Queen Heonae facts for kids

Queen Heonae (born 964, died 1029) was an important royal figure in the Goryeo Kingdom of Korea. She was also known as Queen Mother Cheonchu. She became a queen by marrying King Gyeongjong, who was her cousin. After her husband passed away, she became a powerful regent, ruling for her young son, King Mokjong, from 997 to 1009.

Biography of Queen Heonae

Early Life and Family Background

Queen Heonae was born in 964. Her father was Wang Uk, and her mother was Lady Ryu. She was the second daughter and had three brothers and a younger sister. One of her brothers later became King Seongjong. Her younger sister became the mother of King Hyeonjong, who would rule Goryeo later.

Sadly, Heonae's parents died when she was young. She and her brothers and sister were raised by their grandmother, Queen Sinjeong. Heonae and her younger sister took their grandmother's family name, Hwangbo, from the Hwangju area. Not much else is known about her early life.

Marriage and Becoming Queen

Queen Heonae and her younger sister joined the palace of King Gyeongjong soon after he became king. Heonae became his third queen. King Gyeongjong was very happy when she became pregnant because he didn't have any children from his other queens. Having an heir was very important for the kingdom.

Heonae gave birth to their first son, named Wang Song. This made the king even more delighted.

In 981, King Gyeongjong passed away. Heonae's second older brother, Wang Chi, became the new king. This happened because Heonae's son, Wang Song, was only two years old and too young to rule. After this, Queen Heonae left the palace for a while.

King Seongjong wanted to make Confucianism the main way of life in the kingdom. He believed in strong moral values, including purity for his sisters. Since King Seongjong did not have any sons, he decided that his nephew, Wang Song (Heonae's son), would be the next king. He brought Wang Song to the palace and raised him as his own son.

Wang Song became king in 997 after his uncle, King Seongjong, died. He chose his mother, Queen Heonae, to rule as his regent. A regent is someone who rules for a king or queen who is too young or unable to rule themselves. Queen Heonae lived in a special building called Cheonchu Hall, which was part of Cheonchu Palace. This is why she became known as Queen Mother Cheonchu.

Queen Heonae's Time as Regent

As the Queen Mother and regent, Heonae had a lot of power. She brought a man named Gim Chi-yang to the palace and gave him important government jobs. With her support, Gim Chi-yang quickly gained more power. He became in charge of the kingdom's money and choosing government officials. This gave him huge influence.

Gim Chi-yang also favored his hometown, Seogyeong. He built many new buildings and temples there, like the Seongsu Temple.

Around 1003, Queen Heonae and Gim Chi-yang had a son together. Gim Chi-yang then started to plan for their son to become the next king, instead of King Mokjong. Because of this, the Queen Mother and Gim Chi-yang tried many times to stop her nephew, Wang Sun, from becoming king. Wang Sun was a possible heir and stood in their way.

Wang Sun was the son of the Goryeo founder. He was protected by King Seongjong when Seongjong was alive. However, Wang Sun's life became more difficult after King Seongjong died. Even after King Mokjong grew up, Queen Heonae still held great power as regent, along with Gim Chi-yang. It is believed that the Queen Mother forced Wang Sun to become a monk and tried to remove him from the royal family's succession.

One day, Gim Chi-yang burned down Manwoldae, a royal palace. He also threatened the King and tried to take over. King Mokjong called General Gang Jo to the capital city. General Gang Jo quickly arrested Gim Chi-yang and his supporters.

However, some officials who did not like General Gang Jo spread false rumors. They said the general was planning to take over the government himself. These rumors reached King Mokjong, who then planned to remove General Gang Jo. When General Gang Jo heard about the king's doubts, he ordered his army to attack.

Later Life and Passing

General Gang Jo led a coup, which means he took power by force. He removed King Mokjong from the throne and placed Wang Sun as the new king. Queen Heonae and King Mokjong were sent away from the capital. Sadly, King Mokjong passed away on his way to his detention site.

After these events, Queen Heonae lost all her political power in 1009. General Gang Jo and his allies made her nephew, Wang Sun, the new King of Goryeo.

Soon after, Queen Heonae was allowed to return from exile. She lived in Hwangju for 21 years. In 1029, when King Hyeonjong had been ruling for 20 years, she returned to the royal palace. She passed away at the age of 66 in her chamber at Sungdeok Palace in Gaegyeong. There is also a theory that she died in Myeongbok Palace in Hwangju and did not return to the capital. She was buried in a tomb called Yureung.

See also

In Spanish: Heonae para niños