Royal consort (Gwi-in) of Seongjong, killed by Yeonsangun during the 1504 Gapja purge; of the Yeongwol Eom clan
| Life | 1504 |
| Era | 조선 전기 |
| Clan | 영월 엄씨 |
Noble Consort Eom (?-1504) was a consort of Seongjong of Joseon, of the Yeongwol clan. Her father was Eom San-su (a Sajik official, posthumously Vice-Minister of Personnel) and her great-grandfather the founding merit subject Eom Yu-on. Her birth year is not recorded; Wikipedia estimates between 1458 and 1462.
The date she entered the palace is unrecorded; she first appears in a 20 March 1477 entry and is judged to have been a consort before that. She began as a Soyong (junior 3rd rank), rose through Sugui (junior 2nd) to Gwi-in (senior 1st), and had one daughter, Princess Gongsin, born 11 March 1481.
On the night of the 20th of the third lunar month of 1504, Yeonsangun had her and Noble Consort Jeong bound in the rear garden of Changgyeonggung and beaten to death, and her body is said to have been mutilated and scattered. Her natal family was executed, Princess Gongsin was made a commoner and exiled, and in 1506 her brothers Eom Hoe and Eom Gye were also executed. After the Jungjong Restoration the family and the princess were reinstated.
Wikipedia says she is "known" as a consort who played a decisive role in slandering Queen Yun and getting her deposed. That account rests on Yeonsangun-era political records and assessments may differ, so it is presented here without assertion.
In the 1504 events her natal family was executed and her daughter Princess Gongsin was made a commoner and exiled; in 1506 her brothers Eom Hoe and Eom Gye were executed. It shows how one consort's death led to the downfall of a whole house in the political upheaval of Yeonsangun's reign.
After the Jungjong Restoration the family and the princess were reinstated. Princess Gongsin is said to have been granted grain for guarding her husband's spirit tablet during her exile.
Her daughter Princess Gongsin (b. 1481) was made a commoner and exiled, then reinstated after the Jungjong Restoration.