Jeong Dojeon Historical Info(Non-Spoiler)

[truth]

I'm gonna post what I have on my Korean history book, but only up until the part that aired on KBS World to prevent historical spoiler.

King Gongmin(1330-1374, R.1351-1374)

(King Gongmin's era prior to the parts covered in the drama will be skipped as it is irrelevant to the drama)

Birth name : Wang Ki
Legitimate name : Wang Jeon
Mongolian name : Bayan Temur

King Gongmin began acting abnormally after the execution of Shin Don. He was no longer the reformist that he was at the earlier part of his rule. He was often drunk due to his grief for Princess Noguk and refused to have sex with other women. Instead, He called young and beautiful maids to his room and watched them having sexual intercourse with his bodyguards Kim Heung Kyung and Hong Ryun. He also enjoyed homosexual intercourse with Hong Ryun, and ordered Hong Ryun and Han Ahn to rape his third queen.

On September of 1374, Gongmin's eunuch Choi Manseng reported that his third wife conceived the child of Hong Ryun. Gongmin wanted to make this child as his own, so he ordered Choi Manseng to kill Hong Ryun and his followers. However, Choi Maseng went straight to Hong Ryun, revealed what the king said, and planned an assassination of King Gongmin with Hong Ryun, Han Ahn, Kwon Jin, Hong Gwan, and Noh Seon. On the night of the same day, they successfully assassinated King Gongmin who was asleep after getting drunk. King Gongmin died at the age of 44 after 23 years of rule. Choi Manseng, Hong Ryun, and the others involved in assassination were arrested on the next day by Kyung Bok Heung, Lee In Yim, and eunuch Lee Gang Dal, and were either executed or exiled.

King Gongmin had five queens and one concubine. First wife Noguk died giving birth, which resulted in death of the baby as well. Second(daughter of Lee Jae Hyun) and fifth wife(daughter of Yeom Jae Shin, sister of Yeom Heung Bang) became Buddhist nuns after King Gongmin's death. Concubine Ban Ya was the mother of Gongmin's successor King Wu.

3rd wife Queen Ik - Queen Ik was the daughter of Wang Ui, the Prince of Deok Poong. She became a queen along with second wife Queen Hye, fourth wife Queen Jeong, and fifth wife Queen Shin after the death of Queen Indeok(Princess Noguk). Gongmin wanted a child, but he had no desire to engage in sexual relationship with any other women after Queen Indeok(Princess Noguk)'s death. Therefore, Gongmin ordered Hong Ryun and Han Ahn to rape Queen Ik. Gongmin tried to kill off these two after Queen Ik got pregnant, but he was assassinated by them instead.

She gave birth to a daughter after Gongmin's death who was given to General Kim Won Gye to be raised. However, the girl was given a death order by King Wu after the request of government officials. Government officials also asked for interrogation of Queen Ik as to how she conceived the baby, but King Wu did not accept this request as such interrogation would tarnish his father's name.

On 1388, Jo Minsu gave her the Royal seal after dethroning King Wu with Lee Seonggye. She enthroned King Chang with this Royal seal despite the objection from Lee Seonggye. She later enthroned King Gong Yang after Lee Seonggye dethroned King Chang. She moved out of the palace after King Gong Yang was enthroned and adopted King Gong Yang's daughter Princess Kyung Hwa. She was most likely killed after the foundation of Joseon dynasty.



Fourth wife Queen Jeong is still appearing in this drama and I'll be postponing translation of her part until the later episodes as her part includes a minor spoiler.

[truth]

King Wu(1365-1389, R.1374-1388)

Birth name : Monino
Legitimate name : Wang Wu

(King Wu's life prior to the parts covered in the drama will be skipped as it is irrelevant to the drama)

Lee In Yim took full control of power after enthroning King Wu. Wu was just 9 years old when he became king. When Yuan heard of this news, they appointed Toghtua Bukha, who was the King of Shen, and the grandson of Wang Go as the new King of Koryo. Yuan general Na Ha Chu pointed out that King Wu was not a legitimate king as Gongmin never had a son according to his knowledge. On August of 1375, Lee In Yim stopped Toghtua Bukha, who was on his way to Koryo, and sent him back to Shen. On 1377, Yuan approved Wu as the new king of Koryo. Ming approved Wu on 1378.

On the first year of Wu's reign, Japanese pirates invaded and seized Gongju after defeating mayor Kim Sa Hyuk. Koryo formed a huge army in order to fight them off. Choi Young defeated Japanese pirates at Hongsan on 1376, Na Sae and Choi Museon burned down over 500 Japanese ships with gun powder and cannons on 1380, Lee Seonggye defeated Japanese pirates at Hwangsan on the same year, and Jeong Ji destroyed hundreds of Japanese ships on 1383.

On 1375, Na Hong Yu was sent to Japan to ask the Japanese government to assist in their fight against the Japanese pirates. On 1377, Jeong Mongju helped hundreds of Koreans kidnapped by Japanese pirates to return to their homes during his visit to Kyushu and Imakawa. However, Japanese pirates never stopped invading.

On February of 1388, Ming notified Koryo of their occupation of Koryo territories that were located northwest of Cheolryeong. King Wu and Choi Young decided to send army to conquer Yodong(Liadong in Chinese) as a payback. Wu ordered the repair of Joong Heung Fortress to prepare for war and sent Park Ui Jong to Ming in order to let them know that the territories Ming took belonged to Koryo. Ming, however, sent Count of Liadong Wang Deming to notify Koryo that the territories belonged to Ming.

King Wu was determined to go to war against Ming after this visit. He evacuated his Crown Prince and family members to Hansung(Seoul), left Wu Hyeonbo in charge of Gaegyung(capital city), and prepared for war in Seohae Province with Choi Young. On April, he appointed Choi Young as the Total Commander, Jo Minsu and Lee Seonggye as Vice Commanders.

Lee Seonggye, however, objected to the war and insisted that it was not a good idea to go to war until at least fall when foods were abundant. He had no choice but to to go to war due to Choi Young's order in the end. On May, Lee Seonggye and Jo Minsu set up a camp at Wihwado with 50,000 soldiers. The army could not go forward any longer due to the high rise of Abnok River. Lee Seonngye and Jo Minsu asked for permission to withdraw, but King Wu and Choi Young did not allow their request. Lee Seonggye and Jo Minsu withdrew without permission as a result.

King Wu returned to Gaegyung after hearing this news and ordered Choi Young to repress them. Lee Seonngye and Jo Minsu retreated in the first battle against Choi Young, but they eventually won and took over Gaegyung in mid-June. Choi Young was exiled. King Wu was dethroned, exiled to Ganghwa Island, and re-exiled to Gangneung on November of 1389. Wu's son Chang was enthroned after Wu's dethronement, but Chang was also dethroned after just a year and five months of reign. He was sentenced to death on December of 1389 at the age of 24.

[ajk]

These are great posts, truth--thanks so much for your generosity. They add beautifully to what's in this board. And fill in a few things that we didn't see in either this series or Shin Don.

[truth]

Thanks, ajk. Here's some more info on King Wu's reign.

King Wu had 9 wives.

1st wife Queen Geun - Queen Geun was the daughter of Lee Rim, who was a relative of Lee In Yim. She became a queen on April of 1379 and gave birth to Prince Chang on 1380. Wu was just 15 years old at the time of Chang's birth. Lee Rim became the Chancellor after Chang was enthroned, but was exiled to Chungju after Chang's dethronement and died of disease during exile. Queen Geun was degraded to a peasant after Chang's dethronement.

2nd wife Queen Young - Queen Young was the daughter of Choi Young. She became a queen on March of 1388. King Wu needed Choi Young's daughter as his wife in order to assure Choi Young's protection. Choi Young didn't want his daughter to get married to Wu at first since she was a daughter of his concubine. When Wu strongly insisted his wish to get married to Choi Young's daughter, Choi Young objected the proposal, threatened to quit and become a Buddhist monk. Choi Young eventually gave up and accepted Wu's proposal.

King Wu began to visit Choi Young's house very often after the marriage. This relationship didn't last long as Lee Seonggye and Jo Minsu dethroned Wu after the Wihwado Withdrawal. Queen Young was exiled to Kanghwa Island along with King Wu and exiled to Gangneung together. When King Wu was executed on December of 1389, Queen Young lived with King Wu's corpse.

According to History of Koryo, "She cried day and night for 10 days without eating food and slept with King Wu's corpse in her arms. When she received rations of grains, she cooked meals for Wu's corpse."

3rd wife Queen Ui - Queen Ui was the daughter of Noh Young Su. She started out as Queen Geun's maid, but was appointed as the 3rd queen after seducing him. King Wu allowed her brother No Gwisan to take the 3rd part of Civil Exam despite failing the 2nd part. She was thrown out of palace after Wu's dethronement.

4th wife Queen Sook - Queen Sook was the daughter of Choi Cheon Geom. Her full name was Choi Yong Deok. She started out as Queen Ui's maid, but was appointed as the 4th queen after seducing him. Choi Cheon Geom became a high ranking official as a result of her marriage. She and her father were once exiled to Jeonju due to 7th wife Queen Deok's scheme, which ended up in execution of her mother and brother. However, she eventually returned to the capital along with her father and lived in the palace until Wu's dethronement.

5th wife Queen Ahn - Queen Ahn was the daughter of Kang In Yu. She was already set to marry someone, but was forced to marry Wu after Wu heard of news of her beauty on January of 1385. She lived with King Gongmin's 4th wife Queen Jeong until Wu was dethroned.

6th wife Queen Jeong - (not to be confused with Gongmin's 4th wife) Queen Jeong was the daughter of Shin Ah. King Wu got a crush on her while he was visiting Shin Ah's house on November of 1385. She was thrown out of palace after Wu's dethronement.

7th wife Queen Deok - Queen Deok was the daughter of Jo Young Gil. Her full name was Jo Bong Ga. Jo Young Gil was a slave of Lee In Yim, but became a free man and received a low-ranking government position after his daughter married King Wu due to Lee In Yim's effort. She and 4th wife Queen Sook got in an intense rivalry for Wu's affection. Queen Deok won the battle by making up a scheme that exiled Queen Sook and her father, and executed Sook's mother and brother. She was thrown out of the palace after Wu's dethronement.

8th wife Queen Seon - Queen Seon was the daughter of Wang Heung. She was supposed to marry the son of Byun Ahn Yeol on September of 1383, but was forced to marry Wu due to Wu's order the day before her marriage. Wang Heung ran away from his house with his daughter upon hearing the order, but he eventually gave her up. Wang Heung was exiled after Wu's dethronement while Queen Seon was sent back to her home.

9th wife Queen Hyun - Queen Hyun was the daughter of Ahn Sukro, who was the brother of King Gongmin's 4th wife Queen Jeong. There were rumors of King Wu committing adultery with Queen Jeong as Wu frequently visited Queen Jeong. It is said that Wu fell in love with his stepmother's face. Queen Jeong introduced her niece to Wu in order to keep him happy. Queen Hyun and 1st wife Queen Geun were the only wives of Wu that remained in palace after Wu's dethronement. Geun, for being the mother of King Chang and Hyun, for being the niece of Gongmin's 4th wife Queen Jeong, which allowed her to stay in palace after Chang's dethronement as well.

[ajk]

NINE wives? As in, he gets to boink his choice of nine beautiful (presumably) women whenever he wants to? Then why was he so ticked off all the time? You’d think he’d be happy as a clam!

Two things come to mind reading the list. One is the thing about the adultery rumors with Jeongbi. That was sort of hinted at in the series, with all the times we saw Wu going to see her. We never saw her showing interest in him, so they kept it true to “rumor” by hinting it was possible.

The other is that the series has shown Wu treating women like toys sometimes. Particularly I’m thinking of that scene a few episodes back after he was exiled, when he nearly executed that terrified palace maiden. The list says he took other men’s prospective wives for himself...so the Wu in the series is definitely believable based on this list.

Funny how they're trying to get more female characters involved in the series but they never touched on any of this stuff. One or two of these stories about his queens would have been entertaining sidebar stories.

Anyway, very interesting and thank you again.

[truth]

Jun 2, 2014 11:18:37 GMT -5 ajk said:

NINE wives? As in, he gets to boink his choice of nine beautiful (presumably) women whenever he wants to? Then why was he so ticked off all the time? You’d think he’d be happy as a clam!

Two things come to mind reading the list. One is the thing about the adultery rumors with Jeongbi. That was sort of hinted at in the series, with all the times we saw Wu going to see her. We never saw her showing interest in him, so they kept it true to “rumor” by hinting it was possible.

The other is that the series has shown Wu treating women like toys sometimes. Particularly I’m thinking of that scene a few episodes back after he was exiled, when he nearly executed that terrified palace maiden. The list says he took other men’s prospective wives for himself...so the Wu in the series is definitely believable based on this list.

Funny how they're trying to get more female characters involved in the series but they never touched on any of this stuff. One or two of these stories about his queens would have been entertaining sidebar stories.

Anyway, very interesting and thank you again.

Not enough budget, I guess. lol

I do wish they would've shown the story of Choi Young's daughter living with Wu's corpse. Despite Wu treating women like "toys," I'm guessing Wu must have really loved this woman unlike all the other wives, considering the kind of dedication she have shown after Wu's death. Partly because she was daughter of Choi Young, who stayed loyal to him until the end. She was also the only woman Wu had by his side during his exile. The drama shows him still living like a king and doing creepy things to maidens at another palace after dethronement, but he was actually put in a tiny house with Choi Young's daughter during both of his exiles. They might have fallen in love with each other as they only had themselves to depend on, if not prior to Wu's dethronement. I don't know, maybe they were madly in love already before the exile, and Wu chose her when he was given a choice to bring one of his wives together(except for Chang's mother). Maybe he felt sorry for Choi Young and wanted to protect her like Choi Young did for him, or maybe Choi Young asked Wu to protect her before he was arrested.


I personally want to applaud Byun Ahn Yeol for staying loyal to King Wu despite Wu taking away his soon-to-be-daughter-in-law. This was never mentioned in the drama, but Byun Ahn Yeol left a poem before his execution.

The poem was called "The Unyielding Song" : Even if you make a hole on my body, put a string through the hole, and pull my body until it is completely ripped apart, I will not give up to your cause. I will never accept stealing my King away from me.

King Wu being ticked off all the time in the drama was fictional. We do not know if he was actually like that in history, but it is said that Wu was very serious with the whole Yodong Invasion, and he and Choi Young spent day after day having discussions about it.


As for the translation, my pleasure, ajk. I will be posting even more on Wu's reign either tomorrow or Wednesday.

[truth]

Choi Young(1316-1388)

(Choi Young's life prior to the parts covered in the drama will be skipped as it is irrelevant to the drama)

When Lee In Yim took full control of power on September of 1374, Kim Gu Yong, Lee Soong In, Jeong Dojeon, Kwon Geun, and Jeong Mongju tried to impeach LIY for his pro-Yuan policies. Choi Young and Ji Yoon allied with LIY to exile them.

On 1380, Choi Young defeated Japanese pirates to become the Chief of Navy. He returned to the capital after suffering from a disease and became a Vice Chancellor to enter the political scene for the first time in his career. He eventually became the Chancellor on 1384. On 1388, Choi Young executed Yeom Heum Bang and Im Kyonmi, who were members of LIY's faction, and banished LIY.

When Ming notified Koryo of their occupation of Koryo territories that were located northwest of Cheolryeong, Choi Young insisted that Koryo should go to war against Ming. King Wu accepted Choi Young's insistence, ordered a repair of fortresses across the nation, and placed an army along the border between Ming to prepare for a possible invasion from Ming.

King Wu then married Choi Young's daughter to assure Choi Young's protection. Lee Ja Song was executed for strongly opposing the war. When Count of Liadong Wang Deming notified Koryo that the territories belonged to Ming, King Wu evacuated his Crown Prince and family members to Hansung(Seoul), left Wu Hyeonbo in charge of Gaegyung(capital city), and prepared for war in Seohae Province with Choi Young.

When King Wu arrived in Bongju after leaving the capital, he called Choi Young and Lee Seonggye to make an order of Yodong(Liadong in Chinese) Invasion. Lee Seonggye opposed the war for 4 reasons :

1. A small country cannot fight against a big country
2. Military draft in the middle of summer would interrupt farming.
3. There was a possibility of a Japanese invasion while most of the army were in Yodong.
4. Possibility of plague due to the rainy season during summer

When King Wu ignored LSG's opinion, LSG insisted that they should at least delay the invasion until fall. Wu and Choi Young didn't accept this proposal, either. King Wu then went to Seogyung(Pyongyang), ordered a military draft from all over the nation including Buddhist monks and construction of a bridge at the Abnok River. A portion of the army was left in Gyeonggi Province in case of a possible Japanese invasion.

On August, Choi Young was appointed as the Total Commander. Jo Minsu and Lee Seonggye were appointed as Vice Commanders. 50,000 men were drafted and 21,682 horses were mobilized for the war, but a rumor of mobilizing 100,000 soldiers was spread to scare the enemy.

Hong In Gye and Lee Ui returned after a first attack on Yodong, but the rest of the army could not go forward any longer due to the high rise of Abnok River. Lee Seonngye and Jo Minsu asked for permission to withdraw, but King Wu and Choi Young sent eunuch Kim Wan to award them with gold, silk, and horses in order to encourage them. When LSG and Jo Minsu asked for another permission to withdraw, Choi Young did not allow their request again. Lee Seonggye and Jo Minsu withdrew without permission as a result.

When Choi Yu Gyung notified King Wu of the news, Wu returned to Gaegyung and ordered Choi Young to repress them. LSG and Jo Minsu sent a messenger to King Wu and warned that there would be a civil war if Wu doesn't punish Choi Young. King Wu fired LSG and Jo Minsu from their positions upon hearing this, appointed Choi Young as the Chancellor, Wu Hyeonbo as the Vice Chancellor, ordered for a repression of the revolt, and promised a huge award and a high government position to a person that captures LSG and Jo Minsu.

LSG ordered Yu Mansu to attack the Soong In Gate while he attacked the Seon Ui Gate. Both of them retreated after losing to Choi Young. Jo Minsu attacked following their failture, but he retreated after a loss as well. However, LSG and Jo Minsu eventually made it through the gate, which led Choi Young's army to retreat inside the palace. The palace was captured soon after Choi Young's retreat.

Choi Young was captured by Kwak Chungbo and exiled. Jo Minsu and LSG dethroned King Wu, enthroned Chang to take control of power, and ordered the government officials to wear Ming style uniform to prevent an invasion from Ming. Choi Young was first exiled to his hometown of Goyang, moved to Happo(today's Masan), and then to Chungju before he was brought back to Gaegyung to be executed on December of 1388.

[ajk]

Wow, so much of what's here was very accurately shown in the series. Even the exact four arguments that Seonggye made against the Liaodong attack. How great is that! The biggest difference, you pointed it out already truth: the gate attacks were much more difficult than the series showed.

Thanks as usual for the post.

[truth]

My pleasure as always, ajk. Here's the next batch of translations

King Chang(1380-1389, R.1388-1389)

Full name : Wang Chang

Lee Seonggye and Jo Minsu went separate ways after dethroning King Wu. Jo Minsu wanted to enthrone Wu's son Chang as the next king while LSG wanted to enthrone someone else from the royal family. Jo Minsu didn't have anyone backing him, so he asked Lee Saek to support him. Lee Saek asked King Gongmin's 3rd wife Queen Ik for an enthronement order of King Chang. Queen Ik did as she was asked and Chang was enthroned as the king at the age of 8.

Lee Saek and Jo Minsu naturally became the center of political scene for enthroning Chang. LSG asked for permission to retire out of frustration, which was not permitted. LSG, Jeong Dojeon, and Jo Jun wanted reformation. On July of 1388, Jo Jun appealed his reformation plan regarding government positions, class, army, and politics to King Chang after having discussions with LSG and Jeong Dojeon. When Jo Minsu rejected Jo Jun's plan, Jo Jun impeached Jo Minsu for receiving bribes as a relative of LIY and exiled him to Changnyung on August.

Jo Minsu's banishment was a huge blow to Lee Saek, but Lee Saek still had power as a Chancellor. He and members of his faction such as Lee Rim, Wu Hyeonbo, Byun Ahn Yeol, and Kwon Geun prevented LSG's faction from executing their reformation plan.

When LSG's faction started to become stronger, Lee Saek decided to use Ming's power to get rid of LSG and pushed for King Chang's visit to Ming. He resigned from his job when his request was not accepted. King Chang sent people to Lee Saek's house in order to bring him back, but Lee Saek refused to return. LSG naturally took full control of power.

A conspiracy plot was discovered soon after LSG took control of power. Kim Jeo and Jeong Deuk Hu tried to bribe Kwak Chungbo into assassinating LSG in order to put Wu back on the throne. Kwak Chungbo went straight to LSG and notified him of the plans. Kim Jeo was arrested while Jeong Deuk Hu committed suicide. Kim Jeo revealed that Byun Ahn Yeol, Lee Rim, Wu Hyeonbo, Wu In Yeol, Wang Ahn Deok, and Wu Hongsu were involved in the treason after being tortured. People that were mentioned either got executed or exiled. However, the fact that everyone on the treason list were from the anti-LSG faction might mean that the whole treason plot might have been fabricated by LSG and his faction.

LSG, Jo Jun, Jeong Dojeon, and Jeong Mongju dethroned King Chang and exiled him to Ganghwa Island on November of 1389 under the cause of "Dethrone the Fake and Enthrone the Authentic." LSG's faction claimed that Wu and Chang were descendants of Shin Don, not King Gongmin. On December, King Gong Yang sent Yu Gu to execute King Chang. Chang was only 9 years old at the time of his death.

[truth]

King Goingmin's 4th wife Queen Jeong - Queen Jeong was the daughter of Ahn Geuk In. She became a queen on 1364, but was thrown out of the palace when Ahn Geuk In opposed the building of a new palace to honor Princess Noguk. When Hong Ryun and Han Ahn tried to rape her under Gongmin's order after she returned to the palace, she tried to hang herself which led Gongmin to cancel his order.

King Wu often visited her place after Gongmin's death. It is said that Wu told her, "Why is there no one as beautiful as you among my concubines?" There were rumors of Wu committing adultery with Queen Jeong, but she introduced her niece to Wu to turn his attention away from her. She dethroned King Gong Yang and enthroned Lee Seonggye, which allowed her to survive after the foundation of Joseon dynasty.




King Gong Yang(1345-1394, R.1389-1392)

Full name : Wang Yo

King Gong Yang was the son of Wang Kyun, the descendant of Emperor Shinjong, on February of 1345. His prince title was Jeong Chang. He became a king at the age of 45 when Lee Seonggye, Jeong Mongju, Jo Jun, and Jeong Dojeon enthroned him after dethroning King Chang under the cause of "Dethrone the Fake and Enthrone the Authentic."

Prior to his enthronement, LSG, Shim Deokbu, Ji Yong Gi, Jeong Mongju, Seol Jangsu, Seong Seok Rin, Jo Jun, Park Wi, and Jeong Dojeon gathered on Heung Guk Temple to discuss who to enthrone after dethroning Chang. Almost everyone wanted to enthrone Wang Yo except for Jo Jun. Jo Jun insisted that Wang Yo could be good at governing assets but not at governing country since he grew up in a rich family. Seong Seok Rin argued that a person's character was the most important qualification for a king, not his family background, and insisted that they vote to decide a new king and Wang Yo was elected as the new king.

Next day, LSG and his 8 followers who were at the temple asked King Gongmin's 3rd wife Queen Ik to dethrone King Chang and enthrone Wang Yo as the new king. She did as she was asked and Wang Yo became the new king. LSG and his 8 followers automatically took full control of power. Lee Saek also received a high ranking position, but was exiled only a month after Gong Yang was enthroned along with his son Lee Jong Hak for enthroning King Chang. Jo Minsu, who was already exiled, was re-exiled to Samcheok. Lee Sung In, Ha Ryun, and Kwon Geun were also exiled.

LSG strongly insisted that King Wu and Chang should be executed. King Gong Yang hesitantly agreed, but kept postponing the order. He eventually had no choice but to send Yu Gu to execute King Chang and Seo Gyun Hyung to execute King Wu. LSG became the Chancellor after their executions.

LSG and his 8 followers engaged in a series of Neo-Confucian reformations in politics, economy, society, education, and culture as soon as they took control of power. A debate contest was established to vitalize political discussions and military official exam was set up to improve the quality of the army. New Confucian schools were set up in Gaegyung(capital city of Goryo). Peasants were ordered to set up their own small shrine in their houses to honor their ancestors and Buddhist priests of nobility blood were forced to return to their families and work.

Jo Jun's land reform proposal "Gwajeonbeop" was selected for land reform. New slave laws were set up. The capital was changed to Han Yang(today's Seoul) on 1390, but was moved back to Gaegyung on 1391. However, Nam Eun, Jo Jun, and Jeong Dojeon weren't satisfied despite all the reformations. They wanted to enthrone LSG as the new king to establish a new dynasty.

Jeong Mongju, Lee Sung In, and Lee Jong Hak, on the other hand, wanted reformation within Goryo dynasty and decided that they had to get rid of the opposition wanting a new dynasty. On March of 1392, LSG was seriously injured after falling off his horse while he was hunting at Hwangju. He was set to go meet Crown Prince Wang Seok who was returning from his trip to Ming after hunting. LSG was unable to return to the capital due to his injury. Jeong Mongju took advantage of the opportunity and exiled Jo Jun, Nam Eun, Jeong Dojeon, Nam Jae, Jo Bak, and Oh Sachung on April. LSG quickly returned to Gaegyung on his sedan chair upon hearing the news. LSG's 5th son Lee Bang Won, who felt very threatened by Jeong Mongju, ordered Jo Yeonggyu to assassinate Jeong Mongju.

Kim Jin Yang, Lee Hwak, Lee Rae, Lee Gam, Kwon Hong, Jeong Hee, Kim Myo, Seo Gyon, Lee Jak, Lee Shin, Lee Sung In, Lee Jong Hak, Jo Ho, Lee Cheom, Lee Sa Hyung, Seol Jang Su, Kang Hee Baek, Yu Gi, and Choi Hahm were exiled after Jeong Mongju was assassinated. Jo Jun, Nam Eun, and Jeong Dojeon returned to the capital on June.

On July of 1392, Jeong Dojeon, Nam Eun, Jo Jun, and Bae Geuk Ryeom asked Queen Jeong to dethrone King Gong Yang and enthrone LSG as the new king. Queen Jeong did as she was asked. LSG became the new king and changed the name of the dynasty to Joseon on February of 1393.

Goryo dynasty ended after 474 years of history. LSG drowned almost every members of the Wang clan after becoming king. The few who evaded the drowning either took their mother's surname or changed their surnames to Jeon, Ok, or Yong in order to survive.

King Gong Yang was degraded to a prince, exiled to Wonju, re-exiled to Gansung, and finally exiled to Samcheok where he was executed at the age of 50 on April of 1394. King Taejong(Lee Bang Won) gave his king title back on 1416 and named him King Gong Yang.

[ajk]

Ah, so Jeongbi did it for fear of her own life. The series didn't really deal with that but it makes sense, as far as why she would do it.

Wow, lots of good stuff in the Gongyang section that the series didn't cover. (Not a criticism; they can't cover everything.) And Taejong giving him his title back posthumously, I wonder why he did that? Especially after so much time had passed.

Anyway, it's great to have this stuff here; thanks as usual for sharing it. Some of the stuff you've shared probably isn't available anywhere else online in English, so it's a real privilege to have it.

[truth]

Taejong gave his title back since there was no need to be hostile to Goryeo dynasty anymore. It's been almost 30 years since the foundation of Joseon dynasty by this time, Joseon dynasty was enjoying firm stability, and it was going nowhere. There were also still a lot of people who didn't like what the Lee family did to the Wang clan and people that stayed loyal to Goryeo, so Bangwon turned pro-Goryeo to get people to like him and the new dynasty. He gave Gong Yang his title back and idolized Jeong Mongju as the symbol of loyalty and the greatest Confucian scholar ever while putting down Jeong Dojeon as the biggest scum ever, excluding him from subjects of merit, and rebelling him as a "traitor." Jeong Mongju and Lee Saek's followers start coming into Joseon politics little by little from this point on.

(The drama will not cover Taejong's rule, so this isn't a spoiler)









Anyways, here's the next batch of translations.

King Gong Yang had one son and 3 daughters from one his Queen Soon.

Queen Soon- Queen Soon was the daughter of Noh Jin, was married to Gong Yang before he was a king, and became a queen on November of 1389. She was executed along with King Gong Yang.

Crown Prince Wang Seok - Wang Seok was the eldest son of King Gong Yang and became a Crown Prince on November of 1389. Lee Won Gweng's daughter was made Crown Princess on 1391. He visited Ming on the December of same year and returned on March of 1392. Jo Jun, Seo Gyun Hyung, and Lee Ji were his teachers. He was executed along with King Gong Yang and his mother.




Jeong Mongju(1338-1392)

Birth name : Jeong Mong Ran

Youth name : Jeong Mong Ryong

Confucian Nickname : Poeun

Legitimate name : Jeong Mongju


(Jeong Mongju's life prior to the parts covered in the drama will be skipped as it is irrelevant to the drama)


On 1376, Jeong Mongju was exiled to Un Yang for opposing Lee In Im and Ji Yun's pro-Yuan policies. He returned to the capital on the next year. He was sent to Japan to protest about Japanese pirates a while after his return. This was part of Lee In Im's plot to get rid of Jeong Mongju as he expected that JM would make the Japanese angry and get himself killed. Jeong Mongju, however, successfully returned to Goryeo along with hundreds of Goryeo peasant captives due to his eloquent reasoning. He became Goryeo's official diplomat from this point on as he visited Ming on 1382 and 1384 to stabilize Goryeo-Ming relationship. However, the relationship between Ming deteriorated on 1387 due to territorial disputes.

On February of 1388, King Wu and Choi Young's Yodong Invasion plan ends in failure as a result of Lee Seonggye's Wihwado Withdrawal. On 1389, Jeong Mongju and LSG dethroned King Chang and enthroned King Gong Yang under the cause of "Dethrone the Fake and Enthrone the Authentic." LSG, Shim Deokbu, Ji Yong Gi, Jeong Mongju, Seol Jangsu, Seong Seok Rin, Jo Jun, Park Wi, and Jeong Dojeon took full control of power after enthroning Gong Yang. LSG, Ji Yong Gi, and Park Wi were military officers while the rest of them were Confucian scholars. Ji Yong Gi, Seol Jangsu, and Jeong Mongju wanted reformation within Goryeo dynasty while the rest of them wanted to form a new dynasty. Jeong Mongju brought in Lee Saek's followers to balance the power.

Jeong Mongju's side lost military power when Ji Yong Gi, the only military officer on JM's side, was exiled for his second cousin Wang Ikbu's treason plot. However, the opportunity came for JM when LSG was seriously injured after falling off his horse while he was hunting at Hwangju on March of 1392. He was set to go meet Crown Prince Wang Seok who was returning from his trip to Ming after hunting. Jeong Mongju took advantage of the opportunity and exiled Jo Jun, Nam Eun, Jeong Dojeon, Nam Jae, Jo Bak, Oh Sachung, and Yun Sojong. LSG quickly returned to Gaegyung on his sedan chair upon hearing the news. LSG's 5th son Lee Bang Won, who felt very threatened by Jeong Mongju, ordered Jo Yeonggyu to assassinate Jeong Mongju. Lee Bang Won visited Jeong Mongju numerous times before assassinating him in order to convince him to join the revolution, but failed to do so.

Jeong Mongju was very close to Lee Seonggye. He served under LSG at a battle against Japanese pirates on 1380 and served once again under LSG at Dongbukmyeon on 1382. LSG referred to Jeong Mongju as his "friend." They were both pro-Ming and pro-reformists, but they had to turn their backs on each other for one reason. Jeong Mongju wanted to reform Goryeo dynasty while LSG wanted to form a new dynasty.

Both Jeong Mongju and LSG wanted a make a new country that has Neo-Confucianism as the state ideology. Jeong Mongju was more focused on creating a Neo-Confucian state while LSG was more focused on creating a "whole new" country. Jeong Mongju refused to betray his loyalty to Goryeo dynasty.

Jeong Mongju wasn't the only one who stayed loyal to Goryeo dynasty. 72 Confucian scholars such as Im Seonmi, Jo Uiseng, Seong Sajae, Park Munsu, Min Ahnbu, Kim Chung Han, and Lee Ui moved into a town in Dumundong after the foundation of Joseon dynasty and refused to serve for a new dynasty. They never came out of the town, which spread the saying "Once you move into Dumun, you never come out." A story spread about LSG burning all of them to death, but it is not known whether this is true or not. King Jeongjo built a shrine to honor them on 1783.


On 1405, King Taejong(Lee Bang Won) appointed Jeong Mongju as the honorary Prime Minister of Joseon. Jeong Mongju was enshrined on 13 shrines in Gaegyung(capital city of Goryeo). Jeong Mongju's ideology was revered by Confucian scholars of Joseon dynasty such as Kim Jong Jik and Jo Gwangjo.

[truth]

King Taejo(1335-1408, R.1392-1398)

Full name : Lee Seonggye

(Lee Seonggye's life prior to the parts covered in the drama will be skipped as it is irrelevant to the drama)

On 1376, Japanese pirates conquered Gongju but was defeated by Lee Seonggye. On 1377, LSG defeated Japanese pirates in Kyungsang Province, Jeolla Province, and Mount Jiri. On 1380, LSG defeated Japanese pirates led by Akibatsu at the Battle of Hwangsan.

On 1382, LSG defeated the Jurchens led by Hu Ba Du at Dongbukmyeon. On 1385, LSG defeated Japanese pirates at Hamju. On 1388, LSG was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor.

(History from Yodong Withdrawl to LSG's enthroment were already covered in parts about Goryeo kings and Life of Jeong Mongju, so I'll be jumping right to LSG's reign as a king)

The capital was changed to Han Yang(today's Seoul) on October of 1394. Jeong Dojeon wrote the "Joseongyeongukjeon" on the same year. Pro-Confucianism/Anti-Buddhist policy was set up. Confucian schools were built all over the country including the Seongkyunkwan in Han Yang while many Buddhist temples were destroyed.

LSG appointed his 8th son Bangseok, who was the son of his 2nd wife, as the Crown Prince, which resulted in opposition from the sons of his 1st wife. On 1398, LSG's 5th son Lee Bangwon killed Jeong Dojeon, Nam Eun, Bangseok, and LSG's 7th son Bangbeon. This was known as the First Strife of the Princes. This led LSG to abdicate his throne on September of the same year. LSG's 2nd son Banggwa,or King Jeongjong, became the 2nd king of Joseon.

On 1400, Lee Bangwon suppressed LSG's 4th son Lee Banggan's Second Strife of the Princes. King Jeongjong abdicated his throne on the same year and Lee Bangwon, or King Taejong, became the 3rd king of Joseon. When Bangwon became king, LSG moved back to his hometown of Hamju(today's Hamheung).

He returned to Han Yang on 1402 when Taejong sent Buddhist monk Muhak to convince him. LSG devoted his life to Buddhism after returning to the capital and spent every day of life praying to Buddha until he died on the 24th of May, 1408 at age 74.

King Taejo had 6 wives, 8 sons, and 5 daughters.


1st wife Queen Shin Ui - Queen Shin Ui was the daughter of Han Gyung. She died on 1391 at the age of 55. She had 6 sons named Bangu, Banggwa(King Jeongjong), Bangui, Banggan, Bangwon(King Taejong), and Bangyeon, and 2 daughters named Kyung Shin and Kyung Seon. LSG gave her the title Queen Jeol after he became king, but King Jeongjong changed her title to Shin Ui.

2nd wife Queen Shin Deok - Queen Shin Deok was the daughter of Kang Yoon Seong. She had 2 sons named Bangbeon and Bangseok, and a daughter named Kyung Soon. LSG gave her the title Queen Hyun after he became king, but her title was changed to Shin Deok after her death on 1396. When Bangwon became king, he demoted her from her status as a queen, moved her tomb numerous times from the original location, and banned anyone from paying tribute. Her queen status was only restored 200 years later during King Hyunjong.

3rd wife Queen Seong and 4th wife Lady Jeong Gyung had no children.

5th wife Lady Hwa Ui gave birth to Princess Sook Shin and the 6th wife whose name is unknown gave birth to Princess Ui Ryeong.


Prince Jin Ahn(1354-1393)

Full name : Lee Bangu

Lee Bangu was born in 1354 as the eldest son of LSG and Queen Shin Ui. He was married to the daughter of Ji Yoon. On 1388, he was sent to Ming along with Kang Hwae Baek as messengers. On August of 1392, he was appointed as Prince Jin Ahn after the foundation of Joseon dynasty and received Go Won as his private land. He died at the age of 39 on 1393 after he became an alcoholic due to his grievance for the demise of Goryeo dynasty.

Prince Ik Ahn(?-1404)

Full name : Lee Bangui

Lee Bangui was the 3rd son of LSG and Queen Shin Ui. He served under Bangwon during the First Strife of the Princes. He was appointed as the Commander of Armies of Kyunggi Province and Chungcheong Province during the reign of King Jeongjong. He served under Bangwon again during the Second Strife of the Princes. He passed away on 1404.



More to come on another day....

[truth]

Prince Hwae Ahn(1364-1421)

Full name : Lee Banggan

Lee Banggan was the 4th son of LSG and Queen Shin Ui. He served under Bangwon during the First Strife of the Princes. He was appointed as the Commander of Armies of Northwestern territories during the reign of King Jeongjong. On 1400, Banggan and Park Po rebelled against Bangwon in an event known as the Second Strife of the Princes. He was exiled for life after the loss.


Prince Mu Ahn(1364-1421)

Full name : Lee Bangbeon

Lee Bangbeon was the 1st son of LSG and Queen Shindeok. He was appointed as the Commander of the Left Army at the age of 13. Taejo tried to appoint him as the Crown Prince at first, but could not do so due to disapproval from Jo Jun and Jeong Dojeon. He was killed along with his younger brother Bangseok at the age of 18 during the First Strife of the Princes.


Prince Ui Ahn(1364-1421)

Full name : Lee Bangseok

Lee Bangseok was the younger brother of Bangbeon who was married to the daughter of Shim Hyoseng. Bangseok was appointed as the Crown Prince at the age of 11. He was killed along with his older brother Bangbeon at the age of 17 during the First Strife of the Princes.


Prince Wonsan(1330-?)

Full name : Lee Wongye

Lee Wongye was Lee Seonggye's illegitimate brother who was the son of LSG's father Lee Jachun and his slave Nae Eunjang. He was 5 years older than LSG. LWG served under LSG in many battles during the Koryo dynasty. He fought against Red Turbans and the Yuan dynasty. On 1377, he served under Na Sae to defeat the Japanese pirates in Ganghwa Island. On 1380, he defended Jeolla Province against the Japanese pirates. He also served under LSG at the Battle of Hwangsan. On 1388, he was part of LSG's Wihwado Withdrawal. LSG burned LWG's slave document for the things LWG did for him. However, LWG committed suicide after learning about LSG's plan to establish a new dynasty. LWG was appointed as Prince Wansan after the foundation of Joseon.







Jeong Dojeon(1337-1392)

Confucian Nickname : Sambong

(Jeong Dojeon's life prior to the parts covered in the drama will be skipped as it is irrelevant to the drama)

On 1375, Jeong Dojeon was exiled to Naju for protesting against Lee In Im, Kwon Shin, and Kyung Bok Heung's pro-Yuan policies. He was released from his exile after 2 years. He then lived in seclusion for 4 years until he moved to Han Yang(today's Seoul) to open up a small school to teach children. On 1383, JD visited LSG in Dongbukmyeon and made friends with him. On 1388, he and Jo Jun came up with reform proposal after the Wihwado Withdrawal and helped LSG to take full control of the royal court. On 1389, he and Jeong Mongju dethroned King Chang and enthroned King Gong Yang as the new king. On 1391, JD became the Commander of the Right Army. When LSG injured himself by falling off a horse on 1392, Jeong Mongju and Kim Jin Yang impeached and exiled JD for being a son of a slave woman. Jeong Mongju was assassinated by Lee Bangwon, who felt threatened by JM's influence. Jeong Dojeon, Jo Jun, and Nam Eun then enthroned LSG as the new king to establish Joseon dynasty.

Jeong Dojeon moved the capital city of new country to Han Yang(Seoul) and planned the Conquest of Yodong(Liadong) when the Ming Chinese asked for too much tribute. After the foundation of Joseon, Jeong Dojeon often compared himself to Zhang Liang of the Han dynasty by saying that "It wasn't Emperor Gaozu of Han(Liu Bang) that used Zhang Liang, but it was Zhang Liang who used Emperor Gaozu to establish Han dynasty." He was basically saying that he himself used LSG to establish Joseon dynasty.

He also called for the dissolution of private armies and a constitutional monarchy, in which the country would be ruled by a prime minister while king would only be a symbol of the country. Lee Bangwon, the 5th son of LSG, did not like that at all, rebelled, killed JD and Bangseok on 1398 in what is known as the First Strife of the Princes. JD was 62 on the day of his death.

[jewel]

Sept 30, 2014 15:08:10 GMT -5 truth said:

"It wasn't Emperor Gaozu of Han(Liu Bang) that used Zhang Liang, but it was Zhang Liang who used Emperor Gaozu to establish Han dynasty." He was basically saying that he himself used LSG to establish Joseon dynasty.

Very interesting...