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.
Presently in South Korea, she is viewed by many as a national heroine like France's Joan of Arc, partly due to the influence of novels or dramas. It should be noted these novels and dramas result from a reappraisal of the history of that time. Traditionally she has been seen as more resembling Empress Dowager Cixi. The truth probably lies somewhere between the two extreme viewpoints. It can be very difficult to disentangle any ruler's actions, especially negative actions, from those of courtiers and sychophants. Another good example of such a problem is the Korean dictator during the 1960s and '70s, Pak Chunghee.
Conflict with Daewon-gun
She became the 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 spent much of the national treasury on herself. For 13 months, as a consequence, the soldiers' rations of rice were not distributed, causing discontent in the military. Daewon-gun used this discontent to regain power on July 23, 1882.
The empress requested assistance from Yuan Shikai, who suppressed the rebellion and captured Daewon-gun. From this point, she became closer to the Conservatism Wing and the country began strengthening ties with China. This change came about because she felt that Japan, a previous trading partner and ally, was undependable.
The Independence Party, however, still leaned toward Japan. They attempted a coup d'etat in December 1884. The empress regained power immediately with the help of China.
In the 1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution, Empress Myeongseong lost much of her political power. After Japan won the Sino-Japanese War, Daewon-gun planned to remove her with Japan's support.
Assassination Case
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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) At this time, Emperor Gojong 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
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