Munjong of Joseon was the fifth King of the Joseon Dynasty, who ruled Korea from 1450 to 1452. He was the eldest son of King Sejong and succeeded him in 1450, but died of disease two years later. He was succeeded by his son, Danjong of Joseon.
Biography
Yi Hyang was the longest holder of the position of Crown Prince during the Joseon Dynasty, holding the position from 1421 to 1450, a record 29 years. In January 1421, Sejong instructed that the eight-year-old Yi Hyang be educated by ministers from the Hall of Worthies, then in October the same year, he was made crown prince and sent to study at the Sungkyunkwan. From 1442 until his own accession to the throne in 1450, he served as regent to King Sejong. Most of Yi Hyang's achievements were performed during his life as crown prince. Although credit is primarily given to Jang Yeong-sil for inventing the water gauge, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty state that it was the crown prince who found measures of water levels in the ground. Yi Hyang also contributed to the development of Korean vernacular script by his father. He improved Hwacha as well-known type for nowadays, by himself and younger brotherYi Gu, Grand Prince Imyeong. Also, it was Munjong who took care of state affairs late during King Sejong's reign, as Sejong developed various illnesses and disorders.
Reign
Yi Hyang ascended the Joseon throne as King Munjong in 1450, and his reign marked the beginning of an imbalance of power at court. Kim Bi-hwan describes the, "interaction of the royal authority, administrative power, remonstrative power, and the collective authority of scholars outside the office," before Munjong as contributing to a situation that allowed the Joseon to function constitutionally. During Munjong's reign, however, the power balance collapsed, setting the stage for his brother to lead a coup d'etat in 1452, and was not corrected until the reign of Yeonsangun of Joseon.
Marriage
Munjong was first married to Royal Noble Consort Hwi of the Andong Kim clan. She reportedly used witchcraft to gain Munjong's love. She burned the shoes of Munjong's mistress, and made her drink the ashes with alcohol. When King Sejong found out about this, he deposed her from her position. Secondly, Munjong married Royal Noble Consort Sun of the Haeum Bong clan. She was deposed from her position when it was discovered that she drank alcohol, which was not accepted for a woman, and because she had a homosexual love affair with one of her maids named So-ssang. Lastly, Queen Hyeondeok became the third wife of Munjong. She was reportedly the only wife that Munjong loved, and she gave birth to Princess Gyeonghye and Danjong, but died in childbed. Danjong was the next king of Joseon after Munjong died.
