Taejo (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Sŏnggye, later changed to Yi Tan, was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdicated six years later during a strife between his sons. He was honored as Emperor Ko following the establishment of the Korean Empire.
Taejo emphasized continuity over change. No new institutions were created, and no massive purges occurred during his reign. His new dynasty was largely dominated by the same ruling families and officials that had served the previous regime. He re-established amicable ties with Japan and improved relations with Ming China.
👉 Taejo of Joseon in the context of Jongmyo (Seoul)
Jongmyo (Korean: 종묘) is a Confucian royal ancestral shrine in the Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea. It was originally built during the Joseon period (1392–1897) for memorial services for deceased kings and queens. According to UNESCO, the shrine is the oldest royal Confucian shrine preserved and the ritual ceremonies continue a tradition established in the 14th century. Such shrines existed during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period (57–668), but these have not survived. The Jongmyo Shrine was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995.
Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung lie to the north of Jongmyo. Yulgok-ro separated Jongmyo from the palaces from 1932 to 2019, until Yulgok-ro was turned into a road tunnel and the connection between Jongmyo and the palaces restored. The main buildings of Jongmyo were constructed in October 1394 when Taejo, founder and first king of Joseon, moved the capital to Hanseong (present-day Seoul). The shrine was destroyed by fire in the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), then rebuilt in early 1600s.
Joseon (English: /ˈtʃoʊsʌn/CHOH-sun; Korean: 조선; Hanja: 朝鮮; MR: Chosŏn; pronounced[tɕo.sʰʌn]; also romanized as Chosun), officially Great Joseon (대조선국; 大朝鮮國; [tʰɛ.dʑo.sʰʌn.ɡuk̚]), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom was founded after the overthrow of Goryeo in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was moved to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the rivers of Amnok and Tuman through the subjugation of the Jurchens.
Over the centuries, Joseon encouraged the entrenchment of Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society. Neo-Confucianism was installed as the new state's ideology. Buddhism was accordingly discouraged, and occasionally Buddhists faced persecution. Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the Korean peninsula and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, literature, and science and technology. The kingdom was severely weakened by failed Japanese invasions in 1592 and 1598, which were followed by invasions by the Later Jin dynasty in 1627 and the Qing dynasty in 1636–1637. The country pursued an increasingly harsh isolationist policy, becoming known as the "hermit kingdom" in Western literature. After the end of these invasions from Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace and prosperity, along with cultural and technological development. What power the kingdom recovered during its isolation waned as the 18th century came to a close. Faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure, and rebellions at home, the kingdom declined rapidly in the late 19th century.
The House of Yi was the royal family of the Joseon dynasty and later the imperial family of the Korean Empire, descended from the Joseon founder Yi Seong-gye. All of his descendants are members of the Jeonju Yi clan.
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