Prince Bokseong Yi Mi (福城君 李嵋, 7 November 1509 (15 September lunar calendar)1 – 28 June 1533 (26 May lunar calendar)) was a Prince of Joseon. He was the eldest son and eldest of the secondary sons of Jungjong, born to Consort Gyeongbin Park. His birth mother, Consort Gyeongbin Park, and others attempted to make him heir to the throne, but they were instead falsely accused by Kim An-ro and he was executed. He was posthumously restored by his half-brother Injong.
He was a secondary son of Jungjong, the 11th king of Joseon, and the eldest of his secondary sons. His birth mother was Consort Gyeongbin Park (敬嬪 朴氏), and his formal wife was Lady Consort Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan. Later, his half-brother Deokheung Prince's third son Haseong was posthumously designated as his adopted son, but when Haseong ascended the throne as king, the adoption was reversed and his half-brother Prince Haean's sixth son, Prince Ogang, was adopted instead. However, Prince Ogang also had no legitimate children, so in 1580 Prince Uian was designated as his posthumous grandson by adoption, and later this was changed to Prince Sinseong. Prince Sinseong died without legitimate children, so Jeongwon Daewongun's third son Prince Neungchang was adopted; when Prince Neungchang was executed in the Shin Gyeong-hui incident during the reign of Gwanghaegun, Pyeongun, the third son of Seonjo's ninth secondary son Prince Gyeongchang, was again adopted as heir. His clan seat was Jeonju (全州), his name was Mi (嵋), his childhood name was Haksu (鶴壽), and his posthumous title was Prince Jeongmin (貞愍公).
Life
Early life
He was born on 28 September 1509 (15 September lunar calendar) to Lady Park, who was then a Sukui (淑儀), a court rank. As a child his name was Haksu (鶴壽).2 His original title was Prince Seoseong (瑞城君), but in 1517 it was changed to Prince Bokseong.3 Later he married the daughter of Yun In-beom (尹仁範), Hyeongam (縣監) and posthumously Chanseong (贊成). Jungjong specially appointed Yeo Heerim (呂希臨) as royal tutor to teach him learning.4
After leaving the palace, in June 1518 (13th year of Jungjong), Jungjong granted to Prince Bokseong the house where he had lived before his accession to the throne, and had it expanded. The Office of Remonstrance protested that this was excessive treatment, but Jungjong did not listen.
When the Prince entered the palace and a table of drinks was brought out, whenever someone offered him a cup, he would drink it and then tuck the cup into the fold of his robe, so people had to bring and pour out other cups again and again.
The Jakseo Incident and his death
After Queen Janggyeong gave birth to a prince and died, Consort Gyeongbin Park harbored ambitions to have her son invested as crown prince. In 1527, on the crown prince's birthday, an incident occurred in which a rat was caught, its limbs and tail cut off, its mouth, ears, and eyes burned with fire, and it was hung on the ginkgo tree north of the Eastern Palace in order to curse the crown prince. At this time Consort Gyeongbin Park came under suspicion, was stripped of her title, demoted to commoner status, and banished to her family home in Sangju. Her palace maids were tortured dozens of times and pressed to confess. Prince Bokseong was also stripped of his princely title.
Prince Bokseong was exiled to Taean in Chungcheong Province, but there he did not restrain himself. He caught dozens of kites, tied cloth to their legs, and released them. The cloth bore the words: "Wherever this kite flies is all my land, and all the people there are my people." Meanwhile, at his place of exile, he also seized and confiscated tribute goods coming from south of Chungcheong Province. Eventually, Kim An-ro and others used this as a pretext, and his place of exile was moved again; he was reassigned to Sangju in North Gyeongsang Province.
Meanwhile, Jeong Gwang-pil, the Chief State Councilor of the State Council of Joseon who had opposed the punishment of Prince Bokseong, was dismissed from his post as Chief State Councilor for supporting him, and Yeo Heerim, the royal tutor who had taught Prince Bokseong, was also implicated with him and exiled. Meanwhile, the crown prince Injong did not hold a grudge and submitted a memorial to his father Jungjong asking for his release, and he also submitted a memorial asking for mercy for Prince Bokseong's young daughter and his two younger sisters.
After his mother, Consort Gyeongbin Park, was executed in 1533, the court repeatedly demanded the removal of Prince Bokseong. Jungjong, who had resisted this, eventually accepted the request for his execution. On 18 June 1533 (26 May lunar calendar) he was executed.5
After death
After Prince Bokseong was executed, his two sisters, Princess Hyesun and Princess Hyejeong, were also stripped of their titles and demoted to commoners, and Kim In-gyeong, Marquis Gwangcheon and husband of Princess Hyesun, was exiled.5 However, Kim Hui, son of Kim An-ro, was later revealed to be the true culprit who had fabricated the case, and Prince Bokseong's name was restored.6
Myeongjong had established Haseong, third son of Deokheung Prince, as heir to Prince Bokseong. However, when Haseong inherited the royal line and became king as the successor of Myeongjong, Yi Gi's sixth son Prince Ogang Yi Geon of Prince Haean was adopted instead. When Prince Ogang also had no son, Seonjo again designated Prince Uian in 1580 as heir to Prince Bokseong. However, Seonjo later designated Prince Sinseong again as the heir to Prince Bokseong.
However, although Seonjo posthumously honored his biological father Deokheung Prince Yi Cho as a Daewongun, he did not posthumously honor Prince Bokseong, who was in the position of an adoptive father.
His tomb was established on Bonghwa Eonduk (烽火峴), in Gungdong-ri, Jeopdong-myeon, Yangju County, Gyeonggi Province (now Yeonpyeong-ri 33-47 or Yeonpyeong-ri 362, Namyangju, Jinjeop-eup), in the southwest position. The tomb of Prince Bokseong's wife, Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan, was established in the north-facing position in Neungdong village, Gungdong-ri, Jeopdong-myeon, Yangju. When Injong ascended the throne and Prince Bokseong was restored, they were buried together. At this time, by order of Injong, officials including Hwang Jun-ryang (黃俊良) wrote funeral poems.
Family
Miscellaneous
Prince Ogang Yi Geon, who was adopted as a son, also had no legitimate son, so he first designated Prince Uian as a posthumous grandson by adoption, and later adopted Prince Sinseong Yi Hu as a posthumous grandson. However, Prince Sinseong Yi Hu had no son, so he again adopted Pyeongun Yi Gu, the third son of Prince Gyeongchang Yi Ju, who was a half-brother and the ninth secondary son of Seonjo.
Prince Bokseong in popular culture
Footnotes