West Five Royal Tombs, Goyang

The 'five tombs to the west' hold kings and queens from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, and two of them tell stories the others do not. Gyeongneung is a pair of mounds for a crown prince who died at nineteen and his wife, who lived on for another sixty-seven years, saw her son become King Seongjong, and ran the court as dowager. He was made king only after his death. So his mound is plain and hers has the full set of royal stonework, and she lies on the side normally reserved for the man — the one case among all forty tombs where the wife's rank is visibly higher. Off to one side is a small grave that was not a royal tomb at all until 1969: Daebinmyo, the grave of Lady Jang, King Sukjong's concubine, who rose to queen, was demoted, and was put to death by poison in 1701 for cursing her rival. Her rival, Queen Inhyeon, lies a few hundred metres away in Myeongneung, with Sukjong himself between his two queens.

Original Text

Where it is

Region

Goyang, Gyeonggi

Designation

Historic Site · 사적