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The Last Queen of Chosun Dynasty-Her Political Power and Sacrifice-

  • The Review of Korean History
  • 2005, (77), pp.65-99
  • Publisher : The Historical Society Of Korea
  • Research Area : Humanities > History

이민원 1

1원광대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

The last Queen of Chosun Dynasty(Empress Myungsung) is one of the most famous women in the long Korean History. She married King Kojong in 1866 and died in 1895 by the barbarian assault of the Japanese soldiers and civillians just after the Sino-Japanese war. Her political power was paramount to anyone in the Royal palace except for the King Kojong for almost 30 years in the last part of 19th century. This paper focuses to research the political power and sacrifice of the last Queen of Chosun Dynasty(whose title was changed to Empress Myungsung by the royal decree in 1897). The writer uses royal letters of hers which have been collected in recent years from the offsprings of the Yeohung Min’s family and also uses other domestic and foreign materials. This paper concludes that Empress Myungsung’s role in the palace was integrated to support politically and diplomatically her husband, King Kojong(Empress Kojong in 1897). Even though she was so intelligent, smart and powerful in the palace court, she did not act without King Kojong’s authorization. However the viewpoint of historiography of Confucian scholar’s and Japanese colonial scholar’s has distorted her image as well as those of King Kojong and the famous regent Taewonkun. That has been the worst sacrifice of her since her tragic death in 1895. It also means the distortion of modern Korean History.

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