Wife of Prince Eunon, mother of Prince Sanggye, a Catholic who was martyred in the 1801 persecution
| Life | 1753 ~ 1801 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 진천 송씨 |
Lady Sangsan Song (常山郡夫人 宋氏, 15 October 1753 - 4 April 1801) belonged to the Jincheon clan and was the principal wife of Prince Eunon Yi In, an illegitimate son of Crown Prince Jangjo (Sado). According to Wikipedia her father was the Chambong Song Nak-hu and her mother of the Neungseong Gu clan. Her great-great-grandfather Song Chang, Minister of Works, had no legitimate heir and adopted Song Su-ryang, her great-grandfather. She converted to Catholicism, was martyred in the 1801 persecution, and was rehabilitated after King Cheoljong's accession.
She married Prince Eunon in 1765. According to the epitaph by Kim Mun-geun she avoided warm padded clothes even when ill and fasted before the anniversaries of Yeongjo and Sado. In 1771 her husband and his brother Prince Eunsin were exiled to Jeju after debts to Seoul merchants came to light; Yeongjo blamed her father Song Nak-hu for failing to guide them and sent him to the frontier, releasing him soon after.
Her son Prince Sanggye Yi Dam (1769-1786) was adopted by Hong Guk-yeong as heir of the royal concubine Wonbin Hong and later disowned, then accused of treason. He died by poison in November 1786. Song Nak-hu is said to have reported that Sanggye resented being disowned; her maternal uncle Gu Myeong-gyeom and others were executed, her husband was exiled to Ganghwa, and the couple lost their titles.
Wikipedia relays the epitaph's statement that she showed no worry amid the disasters. She was martyred in the 1801 persecution for her Catholic faith and rehabilitated after Cheoljong, grandson of Prince Eunon, took the throne. Wikipedia's entry on Prince Sanggye notes a view that his birth mother was a palace woman rather than Lady Sangsan, so this point is disputed. For the Catholic martyr record consult Catholic sources.
Since Song Chang had no legitimate heir, Wikipedia says he adopted Song Su-ryang, son of his cousin Song Jeong, whose great-granddaughter was Lady Sangsan. She was therefore Song Chang's great-great-granddaughter.
Her son was Prince Sanggye Yi Dam.