Taejong of Joseon

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Taejong (Template:Korean; 16 May 1367 – 10 May 1422),Template:EfnTemplate:Efn personal name Yi Pangwŏn (Template:Korean), was the third monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of Sejong the Great.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was the fifth son of King Taejo, the founder of the dynasty. Before ascending to the throne, he was known as Grand Prince Jeongan (Template:Korean).

Biography

Early life and founding of Joseon

Born in 1367 as the fifth son of Yi Sŏnggye and his first wife Lady Han, Yi Pangwŏn qualified as an official in 1382. He studied under Confucian scholars such as Wŏn Ch'ŏnsŏk.<ref name="aks2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="navercast2">Template:Cite web</ref> During his early years, he assisted his father in gathering the support of the commoners and of many influential figures in the government; Yi Pangwŏn also helped in the founding of Joseon by assassinating powerful officials who remained loyal to Goryeo, most prominently Chŏng Mong-ju.

Strifes of Princes

After contributing heavily to the overthrowing of the previous dynasty and the establishment of Joseon, he expected to be appointed as successor to the throne. However, his father and Chief State Councillor Chŏng Tojŏn favored Taejo's eighth son and Yi Pangwŏn's youngest half-brother (second son of Queen Sindeok), Yi Pangsŏk. This conflict arose chiefly because Chŏng Tojŏn, as the principal architect of the ideological, institutional and legal foundations of the new dynasty, saw Joseon as a kingdom led by its ministers by virtue of the king's appointment. In contrast, Yi Pangwŏn sought direct rule through an absolute monarchy. These differences ultimately contributed to an environment of deep political tension.

King Taejo, possibly motivated by fondness for his second wife, had selected his youngest son by that wife, Grand Prince Ŭian, as his heir apparent. Chŏngan, frustrated that he and the other sons of Taejo's first wife had been passed over, began moving to eliminate his half-brothers from the line of succession. After Taejo fell ill, Chŏngan launched the Template:Ill, in which he had both children of Taejo's second wife, including the crown prince, murdered. He then declared his older brother and Taejo's second son, Grand Prince Yŏngan, crown prince. In the 9th month, Taejo abdicated the throne in favor of Yŏngan, who became King Jeongjong (Template:Reign). As Jeongjong did not have any sons, he intended to pass the throne onto Chŏngan after his death. However, in the 2nd month of 1400, their brother Grand Prince Hoean attempted to seize the throne in the Template:Ill. The coup was suppressed. Soon afterwards, Jeongjong abdicated the throne in favor of Yŏngan, who became King Taejong (Template:Reign).Template:Sfn

Reign

Consolidation of royal power

One of Taejong's first acts as king was to abolish the privilege to maintain private armies which was enjoyed by the aristocracy and the upper echelons of the government. His revoking of the right to keep independent forces effectively severed the upper class' ability to muster large-scale revolts, and drastically increased the number of soldiers employed by the national army.

Taejong's next act was to revise the existing legislation concerning land taxation. With the discovery of previously hidden land, national wealth increased twofold.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In addition, Taejong created a strong central government. In 1400, before taking the throne, he had played a key role in eradicating the Template:Ill, a branch of the old administration that had monopolized the executive power during the waning years of Goryeo, in favor of the Privy Council; during Taejong's reign, the Privy Council was replaced by the State Council. Taejong also issued a decree according to which all decisions passed by the State Council could only come into effect with the approval of the king. This ended the custom of court ministers making decisions through debate and negotiations among themselves, and thus brought the royal authority to new heights.

Shortly thereafter, Taejong installed a new department known as the Sinmun Office, to hear cases in which aggrieved subjects felt that they had been exploited or treated unjustly by officials or aristocrats.<ref name="aks2" />

Reforms and policies

Despite being the one responsible for Chŏng Mong-ju's assassination, Taejong posthumously honored him as Chief State Councillor, leading to a great irony — Chŏng Tojŏn, whose policies governed Joseon for five centuries, was vilified throughout the dynasty, while Chŏng Mong-ju was revered in spite of his opposition to its founding.Template:Citation needed

Taejong promoted Confucianism as the state ideology, thus demoting Buddhism, which consequently never recovered the glory and great power it had enjoyed during the Goryeo period. He closed many Buddhist temples; their vast possessions were seized and added to the national treasury.

In foreign policy, he was a straight hardliner — he attacked the Jurchens at the northern border and the Japanese pirates on the southern coast. Taejong is also remembered for being the initiator behind the Ōei Invasion of Tsushima Island in 1419.

He set up the system of hopae, an early form of identification which consisted of tags recording the bearer's name and residence; those tags were used to control the movements of the population.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1403, Taejong ordered 100,000 pieces of metal type and two complete fonts. Predating Gutenberg and Laurens Janszoon by several decades, he accomplished the metal movable type.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

He promoted press, commerce, and education, and also reformed the Sapyeongsunwibu (Template:Korean), Joseon's early military and law enforcement agency, and separated the Uigeumbu as Joseon's law enforcement agency but without military functions.

Later life and death

In 1418, Taejong abdicated in favor of his third legitimate son, Yi To (posthumously King Sejong, commonly known as Sejong the Great), but continued to rule with an iron fist and decide on important matters.

Along the years, as a means to strengthen royal authority and subdue corruption, he executed or exiled some of the supporters who helped him ascend to the throne; he also executed the four brothers of his wife Queen Wŏn'gyŏng, as well as Sejong's father-in-law Sim On and his younger brother Sim Chŏng, in order to limit the influence of in-laws and powerful clans.

King Taejong died four years after his abdication, on 10 May 1422, in Sugang Palace. He was buried alongside Queen Wŏn'gyŏng at Heolleung (Template:Korean), part of the Heonilleung burial ground, in present-day Seocho District, Seoul, South Korea.

Legacy

Taejong remains a controversial figure in Korean history who eliminated many of his rivals (such as Chŏng Mong-ju and Chŏng Tojŏn) and yet ruled effectively to improve the populace's lives, strengthen national defense, and lay down a solid foundation for his successor's reign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Outside of Korea, he is better known for having fallen from his horse and requesting historians to not record his fall, which they did anyway.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Quote

Family

Parents

Consorts and issue

Ancestry

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See also

Notes

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References

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Sources

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