Taejong of Joseon

Taejong (Korean: 태종; Hanja: 太宗; 16 May 1367 – 10 May 1422), personal name Yi Bang-won (이방원; 李芳遠), was the third monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of Sejong the Great. He was the fifth son of King Taejo, the founder of the dynasty. Before ascending to the throne, he was known as Prince Jeongan (정안군; 靖安君).
Born in 1367 as the fifth son of Yi Sŏng-gye and his first wife Lady Han, Yi Pang-wŏn qualified as an official in 1382. He studied under Confucian scholars such as Wŏn Ch'ŏnsŏk. During his early years, he assisted his father in gathering the support of the commoners and of many influential figures in the government; Yi Pang-wŏn also helped in the founding of Joseon by assassinating powerful officials who remained loyal to Goryeo, most prominently Chŏng Mong-ju.
After contributing heavily to the overthrowing of the previous dynasty and the establishment of Joseon, he expected to be appointed as successor to the throne. However, his father and Chief State Councillor Jeong Do-jeon favored Taejo's eighth son and Yi Pang-wŏn's youngest half-brother (second son of Queen Sindeok), Yi Bang-seok. This conflict arose chiefly because Jeong Do-jeon, as the principal architect of the ideological, institutional and legal foundations of the new dynasty, saw Joseon as a kingdom led by its ministers by virtue of the king's appointment. In contrast, Yi Pang-wŏn sought direct rule through an absolute monarchy. These differences ultimately contributed to an environment of deep political tension.
In 1398, following the sudden death of Queen Sindeok, Yi Pang-wŏn led a coup d'état while King Taejo was still in mourning for his second wife. This event led to the deaths of Jeong Do-jeon and his supporters, as well as the deaths of the late Queen Sindeok's two sons, including the crown prince. The incident became known as the "First Strife of Princes" (제1차 왕자의 난). Aghast at the fact that his sons were willing to kill each other for the crown, and psychologically exhausted by the death of his second wife, Taejo abdicated; his eldest surviving son, Yi Pang-gwa (posthumously King Jeongjong), immediately became the new ruler.
Yi Pang-wŏn quickly emerged as the real force behind the throne and was soon in conflict with his disgruntled elder brother, Yi Pang-gan, who also yearned for power. In 1400, General Park Bo, who found the rewards for his deeds during the First Strife of Princes lacking, allied with Yi Pang-gan and rebelled in what came to be known as the "Second Strife of Princes" (제2차 왕자의 난). Yi Pang-wŏn successfully defeated his brother's forces, then executed Park Bo and exiled Yi Pang-gan. King Jeongjong, now fearful of his formidable younger brother, named Yi Pang-wŏn his successor and abdicated in the same year. At long last, Yi Pang-wŏn (posthumously King Taejong), assumed the throne of Joseon and became the dynasty's third monarch.
One of Taejong's first acts as king was to abolish the privilege to maintain private armies which was enjoyed by the aristocracy and the upper echelons of the government. His revoking of the right to keep independent forces effectively severed the upper class' ability to muster large-scale revolts, and drastically increased the number of soldiers employed by the national army.
Taejong's next act was to revise the existing legislation concerning land taxation. With the discovery of previously hidden land, national wealth increased twofold.
In addition, Taejong created a strong central government. In 1400, before taking the throne, he had played a key role in eradicating the Dopyeong Assembly [ko], a branch of the old administration that had monopolized the executive power during the waning years of Goryeo, in favor of the Privy Council; during Taejong's reign, the Privy Council was replaced by the State Council. Taejong also issued a decree according to which all decisions passed by the State Council could only come into effect with the approval of the king. This ended the custom of court ministers making decisions through debate and negotiations among themselves, and thus brought the royal authority to new heights.
Shortly thereafter, Taejong installed a new department known as the Sinmun Office, to hear cases in which aggrieved subjects felt that they had been exploited or treated unjustly by officials or aristocrats.
Despite being the one responsible for Chŏng Mong-ju's assassination, Taejong posthumously honored him as Chief State Councillor, leading to a great irony — Chŏng To-jŏn, whose policies governed Joseon for five centuries, was vilified throughout the dynasty, while Chŏng Mong-ju was revered in spite of his opposition to its founding.
Taejong promoted Confucianism as the state ideology, thus demoting Buddhism, which consequently never recovered the glory and great power it had enjoyed during the Goryeo period. He closed many Buddhist temples; their vast possessions were seized and added to the national treasury.
In foreign policy, he was a straight hardliner — he attacked the Jurchens at the northern border and the Japanese pirates on the southern coast. Taejong is also remembered for being the initiator behind the Ōei Invasion of Tsushima Island in 1419.
He set up the system of hopae, an early form of identification which consisted of tags recording the bearer's name and residence; those tags were used to control the movements of the population.
In 1403, Taejong ordered 100,000 pieces of metal type and two complete fonts. Predating Gutenberg and Laurens Janszoon by several decades, he accomplished the metal movable type.
He promoted press, commerce, and education, and also reformed the Sapyeongsunwibu (사평순위부), Joseon's early military and law enforcement agency, and separated the Uigeumbu as Joseon's law enforcement agency but without military functions.
In 1418, Taejong abdicated in favor of his third legitimate son, Yi Do (posthumously King Sejong, commonly known as Sejong the Great), but continued to rule with an iron fist and decide on important matters.
Along the years, as a means to strengthen royal authority and subdue corruption, he executed or exiled some of the supporters who helped him ascend to the throne; he also executed the four brothers of his wife Queen Wongyeong, as well as Sejong's father-in-law Shim On and his younger brother Shim Jeong, in order to limit the influence of in-laws and powerful clans.
King Taejong died four years after his abdication, on 10 May 1422, in Sugang Palace. He was buried alongside Queen Wongyeong at Heolleung (헌릉), part of the Heonilleung burial ground, in present-day Seocho District, Seoul, South Korea.
Taejong remains a controversial figure in Korean history who eliminated many of his rivals (such as Chŏng Mong-ju and Chŏng To-jŏn) and yet ruled effectively to improve the populace's lives, strengthen national defense, and lay down a solid foundation for his successor's reign.