Queen Ansun

Lady Han’s exact birth date is unknown but she was born into the Cheongju Han clan in 1445 to Han Baek-ryun and his wife, Lady Im of the Pungcheon Im clan as their 5th child of their 7 children.

After the Crown Princess consort died in 1461, Lady Han, who was also born in the same year as her, was chosen to become Sohun, junior 5th rank concubine of the Crown Prince, in 1463. Although she was not an primary consort of the Crown Prince, she received treatment just like one. She gave birth to two daughter and two sons, but only one prince and one princess survived through childhood, one of them being royal grandson Grand Prince Jean. The Crown Prince took over the throne and became the 8th Joseon monarch (temple name: Yejong) after Sejo’s abdication due to his illness, but Sohun was the one nominated by the former king to become the queen consort. Since she was almost due at that time, guards were sent to her maternal home to guide the future queen.

Her years as queen consort was short as Yejong died 13 months after his ascension to the throne and to make the situation worse, her son, Grand Prince Jean was deemed too young to be invested as the next king. Hence, her mother-in-law Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong and Han Myeong-Hoe, the Prime Minister at that time, chose Prince Jasan, Han Myeong-Hoe’s son-in-law and her nephew, to become her husband’s successor. Since she was the former king’s wife, she was legally the mother of the new king, Yi Hyeol (temple name: Seongjong), and received the title Queen Dowager Inhye (인혜 왕대비).

Conflicts happened when the King’s deceased father, Crown Prince Uigyeong, was posthumously declared as king and made his widow (Crown Princess Consort Su, the King's mother) as queen dowager with honorary name Insu, so there was a need to determine the rank between Inhye and Insu. Jaseong, as grand queen dowager and the most senior elder in the royal family, solved this problem with her statement that Insu entrusted with the task of protecting Yejong by the late King Sejo, implying her seniority above both the late Yejong and Inhye. Thus, it would be more appropriate to place Insu above Inhye.

Queen consort of the King died in 1474 at the age 17 and posthumously honoured as Queen Gonghye. The Ksitigarbha Pranidahana Sutra (The Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva) was commissioned by the three queens dowager through the Royal Treasury Agency. This Sutra is now considered an important artifact for the study of printing and Buddhism during the Joseon Dynasty.[2] Jaseong died in 1483 and posthumously honoured as Queen Jeonghui, made Inhye became the most senior elder royal family's member after Insu.

After Seongjong's death in 1494, Inhye honoured as Grand Queen Dowager Myeongui. She died when she was 53 years old during the reign of her grandnephew, Yeonsangun, and posthumously known as Queen Ansun (안순왕후).

Parent

• Father − Han Baek-Ryun (1427 – 1474) (한백륜)
  • a) Grandfather − Han Chang (1411 – 1451) (한창)
    • b) Great-Grandfather − Han Gye-bok (한계복, 韓季復)
  • a) Grandmother − Lady of the Jeonui Lee clan (전의 이씨)
• Uncle: Han Suk-ryun (한숙륜, 韓叔倫)

• Mother − Lady Seoha of the Pungcheon Im clan (서하부부인 풍천 임씨, 西河府夫人 豊川 任氏) (? - 1472)
  • Grandfather − Im Yu (임유, 任柔)

Sibling

• Older brother − Han Hwan (한환, 韓懽). Wife: Lady Jo (조씨)
• Older brother − Han Yeol (한열, 韓悅). Wife: Lady Yi of the Yeoju Yi clan (여주 이씨)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-seok (한경석, 韓慶錫)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-rok (한경록, 韓慶綠)
• Older brother − Han Hang (한항, 韓恒). Wife: Lady Hwang of the Changwon Hwang clan (창원 황씨)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-seo (한경서, 韓慶瑞)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-woon (한경운, 韓慶雲); adopted by Han Hwan
• Older brother − Han Sun (한순, 韓恂). Wife: Lady Jo Pyeongyang Jo clan (평양 조씨)
  • Nephew − Han Gyeong-hun (한경훈, 韓慶勳)
• Younger sister − Princess Consort Cheonan of the Cheongju Han clan (천안군부인 청주 한씨). Husband: Yi Jun, Prince Gwiseong (귀성군 이준, 龜城君 李浚) (20 January 1441 - 3 February 1499)
  • Adoptive nephew − Yi Jaeng, Prince Hoewon (회원군 이쟁, 會原君 李崢)
• Younger sister − Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan (정부인 청주 한씨, 貞夫人 淸州 韓氏). Husband: Shin Soo-yeong (신수영, 愼守英) (? - 2 September 1506)[3]
  • Nephew − Shin Hong-jae (신홍제, 愼弘濟)
  • Nephew − Shin Hong-yu (신홍유, 愼弘猷)

Consort

• Yi Hwang, King Yejong (14 January 1450 – 31 December 1469) (조선 예종)
  • Father-in-law − Yi Yu, King Sejo (세조, 世祖) (2 November 1417 - 23 September 1468)
  • Mother-in-law − Queen Jeonghui of the Papyeong Yun clan (정희왕후 윤씨, 貞熹王后 尹氏) (8 December 1418 - 6 May 1483)

Issue

• Yi Hyeon, Grand Prince Jean (13 February 1466 – 14 December 1525) (이현 제안대군).[A 2] Wives: a) Princess Consort Sangsan of the Sangju Kim clan (상산부부인 상주 김씨) b) Daughter-in-law: Princess Consort Seungpyeong of the Suncheon Park clan (승평부부인 순천 박씨)[4]
  • Adoptive grandson − Yi Pa (이파, 李葩) (13 January 1515 - 15 September 1571)
• Princess Hyeonsuk (1464 – May 1502) (현숙공주).[A 3] Husband: Im Gwang-Jae (? – 1495)(임광재).
• Princess Hyesun (September 1468 – 5 August 1469) (혜순공주)

• 1445 - 1463: Lady Han, daughter of Han Baek-ryun, of the Cheongju Han clan
• 1463 - 1468: Sohun (소훈), junior 5th rank concubine of the Crown Prince
• 1468 - 31 December 1469: The Queen Consort (왕비)
• 31 December 1469 - 1494: Queen Dowager Inhye (인혜왕대비)
• 1494 - 3 February 1498: Grand Queen Dowager Myeongui (명의대왕대비)
• Posthumous Title: Queen Ansun (안순왕후, 安順王后)

• Portrayed by Lee Inhye and Kim Eun-ju in the 1994 KBS2 TV series Han Myeong-hoe
• Portrayed by Choi Eun Sook in the 1995 KBS2 TV series Jang Nok Soo.
• Portrayed by Gyeong In-seon in the 1998-2000 KBS TV series King and Queen.
• Portrayed by Lee Jae-in in the SBS 2007-2008 TV series The King and I
• Portrayed by Lee Yeon-doo and Kim Won-hee in the 2011-2012 JTBC TV series Insu, The Queen Mother.

• "Royal Ladies of Joseon Dynasty". The Talking Cupboard.

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