This paper covers the family and marriage relationships of Joongjong's first wife, the deposed Queen Shin, and her situation as well as the Joongjong Reformation and the progress and results of the debates regarding her restoration.
The deposed que...
This paper covers the family and marriage relationships of Joongjong's first wife, the deposed Queen Shin, and her situation as well as the Joongjong Reformation and the progress and results of the debates regarding her restoration.
The deposed queen Shin, who shared his adversity, was the daughter of Shin Soo Geun. During the first half of the Chosun Dynasty, the Geo'chang Shin family had become the most powerful family of the time through repeated marriages with the royal family. Shin Seung-Sun's daughter was married to King Yeonsan'gun and became the queen, and Shin Soo-Geun's daughter married Prince Jinsung'daegun, Yeonsangun's brother. However, both women became deposed through the Joong jong Reformation, and the power of the Geo'chang Shin family plummeted as well.
Joongjong's deposed queen Shin became queen through the Joongjong Reformation. However, immediately following the enthronement of Joongjong, the vassals of merit asserted that Shin be deposed. As a result, Shin could not rise to queen and was expelled from the royal palace within 7 days. The reason of her deposal was that her father, Shin Soo-Geun, had been executed because he opposed the Joongjong Reformation. The vassals of the Reformation opposed Shin's installment as queen because they were afraid of Shin's revenge against them once she became queen. Joongjong, who rose to throne with the support of the Reformation vassals, was reluctant to depose his wife, but lacked the power to oppose the vassals' voices. Despite the fact that Joongjong and Shin were an extraordinarily loving couple, Joongjong had no choice but to ban his wife Shin from the royal palace.
Shin's empty place was filled by Jang'kyung Wanghoo Queen Yoon, who was the niece of Park Won-Jong, the leader of the Reformation. However, the place of queen became empty once again in year 10 of Joongjong. Queen Yoon gave birth to the crown prince (who would become King Injong) and died. Consort Park, who was the mother of Joongjong's first child Prince Boksung'gun, wished to become the queen. However, this would cause severe problems, as the order of heir needed to be changed should Park become the queen.
Understanding the consequences should such an event occur, Damyang deputy delegate Park Sang and Soonchang governor Kim Jeung asserted the restoration of the deposed queen Shin on August of year 10 of Joongjong. They asserted that this solution would relieve the injustice done to Shin, prevent a consort from becoming the queen, and that the vassals who banned Shin be punished. However, their efforts could not bear fruit due to the opposition of the Daegan. The new queen was to be Moonjeung Wanghoo Yoon.
Although deposed queen Shin shared Joongjong's adversity, she could not be restored to queen due to political reasons, her being the daughter of a criminal and the justification of having to protect the crown prince. She lived a lonely life and died in year 12 of Myungjong, at the age of 71.
Deposed queen Shin could not be restored in her era, but assertions regarding her restoration came up again in the Sookjong era, and was finally restored to queen in year 15 of Youngjo(1739), 232 years after her deposal.
She was given the posthumous epithet of Dankyung Wanghoo, and her ancestral tablet was moved to Jongmyo.