Internal Princess Consort Yeoheung of the Yeoheung Min clan
Queen Jeongsun (Korean: 정순왕후 송씨; Hanja: 定順王后 宋氏; 1440 – 7 July 1521[a]), of the Yeosan Song clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Yi Hong-wi, King Danjong, the 6th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1454 until her husband's abdication in 1455, after which she was honoured as Queen Dowager Uideok (의덕왕대비) until her deposition in 1457.
Lady Song was born in Jeongeup in 1440 into the Yeosan Song clan to Song Hyeon-su and his wife, Lady Min of the Yeoheung Min clan. When she was young, she followed her father and moved to Hanseong. Lady Song’s character was described as polite and modest.
Her paternal aunt, Princess Consort Daebang, was the second wife of Grand Prince Yeongeung who was the 8th son of Queen Soheon and King Sejong. Her aunt was later known to have an affair with a Buddhist monk and former governor of Gunjangsa Temple at the time, Hakjo (학조, 學祖; 1431–1514), real name Kim Yeong-hyeong (김영형, 金永衡) of the (new) Andong Kim clan, after her husband died. She was later executed in 1507 for committing adultery. But through her paternal cousin, Princess Gilan eventually became the great-great-grandmother of Queen Inheon, the wife of Wonjong of Joseon and mother of King Injo of Joseon; the future first cousin seven times removed-in-law of Lady Song.
In 1454, there was a selection (Gantaek) made for the future Queen Consort of Joseon. Lady Song, along with Lady Kim of the Sangsan Kim clan and Lady Gwon of the Andong Gwon clan, entered Changdeok Palace for the consort process.
Lady Song was later sent a letter stating that she was chosen among the three girls to become the king's Queen consort. She later entered the palace with Lady Kim and Lady Gwon who would become the king’s concubines.
On 19 February 1454 (January 22; lunar calendar), she married Yi Hong-wi (temple name: Danjong), the 6th Joseon monarch who was one year younger, when she was fifteen. As the king's primary consort, she was appointed as queen consort. Danjong was too young to rule the kingdom and had his older sister act as a guardian for him ever since both their parents died. Because the princess sided with Chief State Councillor Hwangbo In and General Kim Jong-seo, who was Left State Councillor, all political processes were controlled by them as well.
As Kim Jong-seo and his faction used the chance to extend the power of court officials against many royal family members, the tension between Kim and Grand Prince Suyang (King Sejong's son and King Danjong's uncle) greatly increased; not only Suyang himself, but his younger brother, Grand Prince Anpyeong, also sought an opportunity to take control of the kingdom.
Abdication and aftermath
In 1455, Suyang forced his powerless king to abdicate, declaring himself seventh king of the Joseon dynasty (temple name: Sejo). As wife of the King Emeritus, the Queen received the title 'queen dowager' (wangdaebi; 왕대비) with honorary name Uideok.
The following year, six officials of the court or sayuksin attempted to restore Hong-wi to power, but their plot was discovered and they were immediately executed. The King Emeritus was later demoted to Prince Nosan (노산군; 魯山君) and exiled to Yeongwol County. His wife also lost her status as queen dowager, was demoted to princess consort rank (titled as Princess Consort Nosan; 노산군부인), and kicked out of the palace. The former queen was also given the title of Lady Nosan (노산부인).
In 1457, Lady Song’s father, Song Hyeong-su, and Lady Gwon’s father, Gwon Wan, were executed for showing support to restore the former king. This led to Lady Kim and her father being in a better condition than the two women. Lady Kim’s father, Kim Sa-woo, supported the reform and reign of the current king thus leaving Kim to live a prosperous life as he served various government posts until he died in 1464 during the 10th year of King Sejo.
It is unknown of the whereabouts of Lady Song’s mother, Lady Min, after the sudden disposition of her daughter and death of her husband, but records say she died in 1498.
When returning back, her parents' home was already destroyed, so she lived in Choam (초암) near Cheongnyongsa Temple in Sungin-dong outside Dongdaemun and stayed with the ladies-in-waiting.
She had a difficult life from then on, and resorted to helping the palace maids with the dyeing business and other chores her own ladies-in-waiting had to do to survive.
At this time, Lady Song wasn't entitled to be given food rations and a home from the royal family. It was said that the women and palace maids in her neighborhood pitied her and, without getting permission from the government, made an arrangement for Lady Song to use the rations and supplies given to them to her secretly.[1]
Perceiving that Prince Nosan would present a continuing threat to the King's rule, the King then accepted the advice of the court and ordered that Prince Nosan be disposed of. In November 1457, he was put to death at his place of exile. Yeongdo-gyo (영도교; 永渡橋) in Cheonggyecheon is said to be the last place where Prince Nosan and his wife, who were going back home, meet and separated.
During King Yeongjo’s reign, he personally wrote the name ‘Dongmangbong’ (동망봉; 東望峰) and had it engraved on a rock on the site. During the Japanese colonial period, the area near Dongmangbong Peak was used as a quarry, and the rock was broken away. As of 2011, there is a pavilion named Dongmangjeong on the south side of Dongmangbong, near Naksan, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
After hearing of her husband's death, Lady Song climbed a large rock every morning and evening, wailing toward Yeongwol, praying for the soul of her husband. According to Kim Taek-yeong (김택영, 金澤榮; 1850–1927), a writer and historian of the Joseon Dynasty, he said in his Yasa, that Shin Suk-ju had asked and tried to make Lady Song his slave. There have been many objections to this happening, but some don't know if it's true or not. But this later prompted King Sejo to state that Lady Song was to "be a slave, but not allow her to serve as a slave" as written in the dynasty’s annals.
But because she couldn't do anything or much of the matter, Lady Song was sent to live in Jeongeobwon (정업원), a place nearby Changdeok Palace, so that no one could commit it. Jeongeobwon was the official royal convent where concubines or wives of royals who lost their spouse or were deposed of, went out of the palace, and spent the rest of their lives in. But it also served as a place of political exile for disgraced women to live a religious and non-political life.[2]Princess Gyeonghye also served some time here before dying in 1474. In 1771, the 47th year of reign of King Yeongjo, a monument and stele was erected in front of the small room, originally a nun’s room, used by the former queen until her death. Part of the epitaph and writing on the signboard were handwritten by the king.
During King Seongjong’s and King Yeonsangun’s reigns, when Song Geo, the younger brother of the Queen, was unable to advance to a public office position or earn income due to his father's sins, Song asked Seongjong to make an exception. In the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, there are records that Seongjong and Yeonsangun bestowed slaves, rice, and linens to the Song clan several times.
After the death of her sister-in-law, Princess Gyeonghye, the princess’s only son, Jeong Mi-su became close to the former queen during her time in Jeongeobwon as both went through similar circumstances. So upon her death, Jeong also had his aunt-in-law’s rites performed by his descendants.
The Queen died on 7 July 1521 at the age of 80-81; outliving her husband by 64 years, and living through her uncle-in-law King Sejo's reign to her first cousin thrice removed-in-law King Jungjong's reign. She wasn’t given a proper burial, but she was buried near her husband.
There was an attempt to honor the late king and Queen during Jungjong's reign by Jo Gwang-jo from the Sarim Faction and other court officials, but he rejected the proposal.
During King Hyeonjong’s reign, scholars Song Si-yeol and Kim Su-hang repeatedly proposed that both the deposed Queen and King's title be restored. Song and Kim argued that King Sejo's murder of King Danjong was swayed by the misleading of his aides, and that his true intention was not to kill King Danjong.
With that in mind, it wasn't until the 24th year reign of King Sukjong, 241 years after the death of the Prince and 177 years after the death of Lady Song, that on 7 December 1698 (6 November; Lunar Calendar), the demoted Lady Song was given the posthumous name “Queen Jeongsun” and her husband, Prince Nosan, was posthumously restored, receiving the temple name of "Danjong". Both were later enshrined in Yeongnyeongjeon Hall of Jongmyo Shrine.
Her tomb was renamed to Sareung (思陵), and it was properly built in the sense of admiring (Samo; 사모, 思慕) a devoted wife whose husband was unjustly murdered. The tomb is located in Jingeon-eup, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.
There was once a legend that the trees planted behind her tomb grew and bowed toward Jangreung, the tomb of King Danjong. Thinking it was a strong spirit protecting Lady Song, in Shamanism, there is a worshipped god named “Lady Song’s God”.
