Hui-bin Jang

Lady Jang Hui-bin, the Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Indong Jang clan (3 November 1659– 9 November 1701) is one of the best known royal concubines of the Joseon Dynasty.

Biography

Her personal name was Jang Ok-jeong ([[Hangul]]: 장옥정, [[Hanja]]: 張玉貞). She was the daughter of Jang Hyeong (Hangul: 장형, Hanja: 張炯) and his second wife Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan. She is widely thought to be one of the most beautiful women in Joseon Dynasty, and her beauty was mentioned in the Annals. She belonged to chungin class or middle class and came from a long line of interpretes.

Ok-jeong became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Dowager Jangnyeol (King Injo's second queen) at the recommendation of Prince Dongpyeong (King Sukjong's first cousin once removed). After a visit with his step-great-grandmother (Queen Dowager Jangryeol), King Sukjong saw her and gave her the rank of favored sang-goong, which meant she had been favored for the king but since she and her family belonged to the contrary faction, Soron, the Queen Mother (mother of King Sukjong) who belonged to Noron, afraid of the influence she could have on the king, expelled her from Palace. She stayed out of the palace until 1683 when Queen Mother died and Queen Inhyeon (Sukjong Lawful wife) allowed her to come back. In 1686, she became Sukjong'S concubine with the title of Suk-Won (숙원, 淑媛).^[1] In 1688, she was elevated to So-Ui (소의, 昭儀) after giving birth to a son (the future King Gyeongjong) in the same year Queen Inhyeon was exiled. After this, in 1688, she was elevated again to the rank of Bin ( 빈, 嬪), with the prefix "Hui", meaning "beautiful". Then she was elevated to the position of Queen. It created a bloody dispute upheaval known as the Gisa Hwanguk.^[2]

During this time, Sukjong was relieved to have an heir to his throne, hence Sukjong wanted to give his eldest son, the title of Crown Prince. But this was impossible since he was born from a concubine, Sukjong asked Queen Inhyeon to adopt Jang Hui-Bin's child, a common procedure at the time. However, Queen Inhyeon was still young at 21 years old at the time of Gyeongjong's birth. This action was opposed by the Court that the promotion was inappropriate. Queen Inhyeon refused to adopt Gyeongjong as her own son, and was demoted from her position due to the political machinations of the time. This dispute led to not only the queen's removal but also a purge by banishment and poisoning of government officials of the Seoin, killed of the Noron leader and the banished and later death of Queen Father, that is known as Gisa Sahwa upheaval. Consort Jang Hui-Bin was promoted to a position as Queen as a result of these changes as the Namin faction came to power in the court.^[3]

Later, in 1694, Jang Hui-Bin lost favor of the king.^[4]Book East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, 3rd pag. 255) The King was disgusted by the Namin faction and the power the Jang family was gaining and tried to drive Jang Hui-Bin out. He had also started favoring Lady Choe (Later Choi Suk Bin) mother of Yeoninggeum (Future King Yeongjo) and an open supporter of the deposed Queen, he started to take steps to depose Jang. First, he banished the brother of the Queen and leaders of her party. Then, to save face, he brought Queen Inhyeon. Queen Inhyeon was first moved to a small palace in Andong, and then to the Mulberry Palace before finally returning to the main palace itself.

Jang Ok Jung, formerly the Queen Consort, was demoted to back to the rank of Hui-Bin. One of her servants stole a name tag used for identification purposes during the Joseon Dynasty from the Noron leader's slave and buried it next to Jang Hui-Bin's father's grave to suggest witchcraft by using a fetish that had been involved in the Noron's rise to prominence. After some investigating, the king discovered the ruse and had several court advisers killed or banished.^[5]

In 1701, Queen Inhyeon died of an unknown disease. Some historiographers believe that she was actually poisoned but it is not confirmed. The registers show that SukJong found Jang Hui-Bin in her room with a shaman priestess cursing the Queen and making merry over having her death with black magic.^[6] In spite of her being the mother of Crown Prince and the many pleads of her faction for forgiveness, the king sentenced her and all her companions to death, including her brother and mother. In his rage, the King investigated and killed her relatives and supporters. Her party petitioned the King to forgive her, but the King killed the leaders of Soron (her political faction) in response -- 1700 people died as result of the incident. ^[7] The courtiers that were against to give her poison for cause of the crown prince stability were exiled.^[8](cite Women in Korean History Pag.109-111) After this, on the seventh day of the tenth month in the twenty-seventh year of his reign (7 November 1701), Sukjong passed a decree prohibiting concubines from being allowed to become Queens Consort in the future. Jang Hui-Bin died by poison on 9 November (the 10th day of the 10th lunar Month) 1701 at Chwi Seon Dang, her royal residence inside Changdeok Palace. She was 42 years old.

Jang Hui-Bin was known for her greed of power, wanting the queen title and a story in which she is said to have severely wounded her son (then the Crown Prince (future King Gyeongjong)) making it impossible for him to produce an heir.^[9]

She was buried in Daebinmyo tomb in Seooreung^[10][11] (Address: 334-92, Seooreung-ro, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do). Originally entombed in Munhyeong-ri Opo-myeon Gwangju-gun Gyeonggi-do, she was moved to Daebinmyo in June 1969.^[12] Her memorial tablet was enshrined in Daebingung at Chilgung or "Palace of 7 Royal Concubine".

Nevertheless, as the mother of the Crown Prince, she was given the posthumous title "Lady Oksan, Great Concubine of the Palace; Prefectural Great Concubine of the Indong Jang clan" (대빈궁옥산부대빈장씨 大嬪宮玉山府大嬪張氏).

Ancestry

Issue

Lady Jang Heebin bore King Sukjong two sons:

• Crown Prince Yi Yun, later became King Gyeongjong.
• Prince Yi Seongsu (성수왕자) - disputed.

Titles

• 1659 - 1686: Jang Ok-Jeong (장옥정).
• 1686 - 1688: Lady Jang Suk-won, concubine of 8th rank (장 숙원).
• 1688: Lady Jang So-Ui, concubine of 3nd rank (장 소의).
• 1688: Lady Jang Hui-bin, the Royal Noble Consort Hui of Indong Jang clan (장 희빈).
• May 1688 - 1694: Queen Bu-Ok, Queen of Joseon, deposed.
• 1694 - 1701: demoted to, Lady Jang Hui-bin (장 희빈).

Her full posthumous name

• Lady Oksan, Great Concubine of the Palace; Prefectural Great Concubine of the Indong Jang clan
• 대빈궁옥산부대빈장씨
• 大嬪宮玉山府大嬪張氏

In popular culture

• Portrayed by Kim Ji-mee in 1961 film Jang Hui-bin.^[13]
• Portrayed by Nam Jeong-im in 1968 film Femme Fatale, Jang Hee-bin.^[14]
• Portrayed by Yoon Yeo-jeong in 1971 MBC TV series Jang Hui-bin.^[15]
• Portrayed by Lee Mi-sook in 1981 MBC TV series Women of History: Jang Hui-bin.^[15]
• Portrayed by Jeon In-hwa in 1988 MBC TV series 500 Years of Joseon: Queen Inhyeon.^[15]
• Portrayed by Jung Sun-kyung in 1995 SBS TV series Jang Hui-bin.^[15]
• Portrayed by Kim Hye-soo in 2002 KBS2 TV series Royal Story: Jang Hui-bin.^[15][16]
• Portrayed by Lee So-yeon in 2010 MBC TV series Dong Yi.^[17]
• Portrayed by Choi Woo-ri in 2012 tvN TV series Queen In-hyun's Man.
• Portrayed by Kim Tae-hee in 2013 SBS TV series Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love.^[18]
• Parodied by members of the pop band Shinhwa in the August 25, 2012 episode of jTBC variety show Shinhwa Broadcast.^[19]

Trivia

Jang's Mother, Lady Yun

Jang Hui-bin's mother, Lady Yun was from the Papyeong Yun clan. The Papyeong (파평/坡平) Yoon clan, which has its seat in Papyeong-myeon, Paju City, is the most well-known Yun clan. Several Papyeong Yoon women became queens during the early Joseon Dynasty, includes :

• Queen Jeonghui of the Papyeong Yun clan (정희왕후 윤씨) - Queen Consort of King Sejo.
• Queen Munjeong of the Papyeong Yun clan (문정왕후 윤씨) - Queen Consort of King Jungjong.

The clan's founding ancestor is General Yun Sin-dal, who assisted Wanggeon in founding the Goryeo Dynasty.

Jang's Tomb: Daebinmyo

Daebinmyo is a myo type tomb. She was originally entombed in Munhyeong-ri Opo-myeon Gwangju-gun Gyeonggi-do but was moved to its current location in June 1969, because the government was trying to expand the city and her tomb was in the way. Jang Hui-bin's tomb, Daebinmyo, was relocated at Seooreung tombs where Myeongreung is (명릉; reung refers to Kings and Queens tombs) and contains the tombs of King Sukjong, Queen Inhyeon, and Queen Inwon. Behind the tomb is a large rock and a pine tree has broken through the rock to grow. There is speculation that this reveals that Jang Hui-bin's ki (energy) was, and still is, very strong. Some Korean websites report that because Jang Hui-bin was such a strong woman there is a belief that if young single women who want a boyfriend visit Jang Hui-bin's tomb and pay a tribute, they will soon find love.^[20]

References

11. Book history of Korea Jang hee bin http://archive.org/stream/historyofkorea02hulbuoft#page/156/mode/2up