Sejong the Great

Sejong (Hangul: 세종; Hanja: 世宗; 15 May 1397 – 30 March 1450), personal name Yi To (Hangul: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), commonly known as Sejong the Great (Hangul: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul, the native alphabet of the Korean language. He is one of only two Korean kings called "great" (the other is Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo). He picked out young scholars and tried to fix the prejudice of classes by helping intelligent but low-class prodigies. In 1442, he had Jang Yeongsil, a scientist in Joseon, invent the Cheugugi (Hangul: 측우기; Hanja: 測雨器). This was a kind of tool to help measure the rain and how much it fell. Also, he expanded the territory of Joseon. One of the best works and the biggest reason why Sejong was called great was because he created the Hunminjeongeum (Hangul: 훈민정음; Hanja: 訓民正音). It is called in modern days as Hangul (Korean: 한글). Because of the creation of the Hunminjeongeum, Joseon (now Korea) now got its own alphabet, and many people, most of whom have never learned how to read Hanja (Chinese characters used for Korean) could learn how to read and write much more easily than before. Early life Sejong was the third son of King Taejong. When he was twelve, he became grand prince and married Shim On of Cheongsong. When he was young, he was very good at studying. His father liked him more than his other brothers. His older brothers, Yangnyeong and Hyoryeong, thought they were not fit to be king and that it was their duty to make Sejong the king, even though he was younger than them. So they acted rudely and badly in front of the court and were soon banished. Yangnyeong became a traveler who wandered in the mountains, and Hyoryeong became a Buddhist monk. This later became a heartfelt and traditional legend in South Korea. Reign (1418–1450) In 1418, Sejong replaced his eldest brother, Yi Je, as crown prince; a few months later, Taejong voluntarily abdicated the throne in Sejong's favor. In the early years of Sejong's reign, King Emeritus Taejong retained vast powers, most notably military power, and continued to govern until his death in 1422. Sejong reinforced Korean Confucian and Neo-Confucian policies, and enacted major legal amendments (Hangul: 공법; Hanja: 貢法). He personally created and promulgated the Korean alphabet, encouraged advancements in science and technology, and introduced measures to stimulate economic growth. He launched military campaigns to the north and implemented a relocation policy (Hangul: 사민정책; Hanja: 徙民政策), establishing settlements in the newly conquered areas. To the south, he ordered the Ōei invasion of Tsushima to repel and subjugate the Japanese pirates, but the campaign was unsuccessful. From 1439, he became increasingly ill and his eldest son, Crown Prince Yi Hyang, acted as regent. Sejong died on March 1450. References Related pages Hunminjeongeum Cheugugi Yeonsangun of Joseon