인현왕후 仁顯王后
Second consort of King Sukjong of Joseon, daughter of Min Yu-jung, deposed and later restored
| Life | 1667 ~ 1701 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 여흥 민씨 |
Life & career
Queen Inhyeon (1667-1701) was the second consort of Sukjong, the 19th king of Joseon. From Yeoheung, she was the second daughter of Prince Yeoyang Min Yu-jung and Lady Eunjin Song, a daughter of Song Jun-gil. The family belonged to the Seoin Sandang faction and became Noron after the 1681 split.
She was chosen queen in 1681, a year after the death of Sukjong's first queen, on the recommendation of Song Si-yeol, a relative of Sukjong's mother Queen Myeongseong's family. She is said to have lacked Sukjong's affection from early in the marriage, and after Queen Myeongseong's death, when Sukjong recalled the court lady Jang (Consort Hui-bin Jang) and favored her, the queen tried to counter her by recommending Kim Su-hang's grand-niece as a royal concubine, without success.
When Jang bore a son, Yun (later Gyeongjong), in 1688 and Sukjong sought to name him heir, the Seoin objected, leading to the 1689 Gisa Hwanguk and the Namin's rise; the queen was deposed to commoner status and sent to her family home in Angook-dong. The 1694 Gapsul Hwanguk removed the Namin, she was restored, and Jang was demoted to Hui-bin, which split the Seoin into Noron and Soron. She is counted the only Joseon queen restored while alive. In 1700 an abscess was found during treatment for gout, and after a long illness she died in 1701 at Gyeongchundeok Hall of Changgyeonggung; afterwards the Mugo no Ok and Sinsa Hwanguk led to Consort Jang's forced suicide and heavy blows to the Namin and Soron. Her tomb is Myeongneung among the Seooreung tombs, and her story is widely known through the Inhyeon Wanghujeon and many television dramas.
Gisa Hwanguk and Deposition
In the 1689 Gisa Hwanguk, when the Seoin were driven out over the heir question and the Namin took power, she was deposed and sent to her family home in Angook-dong. Her father was Min Yu-jung.
Gapsul Hwanguk and Restoration
She was restored in the 1694 Gapsul Hwanguk, which the Noron supported and the Soron resisted. Her brother Min Jin-won later led the Noron.
Grave
Her tomb is Myeongneung among the Seooreung tombs in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province; her full posthumous title is Hyogyeong Sukseong Jangsun Wonhwa Uiyeol Jeongmok Inhyeon Wanghu.
Descendants
She died without children. Her father was Min Yu-jung and her brothers Min Jin-hu and Min Jin-won; to Empress Myeongseong she was a great-aunt several generations removed.