Yejong of Joseon

Yejong of Joseon (23 January 1450 – 9 January 1470), personal name Yi Hwang (Korean: 이황; Hanja: 李晄), firstly titled Grand Prince Haeyang (Korean: 해양대군; Hanja: 海陽大君), was the eighth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He succeeded his father, King Sejo, in 1468, when he was 19 years old, but was too physically ill to govern, and died a year later. One of the most prominent incidents during his reign was the trial and death of General Nam Yi (남이, 南怡), who was famous for having suppressed Yi Si-ae's Rebellion along with General Gang Sun (강순, 康純). At the age of 28, Nam Yi was appointed as Minister of Military Affairs. However, when Yejong took the throne, Yu Ja-gwang (유자광, 柳子光), who was jealous of Nam Yi, accused him of treason when he found out that the king himself was not fond of the general. Yu also involved Gang Sun and initiated a trial witnessed by Yejong. They were found guilty and executed, while Yu Ja-gwang was promoted to a high office. After this incident, there were many cases where Yu accused ministers who were apparently more prestigious than himself. Biography He was born in 1450 as the second son of Grand Prince Suyang (as King Sejo was known at the time) and his primary consort, Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (later Queen Jeonghui). He was promoted to crown prince at the age of 7, after the sudden death of his elder brother, Crown Prince Uigyeong. In 1468, his father abdicated, but since Yi Hwang was not yet 20 years old and had been physically weak since his childhood, his mother, Queen Dowager Jaseong, came to unofficially rule the nation instead. According to records of this era, political decisions were taken by the queen and three subjects nominated by King Sejo.