# Princess Hwahyeop

Princess Hwahyeop (Korean: 화협옹주; Hanja: 和協翁主; 1733–1752), or Princess Hwahyop, was the seventh daughter of King Yeongjo of the Joseon dynasty in Korea.

## Biography

The princess' personal name is unknown. She was born as the fifth daughter to Lady Seonhui of the Jeonui Lee clan on the 7th day of the 3rd lunar month, 1733.
She received the official title Princess Hwahyeop, meaning harmony in 1739 by an official decree. Her capping ceremony took place in 1743, the 19th year of King Yeongjo's reign. In the same year, she married Sin Gwang-su (신광수; 申光绥), the second and youngest son of Minister Sin Man (신만; 申晚) from the Pyeongsan Sin clan (평산신씨，平山申氏).
Princess Hwahyeop was renowned for her beauty and exceptional devotion to her parents, but it is reported that King Yeongjo disliked her due to his disappointment that she was not a male child.
In the Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng, it is said that King Yeongjo forbade Princess Hwahyeop to stay under the same roof as him and would get rid of his inauspiciousness by pouring water, which he used to wash his ears in front of Princess Hwahyeop's residence. When she got married, it was even reported that he was cold to her husband.
Similarly disfavored by their father, Prince Sado had a special affinity for his older sister.
Sometime in the 10th month of 1750, there was a large epidemics of measles in the capital. Princess Hwahyeop was the first to come down with it. The Crown Prince was attentive to her, and, during her illness, sent one servant after another to inquire about her.
She subsequently died of measles on the 27th day of the 11th lunar month, 1752, at the age of 19. When news of Princess Hwahyeop's death reached the palace, Crown Prince Sado mourned for her with real sorrow. His grief was expressed in his eulogy dedicated to her.
She did not conceive any child but has an adopted son, Sin Jae-seon (신재선; 申在善), an off-spring from Sin Gwang-su's distant cousin. After her death, her husband conceived a son, Sin Jae-sun (신재순; 申在順), in 1755 with a woman from the Wonju Byeon clan, but it is unknown if the son was illegitimate or not.

## Tomb

Princess Hwahyeop's tomb was discovered in August 2015, in Sampae-dong, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province (京畿道南杨州市三牌洞). This was the original burial site of the Princess with her husband Sin Gwang-su. In the 1970s, the coffins of the couple was shifted to another burial site in Jingeon-myeon (真乾邑), Namyangju, by their descendants for an unknown reason. Therefore, only traces of their coffins were found in this original burial site.
Characters carved on stone blocks placed on the right-hand side of the tomb were used to identify its occupant. The characters read: 有明朝鲜和協翁主之墓寅坐 (The burial of Princess Hwahyeop of the Joseon dynasty under the Ming Dynasty). The second excavation in December 2016 unearthed a memorial stone featuring a eulogy dictated by King Yeongjo, a stone chest containing porcelain jars for cosmetics, a bronze mirror, and a wooden comb. The eulogy by King Yeongjo contained a total of 394 characters written on the back, front, and sides of the memorial stone. The eulogy details the king's final visit to his ill daughter on the 25th day of the 11th lunar month, 1752, two days before her death. It has been remarked that it is rare for a Joseon king to inscribe a stone for a daughter, and the act has been taken as a sign of King Yeongjo's affection for this particular daughter.

## Family

* Father
** Yi Geum, King Yeongjo of Joseon (영조대왕; 英祖大王; 31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776)
* Mother
** Roble Noble Consort Yeong of the Jeonui Lee clan (소유영빈 전의 이씨; 暎嬪 全義 李氏; 15 August 1696 – 23 August 1764)
* Siblings
** Older sister: Princess Hwapyeong (화평옹주; 和平翁主; 27 August 1727 – 24 June 1748)
** Older sister: Princess Hwadeok (화덕옹주; 和德翁主; 3 August 1728 – 18 February 1731); died young
** Older sister: Unnamed princess (옹주; 翁主; 12 December 1729 – 21 March 1731); died young
** Older sister: Unnamed princess (옹주; 翁主; 1 January 1732 – 12 April 1736); died young
** Younger brother: Crown Prince Sado (사도세자; 莊祖大王; 13 February 1735 – 12 July 1762)
** Younger sister: Princess Hwawan (화완옹주; 和緩翁主; 9 March 1738 – May 1808)
* Husband
** Sin Gwang-su, Prince Consort Yeongseong of the Pyeongsan Sin clan (영성위 신광수; 永城尉 申光綏; 1733–1775) (본관: 평산 신씨, 平山 申氏)
* Issue
** Adoptive son: Sin Jae-seon (신재선; 申在善; 1753–1810); son of Sin Gwang-myeon (신광면; 申光勉; 1725–1786)

## Ancestry

Ancestors of Princess Hwahyeop :