Biography
Early life
Lady Jang was the daughter of Jang Hyeong and his second wife, a lady from the Papyeong Yun clan. Part of the Namin faction, she came from a long line of interpreters and belonged to the jungin class.
She is widely thought to have been one of the most beautiful women in Joseon, and her charm is mentioned in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty.
She became a lady-in-waiting to King Sukjong's step-great-grandmother, Grand Queen Dowager Jaui, at the recommendation of Prince Dongpyeong, who was the king's first cousin once removed and the grand queen dowager's step-grandson.
Life as royal consort
While visiting Queen Jaui, the king came to be infatuated with Lady Jang and she became a special palace lady (승은궁녀; seungeun gungnyeo). However, his mother, Queen Dowager Hyeonyeol, who belonged to the Seoin faction, feared that Lady Jang would influence him to favor the Namin, so she expelled her from the palace.
In 1683, the queen dowager died and Queen Min (posthumously Queen Inhyeon), Sukjong's wife at that time, allowed Lady Jang to return to court.
In 1686, Lady Jang became a royal consort of the junior fourth rank (숙원; sugwon). In 1688, she was elevated to senior second rank (소의; soui) after giving birth to the King's first son, Yi Yun.
In the court, the Seoin faction split into Noron (Old Learning), led by Song Si-yeol, and Soron (New Learning), led by Yun Jeung. The Noron was supported by Queen Min.
The Namin faction pushed for the king to acknowledge Yi Yun as heir apparent, but the Seoin faction insisted that Queen Min was still young and could bear a son, who should be the heir. Sukjong pushed for a compromise in which Queen Min would adopt Yi Yun as her son, but she refused. This angered Sukjong, and many were killed, including Song Si-yeol. The Namin faction seized power and exiled Queen Min's father and the leaders of the Seoin faction. In 1689, Queen Min was deposed and exiled. This incident is called Gisa Hwanguk (기사환국).
Also in 1689, Lady Jang was promoted to the senior first rank (빈; bin), with the honorific title hui (희), meaning "auspicious". Shortly after, she was appointed as queen.
In 1693, Sukjong's new favorite, a palace maid from the Haeju Choe clan, became an official royal consort. Lady Choe (commonly known by her highest title, Sukbin Choe or Concubine Suk) openly supported Queen Min and encouraged the king to reinstate her. In the meantime, Kim Chun-taek, a member of the Noron faction, and Han Jung-hyuk of the Soron faction, also staged a campaign to reinstate the deposed queen.
By 1694, Lady Jang had lost the king's favor. Sukjong grew disgusted with the Namin faction's greed and the ever-powerful Jang family. He also felt remorse for his temperamental actions during the Gisa Hwanguk. The Namin faction's attempt to purge the Seoin on the charge of plotting to reinstate the deposed queen backfired.
Later years and death
The king banished Jang Hui-jae, Lady Jang's elder brother, and the leaders of the Namin party. He officially demoted Lady Jang to her former position as a royal consort of the senior first rank (Huibin or Concubine Hui), and reinstated Queen Min. This incident is called Gapsul Hwanguk (갑술환국). The Namin faction never recovered from this purge.
The Soron faction supported Crown Prince Yun, Lady Jang's son, while the Noron faction supported Prince Yeoning, Lady Choe's son.
In 1701, Queen Min died of an unknown cause. Allegedly, Sukjong discovered Lady Jang conspiring with a shaman priestess to curse Queen Min using black magic and gloating over her death. The Soron faction pleaded with the king to show mercy and pointed out that she was the mother of the crown prince.
Unmoved, the king sentenced Lady Jang, her mother, her brother, the leader of Soron, and all her companions to death. He also exiled the courtiers who had asked him to spare Lady Jang's life. Sukjong then promulgated an edict prohibiting any royal consort from becoming queen. On 9 November 1701, Lady Jang was executed by poisoning at Chwiseondang, her residence inside Changgyeonggung. She was 42 years old.
Burial
Her tomb is called Daebinmyo and was originally in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. In 1969, it was moved to the Seooreung Cluster, in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province; the cluster also contains Ingneung, the tomb of Sukjong's first wife, Queen Ingyeong, as well as Myeongneung, which consists of the twin burial mounds of King Sukjong and Queen Inhyeon, and the separate burial mound of Sukjong's third wife, Queen Inwon. The relocation took place because the tomb was blocking the government's planned expansion of the city.
Lady Jang's memorial tablet was enshrined in Chilgung (칠궁), the place that houses the spirit tablets of seven royal consorts who gave birth to kings.
