Origins & Early Life

Empress Myeongseongtae (Korean: 명성태황후; Hanja: 明成太皇后; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895), of the Yeoheung Min clan, personal name Min Ja-yeong, commonly known as Empress Myeongseong, was the wife of Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire. She was queen of Joseon from 1866 until her assassination in 1895. Known as Queen Min during her lifetime, she was posthumously honored as empress following the establishment of the Korean Empire. Queen Min was of aristocratic background and in 1866 was selected by the regent Heungseon Daewongun (Grand Internal Prince Heungseon) to marry his son, the newly enthroned King Gojong.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Seven years later, his chosen daughter-in-law and her Min clan forced him out of office. The Daewongun was a conservative Confucianist later implicated in an unsuccessful rebellion against his daughter-in-law's faction. He believed that isolating Joseon from all foreign contact was a means of preserving independence. She, by contrast, was a believer in gradual modernisation using Western and Chinese help. From 1873 to her assassination in 1895 she oversaw economic, military and governmental modernisation.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In the 1880s and 1890s the relationship...

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