Person1688 – 1724

Gyeongjong

Twentieth king of Joseon, son of Sukjong and Royal Consort Jang, backed by the Soron; he died after four years and was succeeded by his half-brother Yeongjo

Because he was sickly and had no son, the Noron had his half-brother Prince Yeoning (Yeongjo) named royal heir and even pressed for him to act as regent. The Soron struck back in the Sinim Purges of 1721–1722, in which four Noron ministers and others died. After his death and Yeongjo's accession, hard-line Soron questioned how he had died and rose in Yi In-jwa's Rebellion of 1728.

Where they went

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2 related events

  1. 1
    1721 – 1722Sinim Purgesmonarch

    Under King Gyeongjong, the Noron and Soron clashed over naming his brother (the future Yeongjo) heir and regent; the Soron drove out and executed the four Noron ministers and others.

  2. 2
    1728Yi In-jwa’s Rebellionrelated figure

    Hard-line Soron and some Southerners, claiming Yeongjo had a hand in Gyeongjong’s death, rose to deny his legitimacy; they seized Cheongju but were soon crushed (the Musin revolt).

People who appear alongside

  • Yeongjo1694 – 1776

    Twenty-first king of Joseon, known for his impartiality policy and tax reform, and for the death of his son

  • Yi In-jwa1728

    Leader of the 1728 rebellion of hard-line Soron and Southerners who denied Yeongjo’s legitimacy; he took Cheongju before being defeated

Themes this person appears in

  • Factional Politics in Joseon1498 – 1863

    From the literati purges to in-law government — how Sarim factions moved from coexistence and checks to purges and one-faction rule, then through Tangpyeong to the dominance of a few clans

  • Cheongjuc. 700,000 years ago – 1728

    From the Heungsu child of Durubong Cave to the Jikji — Silla’s secondary capital Seowon, where the oldest surviving metal-type book was printed