Queen Ansun

Queen Ansun (12 March 1445 – 3 February 1499), of the Cheongju Han clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Yi Hwang, King Yejong, the 8th Joseon monarch.[2][A 1] She was Queen consort of Joseon from 1468 her husband's death in 1469, after which she was honoured as Queen Dowager Inhye (인혜왕대비) and later Grand Queen Dowager Myeongui (명의대왕대비).

Queen Ansun 안순왕후
Grand Queen dowager of Joseon
Tenure	1494 – 1498
Queen dowager of Joseon
Tenure	1469 – 1494
Queen consort of Joseon
Tenure	1468 – 1469
Born	1445
Died	3 February 1499 Jagyeong Hall, Gyeongbok Palace, Joseon
Burial	Goyang, Changreung[1]
Spouse	Yi Hwang, King Yejong
Issue	Yi Hyeol, King Seongjong (adopted) Princess Hyeonsuk Yi Hyeon, Grand Prince Jean Princess Hyesun
Posthumous name 인혜명의소휘제숙안순왕후 仁惠明懿昭徽齊淑安順王后
House	Cheongju Han
Father	Han Baek-ryun
Mother	Lady Seoha of the Pungcheon Im clan

Queen Ansun
Hangul	안순
Hanja	安順
Revised Romanization	Ansun
McCune–Reischauer	Ansun

Life

Lady Han’s exact birth date is unknown but she was born into the Cheongju Han clan in 1445 to Han Baek-ryun and his wife, Lady Im of the Pungcheon Im clan as their 5th child of their 7 children.

After the Crown Princess consort died in 1461, Lady Han, who was also born in the same year as her, was chosen to become Sohun, junior 5th rank concubine of the Crown Prince, in 1463. Although she was not an primary consort of the Crown Prince, she received treatment just like one. She gave birth to two daughter and two sons, but only one prince and one princess survived through childhood, one of them being royal grandson Grand Prince Jean. The Crown Prince took over the throne and became the 8th Joseon monarch (temple name: Yejong) after Sejo’s abdication due to his illness, but Sohun was the one nominated by the former king to become the queen consort. Since she was almost due at that time, guards were sent to her maternal home to guide the future queen.

Her years as queen consort was short as Yejong died 13 months after his ascension to the throne and to make the situation worse, her son, Grand Prince Jean was deemed too young to be invested as the next king. Hence, her mother-in-law Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong and Han Myeong-Hoe, the Prime Minister at that time, chose Prince Jasan, Han Myeong-Hoe’s son-in-law and her nephew, to become her husband’s successor. Since she was the former king’s wife, she was legally the mother of the new king, Yi Hyeol (temple name: Seongjong), and received the title Queen Dowager Inhye (인혜 왕대비).

Conflicts happened when the King’s deceased father, Crown Prince Uigyeong, was posthumously declared as king and made his widow (Crown Princess Consort Su, the King's mother) as queen dowager with honorary name Insu, so there was a need to determine the rank between Inhye and Insu. Jaseong, as grand queen dowager and the most senior elder in the royal family, solved this problem with her statement that Insu entrusted with the task of protecting Yejong by the late King Sejo, implying her seniority above both the late Yejong and Inhye. Thus, it would be more appropriate to place Insu above Inhye.

Queen consort of the King died in 1474 at the age 17 and posthumously honoured as Queen Gonghye. The Ksitigarbha Pranidahana Sutra (The Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva) was commissioned by the three queens dowager through the Royal Treasury Agency. This Sutra is now considered an important artifact for the study of printing and Buddhism during the Joseon Dynasty.[2] Jaseong died in 1483 and posthumously honoured as Queen Jeonghui, made Inhye became the most senior elder royal family's member after Insu.

After Seongjong's death in 1494, Inhye honoured as Grand Queen Dowager Myeongui. She died when she was 53 years old during the reign of her grandnephew, Yeonsangun, and posthumously known as Queen Ansun (안순왕후).

Family

Parent

• Father − Han Baek-Ryun (1427 – 1474) (한백륜)
  • a) Grandfather − Han Chang (1411 – 1451) (한창)
    • b) Great-Grandfather − Han Gye-bok (한계복, 韓季復)
  • a) Grandmother − Lady of the Jeonui Lee clan (전의 이씨)
• Uncle: Han Suk-ryun (한숙륜, 韓叔倫)

• Mother − Lady Seoha of the Pungcheon Im clan (서하부부인 풍천 임씨, 西河府夫人 豊川 任氏) (? - 1472)
  • Grandfather − Im Yu (임유, 任柔)

Sibling

• Older brother − Han Hwan (한환, 韓懽). Wife: Lady Jo (조씨)
• Older brother − Han Yeol (한열, 韓悅). Wife: Lady Yi of the Yeoju Yi clan (여주 이씨)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-seok (한경석, 韓慶錫)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-rok (한경록, 韓慶綠)
• Older brother − Han Hang (한항, 韓恒). Wife: Lady Hwang of the Changwon Hwang clan (창원 황씨)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-seo (한경서, 韓慶瑞)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-woon (한경운, 韓慶雲); adopted by Han Hwan
• Older brother − Han Sun (한순, 韓恂). Wife: Lady Jo Pyeongyang Jo clan (평양 조씨)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-hun (한경훈, 韓慶勳)
• Younger sister − Princess Consort Cheonan of the Cheongju Han clan (천안군부인 청주 한씨). Husband: Yi Jun, Prince Gwiseong (귀성군 이준, 龜城君 李浚) (20 January 1441 - 3 February 1499)
  • Adoptive nephew − Yi Jaeng, Prince Hoewon (회원군 이쟁, 會原君 李崢)
• Younger sister − Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan (정부인 청주 한씨, 貞夫人 淸州 韓氏). Husband: Shin Soo-yeong (신수영, 愼守英) (? - 2 September 1506)[3]
  • Nephew − Shin Hong-jae (신홍제, 愼弘濟)
  • Nephew − Shin Hong-yu (신홍유, 愼弘猷)

Consort

• Yi Hwang, King Yejong (14 January 1450 – 31 December 1469) (조선 예종)
  • Father-in-law − Yi Yu, King Sejo (세조, 世祖) (2 November 1417 - 23 September 1468)
  • Mother-in-law − Queen Jeonghui of the Papyeong Yun clan (정희왕후 윤씨, 貞熹王后 尹氏) (8 December 1418 - 6 May 1483)

Issue

• Yi Hyeon, Grand Prince Jean (13 February 1466 – 14 December 1525) (이현 제안대군).[A 2] Wives: a) Princess Consort Sangsan of the Sangju Kim clan (상산부부인 상주 김씨) b) Daughter-in-law: Princess Consort Seungpyeong of the Suncheon Park clan (승평부부인 순천 박씨)[4]
  • Adoptive grandson − Yi Pa (이파, 李葩) (13 January 1515 - 15 September 1571)
• Princess Hyeonsuk (1464 – May 1502) (현숙공주).[A 3] Husband: Im Gwang-Jae (? – 1495)(임광재).
• Princess Hyesun (September 1468 – 5 August 1469) (혜순공주)

Titles

• 1445 - 1463: Lady Han, daughter of Han Baek-ryun, of the Cheongju Han clan
• 1463 - 1468: Sohun (소훈), junior 5th rank concubine of the Crown Prince
• 1468 - 31 December 1469: The Queen Consort (왕비)
• 31 December 1469 - 1494: Queen Dowager Inhye (인혜왕대비)
• 1494 - 3 February 1498: Grand Queen Dowager Myeongui (명의대왕대비)
• Posthumous Title: Queen Ansun (안순왕후, 安順王后)

Popular culture

• Portrayed by Lee Inhye and Kim Eun-ju in the 1994 KBS2 TV series Han Myeong-hoe
• Portrayed by Choi Eun Sook in the 1995 KBS2 TV series Jang Nok Soo.
• Portrayed by Gyeong In-seon in the 1998-2000 KBS TV series King and Queen.
• Portrayed by Lee Jae-in in the SBS 2007-2008 TV series The King and I
• Portrayed by Lee Yeon-doo and Kim Won-hee in the 2011-2012 JTBC TV series Insu, The Queen Mother.

Notes

1. Daughter of Han Baek-Ryun (한백륜), Lord Yang-Hye (양혜공), Internal Prince Cheongcheon (청천부원군); and Lady Seoha, Princess Consort to the Internal Prince, of the Im clan (서하부부인 임씨)
2. One of his domestic slaves, Jang Nok-su (장녹수), became the infamous concubine of Prince Yeonsan
3. Later married Im Gwang-jae (임광재), 1st son of Im Sa-hong (임사홍); created Military Officer Pungcheon (풍천위). His younger brother (Im Sung-jae (임숭재)) would be the husband of the next king's daughters.

References

1. "Royal Tombs; Seooreung, Onreung, Seosamneung". Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea. 2008-06-27. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
2. "Treasure 1567". Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea. 2006. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
3. Deposed Queen Shin’s older brother, Queen Danggyeong’s paternal uncle, and maternal nephew of Prince Gwiseong (the grandson of Queen Insu and King Deokjong)
4. Princess Consort Seungpyeong is the maternal aunt of Queen Janggyeong, and the younger sister of Park Won-jong and Grand Internal Princess Consort Seungpyeong (Grand Prince Wolsan’s wife)

External links

• "Royal Ladies of Joseon Dynasty". The Talking Cupboard.

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