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Sunjo of Joseon
朝鮮純祖
조선 순조
순조어진.jpg
King of Joseon
Reign 1800–1834
Predecessor Jeongjo of Joseon
Successor Heonjong of Joseon
Born (1790-07-29)29 July 1790
Died 13 December 1834(1834-12-13) (aged 44)
Burial Illeung, Seoul, Korea
Spouse Queen Sunwon
Issue Crown Prince Hyomyeong
An unknown Prince
Princess Myeongon
Princess Bokon
Princess Deokon
Princess Yeongon
House House of Yi
Father King Jeongjo of Joseon
Mother Royal Noble Consort Su
Signature 조선 순조의 수결.jpg
Sunjo of Joseon
Hangul
순조
Hanja
純祖
Revised Romanization Sunjo
McCune–Reischauer Sunjo
Birth name
Hangul
이공
Hanja
李玜
Revised Romanization I Gong
McCune–Reischauer Ri Kong

Sunjo of Joseon (born Yi Gong) was the 23rd king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. He ruled from 1800 to 1834. Born on July 29, 1790, he was the second son of King Jeongjo and Lady Subin, one of King Jeongjo's royal consorts.

Becoming King

Sunjo became king in 1800 when he was just 10 years old, after his father, King Jeongjo, passed away. Because he was so young, his step-grandmother, Queen Jeongsun, acted as the queen regent. This meant she held the main power in running the country.

Early Reign and Challenges

In 1802, King Sunjo married Lady Kim from the Andong Kim family. She later became known as Queen Sunwon.

Even though King Sunjo tried to improve how the government worked, there were many problems. The way people were chosen for government jobs became unfair, and there was a lot of corruption. This led to unrest among the people.

Social Unrest and Reforms

Many riots broke out across the country. One famous uprising was led by Hong Gyeong-nae between 1811 and 1812. During Sunjo's reign, a new system called the Ogajaktongbeop was put in place. This system grouped five houses together for census records. Also, people who followed Roman Catholicism faced difficult times during this period.

Later Life and Burial

King Sunjo ruled for 35 years. He passed away in 1834 at the age of 44. He was first buried near Paju, but his tomb was later moved to Illeung in Seoul. This move happened because people believed the original burial site did not have good Feng Shui, which is a traditional belief about how the placement of things affects luck and energy.

Royal Family

King Sunjo's family was an important part of his life and reign.

Parents and Grandparents

  • Father: King Jeongjo of Joseon (1752 – 1800)
    • Grandfather: King Jangjo of Joseon (1735 – 1762)
    • Grandmother: Queen Heongyeong of the Pungsan Hong clan (1735 – 1816)
  • Mother: Royal Noble Consort Su of the Bannam Park clan (1770 – 1822)
    • Grandfather: Park Jun-won (1739 – 1807)
    • Grandmother: Lady Won of the Wonju Won clan (1740 – 1783)

Spouses and Children

King Sunjo had children with two royal consorts.

  • Queen Sunwon of the Andong Kim clan (1789 – 1857)
    • Yi Yeong, Crown Prince Hyomyeong (1809 – 1830) – Sunjo's first son.
    • Princess Myeongon (1810 – 1832) – Sunjo's first daughter.
    • Princess Bokon (1818 – 1832) – Sunjo's third daughter.
    • An unnamed second son (1820 – 1820).
    • Princess Deokon (1822 – 1844) – Sunjo's fourth daughter.
    • Yi Byeon, Prince Deokwan (1831–1863) – This was an adopted son.
  • Royal Consort Sug-ui of the Miryang Park clan (died 1854)
    • Princess Yeongon (1817 – 1829) – Sunjo's second daughter.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sunjo para niños

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