Princess Hwawan


Princess Hwawan was a Joseon princess and the Ninth daughter of King Yeongjo of Joseon.

Biography

Princess Hwawan was born in 1738. She was the Ninth daughter of King Yeongjo of Joseon. Her mother was Yeongjo's concubine, Royal Noble Consort Yeong of the Lee clan. She married Ilseongwi Jeong Chidal . They had one daughter who died at the age of two. The couple also had one adoptive son, Jeong Hugyeom . Jeong Chidal died young, leaving Princess Hwawan a widow.
Princess Hwawan did not have a good relationship with her elder brother, Crown Prince Sado, who was jealous of her close relationship with their father. Crown Prince Sado began to stalk Princess Hwawan, including breaking into her apartments. These would serve as part of the reason for Sado's execution by King Yeongjo in 1762.
Eventually Crown Prince Sado's son Yi San ascended the throne in 1776. He would later send her into exile in 1778. She was allowed to return to the royal court in 1782, but was sent into permanent exile in 1784. She died in 1808, on the seventeenth day of the fifth lunar month in the eighth year of the reign of King Sunjo of Joseon, in Paju. Cause of death is believed to be from poisoning, which was ordered by King Jeongjo, her nephew.

Depictions in popular culture