Father Yeongjo of Joseon Parents Yeongjo of Joseon Died 1752 | Name Princess Hwahyeop Mother Lady Seonhui Uncles Prince Yeongsu | |
Spouse Yeongseongwi Sin Gwang-su Grandparents Sukjong of Joseon, Suk-bin Choe Great-grandparents Hyeonjong of Joseon, Queen Myeongseong, Lady Hong of Namyang, Choe Hyo-won Similar People Yeongjo of Joseon, Crown Prince Sado, Suk‑bin Choe, Sukjong of Joseon, Taejo of Joseon | ||
Princess Hwahyeop, or Princess Hwahyop (1733–1752) was the seventh daughter of King Yeongjo of the Joseon dynasty in Korea.
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Biography
The princess' personal name is unknown. She was born to Lady Seonhui on the 7th day of the 3rd lunar month, 1733. She received the official title Princess Hwahyeop, meaning harmony in 1739 by an official decree. Her capping ceremony took place in 1743, the 19th year of King Yeongjo's reign. In the same year, she married Sin Gwang-su (1731~1733 - 1775~1776, Hangul: 신광수, Hanja: 申光绥), the second son of Minister Sin Man (1703-1765，Hangul: 신만, Hanja: 申晚) from the Pyongsan Sin Clan (평산신씨，平山申氏).
Princess Hwahyeop was renowned for her beauty and exceptional devotion to her parents, but it is reported that King Yeongjo disliked her due to his disappointment that she was not a male child. In the memoirs of Lady Hyegyong, it is said that King Yeongjo forbade Princess Hwahyeop to stay in the same house as his beloved daughter Princess Hwapyeong. He would get rid of his inauspiciousness by pouring water, which he used to wash his ears, into Princess Hwahyeop's residence. When she got married, he was cold to her husband.
Similarly disfavored by their father, Prince Sado had a special affinity for Princess Hwahyeop. He was attentive to her, and, during her illness, sent one servant after another to inquiry about her. When she died, he mourned her with real sorrow. His grief was expressed in his eulogy dedicated to her.
Sometimes in the 10th month of 1750, there was a large epidemics of measles in the capital. Princess Hwahyeop was the first to come down with it. She subsequently died of measles on the 27th day of the 11th lunar month, 1752, at the age of 19. She did not conceive any child but has an adopted son Sin Chaesan (Hangul: 신재선, Hanja: 申在善), an off-spring from Sin Gwang-su's distant cousin.
Tomb
Princess Hwahyeop's tomb was discovered in August 2015, in Sampae-dong, Namyangju, Gyonggi-do (京畿道南杨州市三牌洞). This was the original burial site of the Princess with her husband Sin Gwang-su. In the 1970s, the coffins of the couple was shifted to another burial site in Jingeon-myeon (真乾邑), Namyangju, by their descendants for an unknown reason. Therefore, only traces of their coffins were found in this original burial site.
Characters carved on stone blocks placed on the right-hand side of the tomb were used to identify its occupant. The characters read: 有明朝鲜和協翁主之墓寅坐 (The burial of Princess Hwahyeop of the Joseon Dynasty). The second excavation in December 2016 unearthed a memorial stone featuring a eulogy dictated by King Yeongjo, a stone chest containing porcelain jars for cosmetics, a bronze mirror, and a wooden comb. The eulogy by King Yeongjo contained a total of 394 characters written on the back, front, and sides of the memorial stone. The eulogy details the king's final visit to his ill daughter on the 25th day of the 11th lunar month, 1752, two days before her death. It has been remarked that it is rare for a Joseon king to inscribe a stone for a daughter, and has been taken as a sign of King Yeongjo's affection for this particular daughter.