 1885)
4. Lady Seo (? – 1914)
5. Jin Chae-seon (1842 – ?)

See also

• History of Korea
• List of monarchs of Korea