Queen Insu

Early life and lineage

The future Queen Sohye was born during the reign of King Sejong, as the seventh child and youngest daughter among three sons and six daughters. Her father was Han Hwak, who would later become left state councilor, and her mother was a lady from the resurgent Namyang Hong clan. Born into a prestigious yangban family, she was exceptionally well-educated in the Chinese classics, Buddhist texts and Confucian philosophy, a rare distinction for a Korean woman of the 15th century.

Her natal Cheongju Han clan, an ancient lineage that rose from local gentry during the late Silla period to central government elites in Goryeo, had traditionally served as a primary breeding ground for high-ranking officials and royal consorts. Accordingly, Lady Han was a niece of Consort Kanghuizhuangshuli and Madame Gongshen (공신부인; consort of the Xuande Emperor), as well as a fourth cousin once removed of Queen Jangsun, Queen Gonghye, Queen Ansun, and of her husband's consort, Sugui Shin.

Marriage

In 1450, at the age of 13, Lady Han married 12-year-old Yi Chang (이장), the elder son of Grand Prince Suyang (posthumously King Sejo) and his wife, Lady Yun (posthumously Queen Jeonghui).

After the Gyeyu Purge (계유정난) in 1453, Suyang was instated as chief state councilor and Han Hwak was granted the office of right state councilor. Han Myeong-hoe, the orchestrator of the coup, was Lady Han's distant relative. This formed the beginnings of Lady Han's network of political influence. In 1455, Suyang forced his young nephew, King Danjong, to abdicate in his favor. Yi Chang was thus invested as crown prince and Lady Han became crown princess.

In early 1455, she had given birth to her first child, Yi Jeong, followed by Commandery Princess Taean in 1456, and Yi Hyeol in 1457. Lady Han was meticulous from a young age and extremely devoted in serving her parents-in-law, so she was often praised by King Sejo as filial; however, she was a strict mother to her two sons, scolding them at the slightest mistake.

Widowhood

One month after the birth of their younger son, Yi Chang suddenly died; he received the posthumous name Uigyeong (의경). His brother, Grand Prince Haeyang (posthumously King Yejong), became the new crown prince, and Lady Han was titled Crown Princess Jeong (정빈), which was later changed to Crown Princess Su (수빈) in order to avoid confusion with one of Queen Wongyeong's previous titles. Feeling pity for his daughter-in-law, King Sejo specially allowed her to continue living in the royal palace, but Lady Han declined. A large and magnificent residence was built for her, which in time became the present Deoksugung.

Despite leaving the palace, Lady Han persisted in her diligent care for her parents-in-law, particularly strengthening her relationship with Queen Jeonghui, and remained highly favored by King Sejo for the remainder of his life. She married her second son to Han Myeong-hoe's legitimate youngest daughter, maintained close contact with powerful officials such as Shin Suk-ju, and helped her relatives and associates in their rise to high offices. Thanks to her efforts, when King Yejong died just 15 months after acceding to the throne, it was Lady Han's second son, Yi Hyeol, who was chosen to become the new king (posthumously King Seongjong), instead of Yejong's own son.

As queen dowager

At this time, Lady Han's status was unclear since her husband had never been king and her son had been adopted under King Yejong's name, meaning it was Queen Dowager Inhye who was recognized as King Seongjong's mother. In a first step, Crown Prince Uigyeong was posthumously named king and Lady Han received the ambiguous title "Queen Insu" (인수왕비). The next year, several of her close relatives were designated as meritorious subjects. Because there was a need to determine the hierarchy between Lady Han and Queen Dowager Inhye, Shin Suk-ju argued that they should heed the rules of private households, which followed sibling order, rather than the rules of the royal family, meaning Lady Han was the superior. Her mother-in-law, Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong (as Queen Jeonghui was known at the time), also issued an edict declaring that Lady Han had been entrusted by King Sejo with the task of protecting Yejong, implying her seniority above both the late Yejong and Queen Dowager Inhye; as such, Lady Han's superior standing was established. In 1475, her husband was elevated to great king and received a temple name, while Lady Han became queen dowager.

Later life and death

In any case, the regency was ultimately exerted by Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong and Lady Han's influence was constrained. It was only after Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong's death in 1483, when Lady Han became the most senior elder in the palace, that political power shifted fully into her hands. With the passing of King Seongjong and the accession of her grandson, Yi Yung (later known as Yeonsangun/Prince Yeonsan), she became grand queen dowager. However, once Yeonsangun discovered that his biological mother was the Deposed Queen Yun, brutal clashes ensued between them. Lady Han, who had already been critically ill for some months, died following an altercation with Yeonsangun due to his plan to confer a posthumous name upon Deposed Queen Yun.

She was five months away from her 67th birthday at the time of her death, having survived her husband by 46 years. She was buried alongside him within Gyeongneung (경릉), today part of the Seooreung Cluster in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Because his tomb was built according to the specifications for a crown prince, it is much simpler than that of Lady Han, who was grand queen dowager at the time of her death.

Legacy

Queen Insu published Naehun (Instructions for Women) in 1475. With the exception of a few apocryphal poems, this is the first known literary work authored by a Korean woman. The book appears as a Confucian morality guidebook for women, describing appropriate behavior in accordance with Confucian ideals, but can also be read as a manifesto portraying self-cultivation as the most appropriate behavior for a woman, endorsing the political activities of the author.

Works cited

• Ko, Dorothy; Haboush, JaHyun Kim; Piggott, Joan, eds. (2003). Women and Confucian Cultures in Premodern China, Korea, and Japan. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23138-2. 250 pages.
• Duncan, John (2015). "The Naehun and the Politics of Gender in Fifteenth-Century Korea". In Young-Key Kim-Renaud (ed.). Creative Women of Korea: The Fifteenth Through the Twentieth Centuries. pp. 26–57. doi:10.4324/9781315705378. ISBN 978-0-7656-3994-3.
• Park, Si Nae (2005). Re-reading Queen Sohye's Naehun (Thesis). University of British Columbia. viii+105 pages.
• Sillok (1471a). "Seongjong Sillok, 2년 3월 27일".
• EncyKor (2020a). "계유정난" [Gyeyu Jeongnan, 1453]. Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
• Seoul History Compilation Center (2020b). "조선 단종 원년" [gyeyunyeon, 1453]. Seoul six hundred years history.
• Seoul History Compilation Center (2020c). "조선 단종 3년 · 세조 원년" [eulhaenyeon, 1455]. Seoul six hundred years history.
• "Queen Sohye's Instruction for Women (Queen mother Insu, Seongjong's mother)". Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
• Cultural Heritage Administration (2020). "Royal Tombs". Cultural Heritage Administration. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
• "Ksitigarbha pranidhana Sutra (Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva), treasure=1567". Cultural Heritage Administration. 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2021.