Queen Munjeong facts for kids

Queen Munjeong (born December 2, 1501 – died May 5, 1565) was a powerful queen from the Papyeong Yun clan in the Joseon Kingdom. She was the third wife of King Jungjong. She served as Queen Consort from 1517 until her husband's death in 1544.

After King Jungjong passed away, she became Queen Dowager Seongryeol during the rule of her stepson, King Injong. When her own son, King Myeongjong, became king, she was honored as Grand Queen Dowager Seongryeol.

Queen Munjeong was a regent, meaning she ruled the country for her young son, King Myeongjong, from 1545 to 1553. She was a strong leader and a big supporter of Buddhism in a time when it was not very popular. She also gave land that belonged to rich nobles back to the common people. During her time as regent, her younger brother, Yun Won-hyeong, gained a lot of power. He was involved in removing political rivals during a period known as the Fourth Literati Purge of 1545.

Life of Queen Munjeong

Her Early Life

Queen Munjeong was born on December 2, 1501. Her father, Yun Ji-Im, was from the Papyeong Yun clan. Her mother was from the Jeonui Lee clan. Her family was connected to other important royal families. For example, she was a distant cousin of Queen Janggyeong, who was King Jungjong's second wife.

In 1506, King Yeonsan was removed from power. His half-brother, Jungjong, became the new king. He was put on the throne by powerful groups called the Hungu factions. These groups had a lot of influence over the new king.

Becoming Queen Consort

King Jungjong's second queen, Queen Janggyeong, passed away in 1515. The King's mother, Queen Dowager Jasun, decided to choose a new queen from her own family, the Papyeong Yun clan. This choice was supported by Yun Im, Queen Janggyeong's brother. They hoped the new queen would protect the Crown Prince.

So, Yun Ji-Im's daughter, the future Queen Munjeong, was chosen to be the new queen in 1517 when she was 17 years old.

Life as Queen Consort

After some political events in 1520, King Jungjong found it hard to rule on his own. His reign was filled with struggles between different powerful groups. These groups often had the support of the King's many wives and concubines.

Even though Queen Munjeong was the official queen, some of King Jungjong's concubines were older and had more influence. For example, Park Gyeong-bin was the mother of Prince Bokseong. Hong Hui-bin was the daughter of a powerful leader. These concubines tried to gain more power. Queen Munjeong had to work hard to protect her position and the Crown Prince.

At first, Queen Munjeong had a difficult relationship with Park Gyeong-bin. Park Gyeong-bin tried to make her own son, Prince Bokseong, the next king. Queen Munjeong also had three daughters but no son for 17 years, which worried the King.

Later, a powerful official named Kim An-ro returned from exile. He accused Park Gyeong-bin of plotting against the Crown Prince. As a result, Park Gyeong-bin and Prince Bokseong were removed from power in 1533. In 1534, Queen Munjeong finally gave birth to a son, Yi Hwan, who became Grand Prince Gyeongwon.

Kim An-ro then tried to remove Queen Munjeong because her son was seen as a threat to the Crown Prince. However, the Queen found out about his plan and convinced the King to remove Kim An-ro instead. This made her realize how important it was to have real power.

After Kim An-ro was removed in 1537, Queen Munjeong's brothers, Yun Won-ro and Yun Won-hyeong, along with Yun Im, gained influence. Many officials started to support these two powerful groups. Yun Im's group was called 'Greater Yun,' and the Yun brothers' group was called 'Lesser Yun.' Many scholars joined the Greater Yun group, hoping for good things from the Crown Prince.

Even though the Crown Prince had protected the Queen for a long time, he eventually became a political rival. The Queen felt she needed to protect her own son's future.

King Injong's Rule

King Jungjong died in 1544, and the Crown Prince became the 12th king, King Injong. Queen Munjeong was now Queen Dowager Seongryeol. She was not happy with many things but could not openly challenge Yun Im, who had a lot of power. King Injong removed Yun Won-hyeong and Yun Won-ro from their positions. However, Queen Seongryeol protected the Lesser Yun group and other officials who were against Yun Im.

Some people believed that King Injong was poisoned by Queen Seongryeol, but there is no clear proof. Stories say that Queen Seongryeol seemed to show kindness to King Injong, her stepson, just before he became ill and died after only nine months of ruling.

It is also said that after King Injong's death, Queen Seongryeol was troubled by spirits. This made her move from Gyeongbok Palace to Changdeok Palace.

Queen Munjeong's Regency

After King Injong's death in 1545, Grand Prince Gyeongwon, Queen Munjeong's son, became the 13th king, King Myeongjong. Since the King was young, Queen Seongryeol became the regent, meaning she ruled the country for him.

Her brother, Yun Won-hyeong, became very powerful again. He accused Yun Im and his supporters of trying to put another prince on the throne. This led to the Fourth Literati Purge of 1545. Many people, including Yun Im, were removed from power. Yun Won-hyeong continued to remove his rivals for several years. He even removed his older brother, Yun Won-Ro. Yun Won-hyeong became a very high-ranking official.

Despite Yun Won-hyeong's harsh rule, Queen Seongryeol was a good administrator. She continued to rule even after her son became an adult. She gave land that nobles used to own back to the common people. She was also a strong supporter of Buddhism. For a long time, the Joseon government had tried to limit Buddhism. Buddhist monks were treated poorly and were not allowed in the capital city. Queen Munjeong lifted these rules and helped Buddhism become popular again.

Buddhist Artworks

Queen Munjeong ordered 400 Buddhist artworks to celebrate the opening of Hoeam Temple. This project started in 1563 and finished two years later.

This huge project included 100 scrolls for each of four main groups of Buddhas:

• The Historical Buddha
• The Buddha of the Western Paradise
• The Buddha of the Future
• The Medicine Buddha

Out of the 400 artworks, only 6 are still around today. One important painting from the Historical Buddha group, made in 1565, is now in New York. Another painting from the Medicine Buddha group is at the National Museum of Korea. Four other paintings are in Japan.

Buddhist Temples

Buddhist temples also showed Queen Seongryeol's strong support for Buddhism. The Bongeun-sa Temple was a very important center for Zen Buddhism.

Bongeun-sa was first built in 794. It was rebuilt in 1498 with help from Queen Jeonghyeon. In 1562, it was moved and rebuilt again. The temple faced destruction many times but was always rebuilt.

Before Queen Munjeong, Buddhism was not supported by the government. But with her strong help, Bongeun-sa was rebuilt and became a key place for the revival of Buddhism in early Joseon. A monk named Ven. Bo-woo played a big role. He restarted a system for training and choosing monks. In 1551, Bongeun-sa became the main temple for a major Buddhist order. This training system produced many famous monks. However, after Queen Seongryeol died, Ven. Bo-woo was killed by officials who were against Buddhism.

Death of Queen Munjeong

Grand Queen Dowager Seongryeol died in 1565 during her son's reign. She had wanted to be buried with her husband at Jeongneung. However, that area was prone to flooding. So, she was buried instead at the Taeneung Royal Tomb. She was given the posthumous name Queen Munjeong.

After her death, her brother, Yun Won-hyeong, lost all his political power and was sent away from the capital city.

Queen Munjeong is remembered as one of the most political, brave, and open-minded queens in Joseon Dynasty history. She is often compared to Queen Wongyeong, Queen Myeongseong, and Empress Myeongseong.

Family

Parents

• Father: Yun Ji-Im (1475 – 1534)
• Mother: Internal Princess Consort Jeonseong of the Jeonui Lee clan (1475 – 1511)

Husband

• Yi Yeok, King Jungjong (1488 – 1544)

Children

• Daughter: Princess Uihye (1521 – 1564)
• Daughter: Princess Hyosun (1522 – 1538)
• Unnamed child (1528)
• Daughter: Princess Gyeonghyeon (1530 – 1584)
• Son: Yi Hwan, King Myeongjong (1534 – 1567)
• Daughter: Princess Insun (1542 – 1545)

Images for kids

• 

  King Myeongjong, Queen Munjeong's son.

See also

• Jungjong of Joseon
• Myeongjong of Joseon
• Yun Won-hyeong – Munjeong's younger brother
• Korean Buddhism
• Queen Jeonghui – Munjeong's ancestor through her father
• Queen Janggyeong – Munjeong's relative