Early life and founding of Joseon Born in 1367 as the fifth son of
Yi Sŏnggye and his first wife
Lady Han, Yi Pangwŏn qualified as an official in 1382. He studied under
Confucian scholars such as
Wŏn Ch'ŏnsŏk. During his early years, he assisted his father in gathering the support of the commoners and of many influential figures in the government; Yi Pangwŏn also helped in the founding of Joseon by assassinating powerful officials who remained loyal to
Goryeo, most prominently
Chŏng Mong-ju.
Strifes of Princes After contributing heavily to the overthrowing of the previous dynasty and the establishment of Joseon, he expected to be appointed as successor to the throne. However, his father and
Chief State Councillor Chŏng Tojŏn favored Taejo's eighth son and Yi Pangwŏn's youngest half-brother (second son of
Queen Sindeok),
Yi Pangsŏk. This conflict arose chiefly because Chŏng Tojŏn, as the principal architect of the ideological, institutional and legal foundations of the new dynasty, saw Joseon as a kingdom led by its ministers by virtue of the king's appointment. In contrast, Yi Pangwŏn sought direct rule through an
absolute monarchy. These differences ultimately contributed to an environment of deep political tension. King Taejo, possibly motivated by fondness for his second wife, had selected his youngest son by that wife,
Grand Prince Ŭian, as his heir apparent. Chŏngan, frustrated that he and the other sons of Taejo's first wife had been passed over, began moving to eliminate his half-brothers from the line of succession. After Taejo fell ill, Chŏngan launched the , in which he had both children of Taejo's second wife, including the crown prince, murdered. He then declared his older brother and Taejo's second son,
Grand Prince Yŏngan, crown prince. In the 9th month, Taejo abdicated the throne in favor of Yŏngan, who became King Jeongjong (). As Jeongjong did not have any sons, he intended to pass the throne onto Chŏngan after his death. However, in the 2nd month of 1400, their brother
Grand Prince Hoean attempted to seize the throne in the . The coup was suppressed. Soon afterwards, Jeongjong abdicated the throne in favor of Chŏngan, who became King Taejong ().
Reign Consolidation of royal power One of Taejong's first acts as king was to abolish the privilege to maintain private armies which was enjoyed by the aristocracy and the upper echelons of the government. His revoking of the right to keep independent forces effectively severed the upper class' ability to muster large-scale revolts, and drastically increased the number of soldiers employed by the national army. Taejong's next act was to revise the existing legislation concerning land taxation. With the discovery of previously hidden land, national wealth increased twofold. In addition, Taejong created a strong central government. In 1400, before taking the throne, he had played a key role in eradicating the , a branch of the old administration that had monopolized the executive power during the waning years of Goryeo, in favor of the Privy Council; during Taejong's reign, the Privy Council was replaced by the
State Council. Taejong also issued a decree according to which all decisions passed by the State Council could only come into effect with the approval of the king. This ended the custom of court ministers making decisions through debate and negotiations among themselves, and thus brought the royal authority to new heights. Shortly thereafter, Taejong installed a new department known as the
Sinmun Office, to hear cases in which aggrieved subjects felt that they had been exploited or treated unjustly by officials or
aristocrats. In 1403, Taejong ordered 100,000 pieces of metal type and two complete fonts. Predating
Gutenberg and
Laurens Janszoon by several decades, he accomplished the
metal movable type. He promoted press, commerce, and education, and also reformed the
Sapyeongsunwibu (), Joseon's early military and law enforcement agency, and separated the
Uigeumbu as Joseon's law enforcement agency but without military functions.
Later life and death In 1418, Taejong abdicated in favor of his third legitimate son,
Yi To (posthumously King Sejong, commonly known as Sejong the Great), but continued to rule with an iron fist and decide on important matters. Along the years, as a means to strengthen royal authority and subdue corruption, he executed or exiled some of the supporters who helped him ascend to the throne; he also executed the four brothers of his wife
Queen Wŏn'gyŏng, as well as Sejong's father-in-law
Sim On and his younger brother Sim Chŏng, in order to limit the influence of in-laws and powerful clans. King Taejong died four years after his abdication, on 10 May 1422, in
Sugang Palace. He was buried alongside Queen Wŏn'gyŏng at Heolleung (), part of the
Heonilleung burial ground, in present-day
Seocho District,
Seoul, South Korea.
Legacy Taejong remains a controversial figure in Korean history who eliminated many of his rivals (such as
Chŏng Mong-ju and
Chŏng Tojŏn) and yet ruled effectively to improve the populace's lives, strengthen national defense, and lay down a solid foundation for his successor's reign. Outside of Korea, he is better known for having fallen from his horse and requesting historians to not record his fall, which they did anyway. This happened in the 4th year of Taejong's reign, on the 8th day, 2nd month of the lunar calendar, equivalent to 18 March 1404 of the Julian calendar. == Family ==