Grand queen dowager who decided Gojong's accession and ruled as regent behind the screen; "Queen Dowager Jo"
| Life | 1808 ~ 1890 |
| Era | 조선 |
| Clan | 풍양 조씨 |
Queen Sinjeong of the Pungyang Jo clan was a queen consort of the late Joseon period. She was the crown princess consort of Crown Prince Hyomyeong (King Sunjo's son, posthumously honored as Ikjong and Munjo) and the mother of King Heonjong. She is commonly known as "Queen Dowager Jo (趙大妃)." After her husband, Crown Prince Hyomyeong, died young and her son Heonjong ascended the throne, she rose to the position of queen dowager and later grand queen dowager.
When King Cheoljong died without an heir in 1863, she adopted the second son of Prince Heungseon as her own son and had him ascend the throne (as King Gojong), governing as regent from behind the screen (수렴청정). This decision laid the foundation for the rule of the Heungseon Daewongun, and Queen Sinjeong was also a central figure in the Pungyang Jo clan's political dominance.
Buried together with her husband Munjo at Sureung (綏陵) within Donggureung, Guri, Gyeonggi Province
Her son was King Heonjong; after Cheoljong's death she adopted the son of Prince Heungseon and had him enthroned as King Gojong.