Gwiin Jo (Injo)
| Gwiin Jo 귀인 조씨 | |
|---|---|
| Royal Consort of the First Junior Rank | |
| Tenure | 1649 – 24 January 1652 |
| Born | 1619 Joseon |
| Died | 24 January 1652 (aged 32–33) Hanseong, Joseon |
| Spouse | Injo of Joseon |
| Issue |
|
| House |
|
| Father | Jo Gi |
| Mother | Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 귀인 조씨 |
| Hanja | 貴人 趙氏 |
| RR | Gwiin Jossi |
| MR | Kwiin Chossi |
Gwiin Jo (1619 – 24 January 1652),[1] of the Okcheon Jo clan, widely known as Soyong Jo, was a consort of King Injo of Joseon. She is one of the best-known femme fatales in Korean history.[2]
Biography
Early life
She was initially arranged to become the maid of a lord's daughter, but instead became a palace woman. She used to serve Queen Inyeol's brother-in-law, and the Queen was the one who arranged for her to enter the palace.
Royal favorite
She caught King Injo's eye, and became his favourite consort overnight; her rank also changed rapidly, from the lowest sugwon to sowon, soyong, soui, and was finally declared a royal consort of the first junior rank, gwiin.[3]
No one could beat her in terms of receiving the King’s affection; both Queen Jangnyeol and Sugui Jang failed to receive Injo’s love.
Her personality was described as that of a sensual but cunning woman, and those who were in her bad book would not be safe in front of the King. Because of this, people inside the palace were very afraid of her. It was rumored that Lady Jo disturbed the relationship between Injo and Queen Jangnyeol, with the intention to tear them apart.
Feud with the crown princess
Lady Jo harbored hatred towards the family of Crown Prince Sohyeon, particularly Crown Princess Minhoe. Since the day she reached the rank of soyong, she would badmouth them in front of Injo and it became a common thing for her to slander them with false accusations. Although there was no record of her involvement with Crown Prince Sohyeon's death, her slanders did not stop after the prince died. Because of that, Crown Princess Minhoe suspected her of poisoning her husband.[4] The acupuncturist who treated Prince Sohyeon before his death was Yi Hyeong-ik, who was rumored to be in a relationship with Lady Jo's mother.
Lady Jo accused the Crown Princess of attempting to poison Injo, leading to the Crown Princess' execution.
Later life
After Injo's death, she was discovered to be involved in an attempt to put a curse on Queen Jangnyeol and on the Queen's niece. Kim Chajŏm was her accomplice and was executed. King Hyojong decided to spare the life of Princess Hyomyeong, his half-sister, since she was not involved in the incident. Lady Jo was sentenced to death by poisoning and her mother, who was also an accomplice, died before she could receive her punishment. There were officials suggesting for Lady Jo to be stripped of her position as a royal consort but out of respect for his father who treasured her, King Hyojong did not go through with the idea.[5]
Family
- Father: Jo Gi (조기; 1574–?)
- Mother
- Biological: Han Ok, Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan (한옥, 청주 한씨; 1578–1652); Jo Gi’s second wife
- Step: Lady Sim of the Cheongsong Sim clan (청송 심씨; 1575–?); daughter of Sim Heun (심흔; 沈忻; 1549–?)
- Sibling(s)
- Elder half-brother: Jo Yang-pil (조양필; 趙良弼; 1600–?)
- Sister-in-law: Lady Yi of the Seongju Yi clan (성주 이씨; 1600–?)
- Adopted nephew: Jo Jeong-gu (조정구; 趙鼎耉; 1633–?); eldest son of Jo Hyeon-pil (조현필; 1608–?)
- Sister-in-law: Lady Yi of the Seongju Yi clan (성주 이씨; 1600–?)
- Elder half-brother: Jo Yang-pil (조양필; 趙良弼; 1600–?)
- Husband: Yi Jong, King Injo of Joseon (조선 인조 이종; 7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649)
- Father-in-law: Grand Internal Prince Jeongwon (정원 대원군; 2 August 1580 – 29 December 1619)
- Mother-in-law: Queen Inheon of the Neungseong Gu clan (인헌왕후 능성 구씨; 17 April 1578 – 14 January 1626)
- Issue
- Daughter: Princess Hyomyeong (효명옹주; 1637–1700)
- Son-in-law: Kim Se-ryong, Prince Consort Nakseong (낙성위 김세룡; 1636–1651)
- Son: Yi Jing, Prince Sungseon (숭선군 이징; 17 October 1639 – 6 January 1690)
- Daughter-in-law: Princess Consort Yeongpung of the Pyongsan Shin clan (영풍군부인 평산 신씨; 1639–1692)
- Grandson: Yi Hang, Prince Dongpyeong (동평군 이항; 1660–1701)
- Grandson: Yi Kang (동성정 이강; 1662–?)
- Granddaughter: Lady Yi (이씨; 1664–?)
- Granddaughter: Lady Yi (이씨; 1666–?)
- Granddaughter: Lady Yi (이씨; 1668–?)
- Granddaughter: Lady Yi (이씨; 1670–?)
- Daughter-in-law: Princess Consort Yeongpung of the Pyongsan Shin clan (영풍군부인 평산 신씨; 1639–1692)
- Son: Yi Suk, Prince Nakseon (낙석군 이숙; 9 December 1641 – 26 April 1695)
- Daughter-in-law: Princess Consort Dongwon of the Gangneung Kim clan (동원군부인 강릉 김씨; 1643–1722)
- Adoptive grandson: Yi Hwan, Prince Imyang (임양군 이환; 1654–1729); adopted in 1662
- Daughter-in-law: Princess Consort Dongwon of the Gangneung Kim clan (동원군부인 강릉 김씨; 1643–1722)
- Daughter: Princess Hyomyeong (효명옹주; 1637–1700)
In popular culture
- Portrayed by Seo Hyun-jin in the 2012 MBC TV series The King's Doctor.
- Portrayed by Kim Hyun-joo, Lee Chae-mi and Heo Jung-eun in the 2013 JTBC TV series Blooded Palace: The War of Flowers.[6]
- Portrayed by Kim Min-seo in the 2015 MBC TV series Splendid Politics.
- Portrayed by Ahn Eun-jin in the 2022 film The Night Owl.
- Portrayed by So Yoo-jin in the 2023 MBC TV series My Dearest.
References
- ^ 14 December 1651 by the traditional lunisolar Korean calendar
- ^ 신, 명호 (2009-05-30). 조선공주실록: 화려한 이름 아래 가려진 공주들의 역사 (in Korean). 역사의아침. ISBN 978-89-93119-09-1.
- ^ 이, 한우 (2012-01-01). 왕의 하루 - 실록과 사관이 미처 쓰지 못한 비밀의 역사 (in Korean). 김영사. ISBN 978-89-349-6069-0.
- ^ 저, 신봉승 (2007-10-31). 실록대하소설18. 북벌 (in Korean). Kumsung Publishing. ISBN 978-89-07-05128-8.
- ^ 인조 제16대 조선의왕 보고서 [Report of King Injo, the 16th King of Joseon]. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "효명옹주 '파란만장한 삶' 창살없는 감옥서 산 눈물의 64세월". 코리아데일리 (in Korean). 2016-07-04. Retrieved 2022-03-22.