Queen Ansun

Early life

The future Queen Ansun was born during the reign of King Sejong, as the eldest child among four sons and five daughters. Her father was Han Baek-ryun, who would later become right state councilor, and her mother was a lady from the Pungcheon Im clan.^[3]

One of Lady Han's sisters married the second son of Grand Prince Imyong, King Sejong's fourth son.

Another sister married an elder brother of Deposed Queen Shin, as such also becoming the paternal aunt-in-law of Queen Dangyeong.

Her brother, Han Yeol, married a granddaughter of Commandery Princess Jaeryeong (재령군주), Grand Prince Yangnyong's eldest daughter.

Princess Consort Cheongcheon (청천현부인) and Gwiin Han (귀인 한씨) were her nieces. The former married Prince Iseong (이성군), the eldest son of Prince Wanwon (완원군), King Seongjong's fourth son; the latter became a consort of King Jungjong.

On her paternal side, Lady Han was a fourth cousin once removed of Queen Insu, as well as a fifth cousin of Queen Jangsun and Queen Gonghye, sharing Han Ak (한악; 1274–1342) as their ancestor.

Royal life

In 1462, Crown Princess Jangsun died. The following year, Lady Han was appointed as a consort of the crown prince of the junior fifth rank (소훈; sohun);^[4] although she was not a primary consort, she received the treatment of one.^[5]

In 1468, King Sejo abdicated in favor of his second son, Crown Prince Hwang (posthumouly King Yejong), and designated Lady Han as the new queen. Since she was heavily pregnant and living in her natal home at that time, guards were sent to protect the house.

Lady Han gave birth to two daughters and two sons, however only one prince and one princess survived infancy.

Widowhood and later life

Her tenure as queen was short, as King Yejong passed away only 15 months after his accession, and, to make the situation worse, their only son, Yi Hyeon (이현), was deemed too young to take the throne. Instead, her mother-in-law, Queen Dowager Jaseong, chose King Yejong's nephew, Prince Jalsan (posthumously King Seongjong). The new king was only the second son of the late Crown Prince Uigyeong, and it was most likely his marriage to a daughter of the powerful Han Myeong-hoe that brought about his grandmother's decision. Subsequently, Yi Hyeon was enfeoffed as Grand Prince Jean (제안대군), and in 1474, he was adopted as the heir of Grand Prince Pyongwon (평원대군), King Sejong's ninth son, on the grounds that he posed a threat to Seongjong's legitimacy.

Lady Han, as the wife of King Yejong and the adoptive mother of King Seongjong, became queen dowager and received the honorific name Inhye (인혜).^[6]

Conflicts arose when Crown Prince Uigyeong was posthumously declared king, and his widow (King Seongjong's biological mother), Crown Princess Su, was elevated to the position of queen with the honorific name Insu (인수). Because there was a need to determine the hierarchy between Lady Han and Queen Insu, Shin Suk-ju, with the approval of Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong, solved the problem by declaring that they would heed the rules of private households, which followed sibling order, rather than the rules of the royal family, meaning Queen Insu was the superior. In 1475, when King Uigyeong was conferred a temple name and had his status raised to great king, Queen Insu was promoted to queen dowager. At this time, the issue of hierarchy was brought up again, but it was settled once more by establishing Queen Dowager Insu as the superior.

In 1495, upon the death of King Seongjong and the accession to the throne of his eldest son, Yi Yung (later known as Yeonsangun/Prince Yeonsan), Lady Han was elevated to the rank of grand queen dowager alongside Queen Dowager Insu.

Lady Han died at the age of 53, having survived her husband by 29 years. She was buried alongside King Yejong within Changneung (창릉), today part of the Seooreung Cluster, in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.