Crown Prince Sado
The Memoir of 1805 offers a personal account of her husband, Crown Prince Sado, describing his eventual madness and execution. While all of Lady Hyegyong’s memoirs are viewed as legitimate historical documentation of the 18th century Joseon court both, The Memoir of 1805 is particularly important due to public speculation surrounding Sado’s execution or, as it came to be called, “the 1762 incident.” Detailed in Lady Hyegyong's Memoir of 1805, Crown Prince Sado lived to be 27 years of age before his execution was ordered by his father, King Yeongjo. Sado's execution was ordered due to gross accusations of misconduct, including the unprovoked physical abuse, rape, and murder of servants. However, due to a memorial sent to King Yeongjo by Jeongjo, the sections of the Records of the Royal Secretariat detailing to Sado's actions and execution were destroyed. With their erasure, conspiracy theories surfaced regarding whether or not Crown Prince Sado actually committed crimes worthy of his execution as well as who conceptualized his gruesome manner of execution.