Heungseon Daewongun

Yi Ha-eung 이하응
Photograph by Homer Hulbert
Grand Internal Prince of Joseon
Predecessor	Grand Internal Prince Jeongye
Successor	Title abolished
Regent of Joseon
Regency	21 January 1864 – 31 October 1873 with Queen Sinjeong
Predecessor	Cheoljong of Joseon
Successor	Queen Myeongseong
Born	24 January 1821 Hanseong, Joseon
Died	22 February 1898 (1898-02-23) (aged 77) Seongjeosibli, Korean Empire
Spouse	Grand Internal Princess Consort Sunmok
Issue	Prince Imperial Heungchin Emperor Gojong of Korea Prince Imperial Waneun (illegitimate)
Dynasty	House of Yi
Father	Yi Gu, Prince Namyeon [ko]
Mother	Princess Consort Min
Korean name
Hangul	흥선대원군
Hanja	興宣大院君
Revised Romanization	Heungseon Daewongun
McCune–Reischauer	Hŭngsŏn Taewŏn'gum
Art name
Hangul	석파
Hanja	石坡
Revised Romanization	Seokpa
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏkp'a
Birth name
Hangul	이하응
Hanja	李昰應
Revised Romanization	Yi Ha-eung
McCune–Reischauer	Yi Ha-ŭng
Courtesy name
Hangul	시백
Hanja	時伯
Revised Romanization	Sibaek
McCune–Reischauer	Sibaek

Heungseon Daewongun (Korean: 흥선대원군; Hanja: 興宣大院君; 24 January 1821 – 22 February 1898) was the title of Yi Ha-eung, the regent of Joseon during the minority of Emperor Gojong in the 1860s. Until his death, he was a key political figure of late Joseon Korea. He was also called the Daewongun (lit. 'Grand Internal Prince', sometimes translated as "regent"),^[a] Guktaegong,^[b] or formally Internal King Heungseon Heonui,^[c] and also known to contemporary western diplomats as Prince Gung.^{[citation needed]}

Daewongun literally translates as "prince of the great court", a title customarily granted to the father of the reigning monarch when that father did not reign himself (usually because his son had been adopted as heir of a relative who did reign).^[1] While there had been three other Daewonguns during the Joseon dynasty, there was no one as dominant as Yi Ha-Eung in the history of the Joseon dynasty that the term Daewongun usually refers specifically to him.

Joseon was going through changes in many aspects during this period, but was for the most part unable to keep up with the rapidly changing situation the country found itself in. Yi Ha-eung, had to solve both the looming threat posed by Western nations, which were continuously encroaching upon the sovereignty of Eastern states, while at the same time attempt to rebuild a country ravaged by poverty and internal power struggles.^[2] He is remembered both for the wide-ranging reforms he attempted during his regency, as well as for what was described by historian Hilary Conroy as "vigorous enforcement of the seclusion policy, persecution of Christians, and the killing or driving off of foreigners who landed on Korean soil".^[3]

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