Empress Myeongseong
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| Reign | circa 1866 – October 8 1895 |
| Coronation | circa, 1866 |
| Predecessor | Queen Cheorin |
| Spouse | Emperor Gojong |
| Issue | Crown Prince Cheok |
| Royal House | House of Yi |
| Father | Prime minister Min Chirok |
| Mother | |
| Born | October 19 1851 Seoul, Korean Empire |
| Died | October 8 1895 Seoul, Korean Empire |
| Template:Koreanruler | |
Empress Myeongseong of Korea (October 19, 1851 – October 8, 1895), more commonly known as Queen Min (閔妃), was the last empress of Korea. Empress Myeongseong was the consort of Emperor Gojong (高宗) of the Joseon Dynasty of the Korean Empire.
On the present in South Korea, she is misunderstood as a national heroine like Joan of Arc at the influence of novels or dramas. However, there is criticism that she was a woman like Empress Dowager Cixi in fact.
Discord with Daewon-gun
She became emperor's wife in 1866, upon the recommendation of his father Daewon-gun. After a power struggle, she succeeded in banishing Dawon-gun in 1873.
At first, she cooperated with the Independence Party. But, she wasted the national budget for herself. The rices which should be paid to the soldiers stagnated for 13 months. Daewon-gun had used soldier's dissatisfaction. Daewon-gun regained power in July 23, 1882.
She requested assistance from Yuan Shikai, who suppressed the rebellion and captured Daewon-gun. From this incident, she turned to cooperate with the Conservatism Wing and to depend on China. Because she thought Japan was undependable.
The Independence Party cooperated with Japan. They tried a coup d'etat in December 1884. But she regained power immediately with the help of China. The coup d'etat was failed.
The empress lost some authority due to the 1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution. After Japan won the Sino-Japanese War, Daewon-gun planned to remove her with Japan's support.
Death
The Japanese tried sending ambassadors to Korea's royal court, but such efforts were eventually repelled, again by Empress Myeongseong. As a result, the Japanese minister to Korea, Miura Goro, faced with losing Korea, hired assassins to invade Gyeongbok Palace, the Korean imperial residence, and kill the empress in 1895. It has been alleged that two of the Japanese assassins were Shigeaki Kunitomo and Kakitsu Ieiri. [1] Increasingly, other figures that were involved in this event are coming to light.
According to a Japanese account, when she was murdered, the Korean public came crowding into the court. She was stripped naked and jeered at. After oil had been poured, her corpse was burned. Even the Japanese felt pity over her miserable death. [2] [3] [4]
These acts were witnessed by Russian architects and one of the guards named Sabatin and other foreign officials, who protested heavily. To appease these protests and other growing criticism worldwide, the Japanese government eventually brought Miura Goro and the other assassins to a criminal court. However, all were cleared of murder charges on the grounds of lack of sufficient evidence.
After death
After her death, Daewongun dropped her to a commoner. However, Her status was restored by persuasion of a minister Kaoru Inoue. After 2 years, Joseon Dynasty revised the country name to the Empire of Korea.(大韓帝国) And, Emperor Gojong posthumously awarded his late wife the title "Myeongseong" and enshrined her in Jongmyo, Korea's state shrine. She is the first empress enshrined in Jongmyo.
There is some uncertainty about the date of Queen Min's assassination. Most authorities view October 8, 1895 as the correct date; however, other sources cite the date as August 20, 1895.
On May 11,2005, descendants of two the alleged Japanese assassins Kumitomo and Ieiri, travelled to Jongmyo shrine to "pay homage and apologize" for the assassination their forefathers undertook. (Source: The Korea Times, Japanese Apologize for Assassination of Empress)
Dramatizations
Empress Myeongseong's dramatic life and tragic death has been a subject for various forms of arts. The Last Empress[5], a musical, first premiered in 1995 and gained considerable critical acclaim. KBS aired Empress Myeongseong, a historical drama series, in 2001. A novel by Lee Soo-gwang titled I Am the Mother of Joseon was released in 2002 to become a national bestseller.
See also
References
- Tragedy Of Korea:Mckenzie, Frederick A., Global Books Ltd, ISBN 1901903095
- Korea and Her Neighbours, Bird, Isabella L., Reprint Ed., Kegan Paul Intl, ISBN 0710301359.
Note
- ^ 入城シ実行ノ任ニ当シテ守備隊ノ将校兵卒ノ四門警衛止マタズ門内ニ侵入セリ殊ニ弥次馬達ハ深ク内部ニ入込ミ王妃ヲ引キ出シ二三ヶ処刃傷ニ及ヒ且ツ裸体トシ局部検査（可笑又可怒）ヲ為シ最後ニ油ヲ注キ焼失セル等誠ニ之 (Source By Kimsoft [6])
![[6]](http://www.kimsoft.com/2002/eijoh1.jpg){kind=link}