Queen U of Goguryeo

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Queen U
왕후 우씨
Queen consort of Goguryeo
Tenure180–197
197/8–227
Queen dowager of Goguryeo
Tenure227–234
Bornc. 160–5
Jenabu or Yeonnabu, Goguryeo
Died234
Goguryeo
SpouseGogukcheon of Goguryeo (m. 180; d. 197)
Sansang of Goguryeo (m. 197/8; d. 227)
HouseU clan
FatherU So

Queen U (Korean: 왕후 우씨; Hanja: 王后 于氏; d. 234), sometimes romanized as Queen Woo, was queen of Goguryeo as the wife of King Gogukcheon (Go Nammu) and later of his younger brother, King Sansang (Go Yeonu).[1] She was famous for maintaining supreme authority, and today, she is recognized as an independent woman who successfully pursued her own desires. Her second marriage is a well-known example of the levirate marriage custom in Goguryeo.[2]

Life[edit]

During King Gogukcheon's reign[edit]

Lady U was the daughter of U So (우소; 于素). Her birthplace is unclear, but it may have been the region of Jenabu (제나부; 提那部) or Yeonnabu (연나부; 椽那部).[3] She was married to Go Nammu, King Gogukcheon in 180 AD and became his queen consort soon afterwards.[4] However, a rebellion began in 190 when the king tried to stop Lady U's relatives (including Eobiryu and Jwagaryeo) from abusing their power.[5] King Gogukcheon died without issue in 197.

During King Sansang's reign[edit]

After King Gogukcheon's death, Queen U met his brother, Prince Balgi, to discuss the throne's successor. Balgi believed that he would ascend to the throne, and his ill-mannered behavior and ambition disconcerted U. U later met with Balgi's older brother, Prince Yeonu, whom, unlike Balgi, she found polite and courteous. U chose to support Yeonu and plotted to accuse Balgi of treason.[6]

According to the historical source Samguk Sagi, during the ensuing conflict, Yeonu was injured by a knife, and U loosened her skirt scrap and used the fabric to cover the wound. The two then returned to the palace hand-in-hand. Meanwhile, Balgi fled in anger to Liaodong and requested support from Gongsun Du, head of the Gongsun clan. Gongsun Du loaned Balgi 30,000 troops to invade Gorguryeo.[7][8] Knowing this, Balgi's youngest brother, Prince Gyesu, successfully defeated Balgi's forces. Balgi then committed suicide due to his guilt for bringing a great crisis to his royal family and country.

After Balgi's death, Yeonu ascended the throne as King Sansang with Queen U's support, and eventually made her his primary spouse, or the queen consort, later that year.[9] However, Sansang and U could not have children. After praying in a mountain at night, Sansang received a prophecy that he could have a son with another woman.[10]

Upon knowing that her husband had a relationship with another woman, U became very angry and sent many soldiers to kill this woman. However, the woman was pregnant with Sansang's son, and the soldiers refused to kill her for the sake of the unborn child. Sansang later formally made this woman a concubine with the title "Little Queen" (소후; 小后). Not long after this, the Little Queen gave birth to a boy, Uwigeo, in 209, and she and Uwigeo continued to face pressure and threats from U. Four years later, Uwigeo was named the crown prince.

During King Dongcheon's reign[edit]

After King Sansang died in 227, Prince Uwigeo, ascended the throne as King Dongcheon, although U had been plotting against him since he was young. As a test of his generosity and patience, she once had him cut the mane of his horse, and on another occasion, ordered a servant to spill soup on his clothes.[11] Despite this, Dongcheon was never angry. Rather than retaliate against U, he granted her clan political influence by appointing them to the highest position of state minister and continued to honour her as the queen dowager (왕태후, 王太后).[12]

U remained the queen dowager until her own death in 234, the eighth year of the reign of King Dongcheon. Just before her death, she wrote a letter requesting that she be buried next to Sansang's tomb instead of Gogukcheon's tomb. When King Dongcheon read this, he planted seven layers of pine trees around Gogukcheon's tomb to hide and cover it.

In popular culture[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hyun-seol, Cho. "King Sansang(山上王) - Folklare". Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture (in Korean). Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Pae-yong, Yi; Chan, Ted (2008). Women in Korean History 한국 역사 속의 여성들 (in Korean). Ewha Womans University: Ewha Womans University Press. pp. 122–125. ISBN 978-8973007721.
  3. ^ Ki-hong, Kim (2021). 삼국사기 바로알기 5: 차대왕, 신대왕, 고국천왕 [Get To Know About History of the Three Kingdoms 5: King Chadae, King Shindae, King Gogukcheon] (in Korean). ePurple. p. 2. ISBN 9791139000740.
  4. ^ "우씨를 왕후로 삼다 (180년 02월(음))". Samguk Sagi (in Korean). Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "왕후의 친척인 어비류와 좌가려가 4연나와 함께 반란을 도모하다 (190년 09월(음))". Samguk Sagi (in Korean). Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Lee, Hyun-hee (2014). 한국의 역사. 02 삼국의 성장과 발전 [Korean's History. 02 Growth and Development of the Three States] (in Korean). ChungAh Publishing House. ISBN 9788936820299.
  7. ^ Gong Mi-ra, Choi In-soo, Go Jong-hoon (2017). 생방송 한국사 02. 삼국 ․ 가야: 수능 한국사 강의 1인자 고종훈의 동영상 강의 수록 (in Korean). Owlbook. ISBN 9788950963682.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Patricia Buckley, Ebrey; Anne, Walthall (2013). East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. Cengage Learning. p. 102. ISBN 978-1285528670.
  9. ^ "우씨를 왕후로 삼다. (197년 09월(음))". Samguk Sagi (in Korean). Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  10. ^ "산상왕이 왕위에 오르다 (197년 05월(음))". Samguk Sagi (in Korean). Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  11. ^ "동천왕이 왕위에 오르다 (227년 05월(음))". Samguk Sagi (in Korean). Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  12. ^ "우씨를 왕태후로 삼다 (228년 03월(음))". Samguk Sagi (in Korean). Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  13. ^ "왕후의 제국 - 만화". bufftoon (in Korean). Retrieved June 13, 2022.
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