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Grand Prince Yangnyeong
Grand Prince Yangnyeong (Korean: 양녕대군; Hanja: 讓寧大君; 1394 – 8 October 1462[2]) was the former Crown Prince of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He was the first son of King Taejong and his wife, Queen Wongyeong. Yangnyeong was the elder brother of Sejong the Great, and an ancestor of Syngman Rhee[citation needed], an independence activist and the first President of South Korea. BiographyHe was born as Yi Che (이제; 李禔) in 1394. Originally his father appointed him as crown prince but he eventually executed Queen Wongyeong's brothers and in the 18th year of his reign replaced Prince Yangnyeong with his third son Prince Chungnyeong as heir apparent.[3] Known for his literature and calligraphy skills, the former crown prince lacked in the requisite skills for kingship and acted extremely rude in court. On May 1415, he caused a scandal when he had an affair with Chogungjang, the kisaeng of his uncle and former king, Jeongjong. Yangnyeong was unaware that Chogungjang was his uncle's woman.[4] On 15 February 1417, Yangnyeong secretly brought in Eori, the concubine of Gwak Seon, into the palace. Angered, Taejong banished Yangnyeong from the royal palace to the residence of Yangnyeong's father-in-law, Kim Han-ro. However, Kim Han-ro arranged a rendezvous between Yangnyeong and Eori, and Eori bore the crown prince's child.[5] For a while, Taejong did not fault Yangnyeong for his libertine proclivities but instead held his father-in-law, Kim Han-ro, accountable for Crown Prince Yangnyeong's improprieties.[6] The final event that sealed Yangnyeong's fate was a letter he wrote to Taejong, accusing Taejong of hypocrisy. Yangnyeong criticized his father for punishing him over his affair with Eori, while Taejong himself maintained ten concubines, in direct violation of the Confucian virtue of highest importance: filial piety.[7] Due to Yangnyeong's continued lack of remorse, Taejong deposed Yangnyeong as crown prince on 3 June 1418.[8] Sorrowful, Taejong asked two officials who had been sent to inform Yangnyeong of his deposition about Yangnyeong's reaction. They reported back to Taejong that Yangnyeong did not cry and showed signs of sadness.[9] Grand Prince Hyoryeong, Yangnyeong's second brother, had similar feelings about Chungyeong being king, and so he became a monk in a Buddhist temple.[citation needed] Yangnyeong was banished from the palace and relocated to Gwangju. Taejong initially considered to create two sons of Yangnyeong his new heir, but finally chose his own third son Grand Prince Chungnyeong, the later Sejong. After Sejong became king, the relationship between the brothers strengthened, with Sejong often inviting Yangnyeong to the palace. During Sejo's reign, Yangnyeong enjoyed the status of the eldest royal family member, and Sejo often invited Yangnyeong to the palace for court revelries. Yangnyeong died in 1462, the eighth year of Sejo's reign, at the age of 68.[10] The tomb of Prince Yangnyeong reopened in 2018 to the public after 18 years of closure.[11] Family
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