Civil official who passed the examination in late Goryeo and served as Right and Left Chief State Councillor in early Joseon; father-in-law of Taejong; pen name Eoeun, posthumous title Mundo
| Life | 1339 ~ 1408 |
| Era | 고려 말~조선 초 |
| Clan | 여흥 민씨 |
Min Je (1339-1408) was a late Goryeo and early Joseon civil official and in-law of the throne, from Yeoheung, with courtesy name Jung-hoe, pen name Eoeun and posthumous title Mundo. He was the grandson of Min Jeok of the Jeongui-gong line and son of Min Byeon, and had four sons and four daughters with Lady Yeosan Song.
He passed the civil examination under King Gongmin and is said to have served as Minister of Rites under Woo, Governor of Gaegyeong under Chang, and Mayor of Hanseong under Gongyang. He was a close friend of Ha Ryun, who is said to have come to know his son-in-law Yi Bang-won (the future Taejong) through him. After the founding of Joseon he served as Jeongdang Munhak and Grand Scholar of the Yemun Chunchugwan.
In 1400 he became Right Chief State Councillor and soon Left Chief State Councillor, and after his son-in-law Taejong took the throne he was made Prince Yeoheung. His daughter's rise as queen raised the house, but when his sons Min Mu-gu and Min Mu-jil were impeached and exiled he fell ill in despair and died in 1408. After his death Taejong had the two put to death and later the other two sons as well, so Min Je is seen as a figure embodying both the glory and the tragedy of the clan's royal ties. His line is called the Mundo-gong branch after his posthumous title.
His eldest daughter married Jo Bak, the second Yi Cheon-u, Prince Wansan, and the fourth Right State Councillor No Han; the sons of Yi Cheon-u are said to have been made Princes Yeoyang, Yeoseong and Yeoheung. Counting his grandsons Sejong, Yangnyeong and Hyoryeong, Min Je's descendants were intertwined with the early Joseon royal house. He also appears as a character in historical dramas such as Tears of the Dragon, Six Flying Dragons, Taejong Yi Bang-won and Wongyeong.
Min Je's third daughter married Yi Bang-won in 1382 and became Princess Jeongnyeong after Joseon's founding and later Queen Wongyeong. His sons Min Mu-gu and Min Mu-jil are said to have helped Yi Bang-won in the First Strife of Princes.
Wary of in-law power, Taejong exiled Min Mu-gu and Min Mu-jil, ordered their deaths after Min Je died, and six years later ordered Min Mu-hwil and Min Mu-hoe to take their own lives. The family was rehabilitated in Sejong's reign.
The location of Min Je's tomb could not be confirmed in this research.
Daughter Queen Wongyeong (consort of Taejong); sons Min Mu-gu, Min Mu-jil, Min Mu-hwil and Min Mu-hoe; maternal grandsons include Grand Prince Yangnyeong, Grand Prince Hyoryeong and Sejong.