Sejong (Episode 44)

[sandra]

After watching the past few episodes, I can't stand watching the "Great" King. What a wimp! He allows his father-in-law to be trapped, tortured, and killed, and, it appears, his mother-in-law and her children. How is he any different from his father? O, he's going to spare his wife for which he will be compensated by a bevy of high-born "concubines", who are really girls who are forced into sexual slavery by the king and others. I find the whole mess pretty disgusting, especially those officials standing around watching people being tortured and obviously enjoying themselves. Yuck!

[ajk]

Hi, Sandra--I added an episode number to the title of your new thread, just to warn everyone who hasn't seen recent episodes that the thread covers events up through #44. If you could, please do include the episode number in any new threads that you start.

I think you're absolutely right about Sejong in these episodes. I've lost count of the number of times I've muttered something that includes either "wussy boy" or "grow a pair." Finally in #44 we saw the first hint of him pushing back. His conversation with his father was very clever--the way he said, Oh, now I understand you, you even banished your father, now how should I handle things. But he has a long way to go yet. I really figured that time in the north would have toughened him up more. But maybe sitting on the throne has intimidated him.

[jinju0]

so what is the title "Gongbi" that the Queen now has?

[Candylover]

Jinju0, 'Gongbi' means 'official queen.' Actually we need not prefix 'official' to 'queen,' but the term seems to put emphasis on her position shift from princess to queen. King Sejong had 1 queen and 5 consorts, and 18 sons and 4 daughters.
Queen So-Heon whose father was killed in the last episode delivered 10 sons and 2 daughters.

BTW, in Korean, 'princess' exclusively means a daughter of a king, not a wife of a prince, but in English pricess seems to mean both. How can you tell one from the other? I know Princess Diana is not a dauther of a king, but a wife of a prince, but aren't there any options other than 'princess'?

[jinju0]

thank you candylover. i thought that maybe she had been demoted somehow. i can't believe all the children, WOW.


well, i looked it up in google.

Princess

Princess is the feminine form of prince (from Latin princeps, meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or her daughters, women whose station in life depended on their relationship to a prince and who could be disowned and stripped of the title if he so chose.
For many centuries, the title "princess" was not regularly used for a monarch's daughter, who might simply be called "Lady" or a non-English equivalent; Old English had no female equivalent to "prince", "earl", or any royal or noble aside from the queen, and the women of nobility bore the title of "Lady".

As women have slowly gained more autonomy through European history, the title of princess has become simply the female counterpart of prince and does not necessarily imply being controlled or owned by a prince. In some cases then, a princess is the female hereditary head of state of a province or other significant area in her own right. The ancient meaning applies in Europe still to the extent that a female commoner who marries a prince will almost always become a princess, but a male commoner who marries a princess will almost never become a prince, unless his wife has, or is expected to attain, a higher title, such as Queen regnant. The implication is that if the man held the equivalent masculine title, he would have rank over his wife without the necessary pedigree.
In many of Europe's royal families, a king would grant his heirs actual or theoretical principalities to train them for future kingship or to give them social rank. This practice has led over time to many people thinking that "prince" and "princess" are titles reserved for the immediate family of a king or queen. In fact, most princesses in history were not immediate members of a royal family but women who married into it; however, in many cases, a princess would choose someone outside of royalty to wed.



so. it sounds like it use to be as you stated, but has changed as time went by. does this help?

[Candylover]

Thanks, jinju0! It was very helpful.
And my explanation about Gongbi should be corrected.
Queen So-Heon was the posthumous title given after she had died, and Queen Gong (Gongbi) was the title used while she lived. But Queen Gong does not mean 'Officail Queen,' it means 'Polite Queen.'

1408 - given the title of Bin (At the age of 14, she married Choong-Nyeong who was 2 years younger than her)

1417 - Given the title of Great Lady of Sahm-hahn

1418 June - given the title of Gyeong-Bin (After Choong-Nyeong was chosen as the crown prince)

1418 December - given the title of Queen Gong (after Choong-Nyeong ascended to the throne)

1432 - given the title of Queen (just 'Queen')