Queen Sindeok

Queen Sindeok (; 20 July 1356 – 23 September 1396), of the Goksan Kang clan, was the second wife of King Taejo, the founder of Joseon. Known as Queen Hyeon during her tenure, she was queen of Joseon from 1392 until her death in 1396. She served as Taejo's political advisor and had great influence in the founding of Joseon. Following the establishment of the Korean Empire, she was honored as Empress Sindeokgo.

Biography Early life The future Queen Sindeok was born during the reign of King Gongmin of Goryeo, as the younger daughter among four sons and two daughters. Her father was Kang Yun-seong and her mother was a lady from the Jinju Kang clan.

Lady Kang's uncle, Kang Yun-chung , married a daughter of Grand Prince Wanchang, Yi Seong-gye's uncle. Through this relationship, she was able to come into contact with Yi Seong-gye and soon became his wife.

Marriage According to legends, Yi Seong-gye's first meeting with Lady Kang happened as such: one day while hunting a tiger, Yi Seong-gye got thirsty and found a well, and there was a woman at the well. When Yi Seong-gye asked the woman to pour him some water, she poured water into a gourd and then floated a handful of willow leaves on top of the water. At this, Yi Seong-gye rebuked her, saying, "What kind of evil is this?". The woman replied shyly that she had to rush because he was thirsty, and if he drank the cold water, he would get sick. After hearing this, Yi Seong-gye was deeply moved by, and looked carefully at the oustandingly beautiful woman. He was mesmerized by her wisdom and beauty. The woman at the well was Lady Kang. This story is the same as the story of the meeting between King Taejo of Goryeo and Queen Janghwa. Queen Janghwa and Lady Kang were both daughters of prominent aristocratic clans and the second wives of the founder of their respective dynasties.

During the Goryeo period, aristocratic men were allowed two wives; one wife was known as the kyŏngch'ŏ , the capital wife, while the other wife was known as the hyangch'ŏ , the countryside wife. Lady Kang married Yi Seong-gye in the late 1360s or early 1370s as his second (kyŏngch'ŏ) wife. At the time of the marriage, Lady Kang was more than 20 years younger than her husband; he already had a first (hyangch'ŏ) wife, Lady Han, and at least four sons, with the eldest among them being older than Lady Kang.

In early 1392, when Yi Seong-gye was seriously injured after falling off his horse and Jeong Mong-ju attempted to eliminate him, Lady Kang urgently sent Yi Seong-gye's fifth son, Yi Bang-won, who was observing mourning at the tomb of his mother, to bring Yi Seong-gye to safety.

Furthermore, it was said that it was Lady Kang who appeased Yi Seong-gye's anger when he severely rebuked Yi Bang-won for assassinating Jeong Mong-ju.

With the founding of the new dynasty, Lady Kang became the first queen of Joseon and received the honorific title hyeon .

Involvement in politics Lady Kang made a political alliance with Jeong Do-jeon, and successfully convinced King Taejo to choose her second son, Yi Bang-seok, as successor to the throne.

The adult sons of Lady Han, particularly Yi Bang-won, were outraged by the fact that their youngest half-brother, who was 10 years old at the time and hadn't contributed in any way to the founding of Joseon, had become the crown prince.

Death and aftermath Lady Kang died four years after her second son's appointment as crown prince. She was buried within Jeongneung in present-day Seongbuk District, Seoul.

Her death affected King Taejo immensely. To pray for her soul, he built a small hermitage next to her tomb, and had incense and tea offered every morning and evening. He then ordered the construction of Heungcheonsa Temple to the east of the tomb; as soon as it was completed, it became a daily routine for Taejo to visit his wife's tomb and the temple. After touring the two sites, he would spend the evenings with his two sons by Lady Kang, and only return to his chambers upon hearing the temple bell ringing to announce the offering of prayers at the tomb. Moreover, Taejo would only pick up his chopsticks to eat during meals after hearing the Buddhist scriptures being chanted to pray for Lady Kang's repose.

Soon after Lady Kang's death, the First Strife of the Princes broke out, resulting in the elimination of her sons and the death of her son-in-law, leaving her only daughter, Princess Gyeongsun, to become a Buddhist nun. Shortly after, King Taejo abdicated in favor of his eldest surviving son, Yi Bang-gwa (posthumously King Jeongjong), who later passed the throne to Yi Bang-won (posthumously King Taejong).

As she had completely captivated King Taejo and, with the help of figures like Jeong Do-jeon, had her own son appointed as crown prince, the resentment of Lady Han's children against her had long reached its peak. Ultimately, this resentment persisted after Lady Kang's death and became the cause for King Taejong establishing regulations that banned sons of concubine birth from taking the civil service examination, effectively barring them from becoming high-ranking government officials.

Titles

During the reign of King Gongmin : Lady, of the Goksan Kang clan Kang Yun-seong's daughter Lady Kang Mistress Boryeongtaek (; from unknown date) During the reign of King Taejo : Queen Hyeon (; from 13 August 1392) Queen Sindeok (; from 1396) During the reign of Emperor Gojong : Empress Sindeokgo (; from 1899)

Family Father: Kang Yun-seong , Internal Prince Sangsan (?–1358) Mother: Internal Princess Consort Jinsan , of the Jinju Kang clan Sibling(s) Brother: Kang Deuk-ryong Brother: Kang Sun-ryong Brother: Kang Gye-gwon (?–1413) Brother: Kang Yun-gwon Sister: Lady, of the Goksan Kang clan Husband: King Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408) Father-in-law: Yi Ja-chun , King Hwanjo (; 1315 – 3 May 1360) Mother-in-law: Queen Uihye , of the Yeongheung Choe clan (?–1336) Issue Princess Gyeongsun (? – 17 September 1407) Yi Bang-beon , Grand Prince Muan (; 1381 – 14 October 1398) Yi Bang-seok , Grand Prince Uian (; 1382 – 14 October 1398)

Ancestry

In popular culture Portrayed by Ha Mi-hye in the 1983 KBS1 TV series Foundation of the Kingdom. Portrayed by Kim Jeong-yeon in the 1983 MBC TV series The King of Chudong Palace. Portrayed by Kim Young-ran in the 1996–1998 KBS1 TV series Tears of the Dragon. Portrayed by Yoon Joo-hee in the 2012–2013 SBS TV series The Great Seer. Portrayed by Lee Il-hwa in the 2014 KBS1 TV series Jeong Do-jeon. Portrayed by Kim Hee-jung in the 2015–2016 SBS TV series Six Flying Dragons. Portrayed by Park Ye-jin in the 2019 JTBC TV series My Country: The New Age. Portrayed by Ye Ji-won in the 2021–2022 KBS1 TV series The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won.