Tedjo
| Tedjo of Sjakwang | |||||||||
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| Reign | 23 June 1883 – 17 January 1921 | ||||||||
| Coronation | 24 June 1883 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Hjodjong | ||||||||
| Successor | Hjodjo | ||||||||
| Born | Ki Ripbam 기립범 (奇砬犯) 6 April 1849 County of Damjang, Corea | ||||||||
| Died | 17 January 1921 Jasoe, Corea | ||||||||
| Burial | 21 January 1921 Damjang, County of Damjang | ||||||||
| Issue (details) | |||||||||
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| House | Ki | ||||||||
| Father | Ki Tsjangdjin | ||||||||
| Religion | Neo-Confucianism | ||||||||
Tedjo of Sjakwang (1849-1921), formally known as Emperor Tedjo (Hankoel: 태조제, Handja: 太祖帝), was the first monarch of the Sjakwang dynasty of Corea. He deposed the Yi dynasty of Tsjosan in the 1883 Gyemi Coup and ruled Corea and the satellite state of Poeja until his death in 1921.
Biography
Early life
He was born as Ki Ripbam in Damjang County, the son of scholar Ki Tsjangdjin of the Hengdjoe Ki family. His mother was a Corean Catholic woman from the Andong Kwan clan.
In 1858 following the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the family moved to their ancestral hometown of Hengdjoe on the outskirts of the Corean capital, Hansjang. Ripbam was tutored by Confucian scholars throughout his childhood. The young boy would observe his father during debates with Neo-Confucian and Christian scholars. He briefly attended a Catholic boys' academy during his teenage years. In his servant's journals, it is noted that the young Ripbam enjoyed Corean wrestling, French pastries, and newspapers. He worked as a scribe at the Chinese embassy for many months and was reportedly in love with the daughter of a Hokkien merchant.
When his mother died in 1867, he secluded himself near Sanam Temple for fifteen months. He then toured Corea until 1869, learning swordsmanship in Sangdju, studying theology in Pjangjang, and hiking Mount Hallasan. Ripbam was then employed at the Royal Inspectorate-General, where he came into contact with anti-government forces. When his father fell ill in 1871, Ripbam befriended his physician, Simon de Spaans, from Tauland. At the age of 23, he was married to Pak Mjanghwa of the Mirjang Pak clan.
While visiting new hotels and cafés, Ripbam began periodically writing novellas and socio-political commentary. He adopted the pen name Oeimoedjak (疑無敵, lit. to doubt invincibility), under which he published his works. King Hjodjo's repressive policies forced anti-government publications underground by 1874. Via Kanghwa Island's port, Ripbam secretly wrote for the Taulander newspaper Gallant Tulips (勇土日朴, Mandarin: yong-tu-ri-po, lit. brave soil sun roots).
By 1875, his marriage to Lady Mjanghwa began to deteriorate. She began to spend months on end visting family in the Jangnam region. In order to have an excuse to visit her, he volunteered to become an officer and subdue civil unrest near Poesjan. On his arrival, she refused to return to Hansjang. While heartbroken, Ripbam's military gallantry had earned him great respect.
Rise to power
His curriculum vitae earned him the position of Military District Governor of Kesang County in 1876. From here, Ripbam - publicly known as Lord-Governor Ki - periodically coordinated with anti-government forces and was known for hosting regional rebel conferences. His father's position in Confucian circles and his family's influence in the capital shielded him from any thorough investigations. With the help of his late mother's Andong Kwan clan, he orchestrated plans to transport persecuted persons to the Jangdong, and then on to Russia.
In 1881, the Mayor of Iksan began forcibly shutting down schools and selectively enslaving pro-Silhak peasants who failed to meet the tax deadline. Ripbam's father, Lord Ki Tsjangdjin, gathered 83 scholars from all over the country in front of Kjangbak Palace to implore the King to end persecutions, abolish slavery, and reannex Poesjan from the Dutch. To support his father, Ripbam dispatched a contingent of 225 soldiers to the capital. This resulted in the Oeitongbang Incident (의통방사건), where 21 people died and 13 buildings were set ablaze in and around the capitol. Ripbam's father, Lord Ki Tsjangdjin, passed away due to a heart attack during the Incident.
The entire Kjanggi region remained insufferably suspenseful for the next two years until the 1883 Gyemi Coup. The Coup began in the Insa Locale, where the rebels assassinated four Tsjosan officials within an hour. Ripbam arrived in Hansjang the day after the Coup began with 500 soldiers, fighting government forces. Soon, a Dutch Reformed church in Jongsan District was set ablaze, leading to an extremely destructive conflagration. Eventually, on the 17th of June - twelve days since the Coup began and with over 1,000 casualties - Ripbam's forces imprisoned the King and executed the Left and Chief State Councillors.
A week later, Ripbam was a leading candidate for the new King. He was challenged by candidates from the Andong Kim, Soenhoeng Ahn, and other clans. Using his connections, he hired mercenaries from Tauland and allied with several key families in return for discreet favours. Ripbam's Ki clan and their allies commit acts of violence across the nation, at one time even executing the wife and children of an ultraconservative governor. Nakatomi Hidehasa, a Japanese accountant and translator in Corea at the time, described the Ki clan's atrocities as 'tragedy framed by justice' and 'the novel Jansangun dreamed of writing'.
Ripbam decisively declared himself King of Corea, the formation of the House of Ki, and the establishment of the state of Sjakwang. 326 people were exiled, 64 sentenced to death, and 1,102 pardoned on the day of the declaration. Ripbam declared himself King Tedjo and began his coronation on the 26th of October, the same day as King Yangdjo's. Shortly before his coronation, King Tedjo divorced his estranged wife Lady Pak Mjanghwa and took on two consorts the next day.
Governance
In 1889, King Tedjo moved the capital of Corea to Pjangjang due to it being closer to Poeja and its reputation as the ancient capital of Ko-korjo. He mandated the construction of a new palace based on the designs of Anhak Palace, which was finished in 1897.
Death
Living in Pjangjang, an industrializing city polluted with coal smoke, lung diseases were common. The King's habitual long-term use of cigars and toxic red cedar oil also contributed to his ill health. It was also confirmed that the King was suffering from liver disease due to consumption of strong alcohols and unsafe herbal treatments.
In 1919, it was confirmed that he was suffering from bronchitis. It lasted for several months and disappeared by the end of the year. In 1920, it reappeared during a state visit to Canton, causing him to collapse and lose consciousness for several hours. Returning to Corea, he spent a few weeks in the coastal town of Jasoe. It became apparent his bronchitis was chronic. In January of 1921, he contracted pneumonia. Consequentially, he spent the last days of his life bedridden on the seafront struggling to breathe. The government in Pjangjang was notified of his poor condition and preparations for the coronation of Crown Prince Ki Oeng (웅).
On January 17, the King experienced cirrhosis of the liver, causing a major flare in his pneumonia. He spoke only few words the whole day, merely watching boats pass by and reading his own publications. At around 21:00, his nurse noted that 'his lips turned as blue as celadon and his face the hue of sunset'. Half an hour later, he muttered in a raspy voice: "Will my mother be vexed at me? I never got baptized as she wanted...". The King's official time of death was recorded as 21:46.
He is buried in the town of Damjang in Tsjalla province. A memorial to him had been erected in Pjangjang in 1933.
Family
- Father: Ki Tsjandjin (1798-1881)
- Mother:
- Wife: Pak Mjanghwa (m. 1872-1883), posthumously honored as Empress
- Crown Prince Ki Oeng, the future King Hjodjo (1875-1941)
- Consorts and their respective issue:
- Noble Consort Soe of the Tsjandju Yi clan (1858-1944)
- Princess Ki Hwan (1883-1961)
- Prince Ki Tsjam (1886-1906)
- Noble Consort Hobin of the Andong Kim clan (1849-1902)
- Princess Mjang (1902-1987)
- Noble Consort Goei-in of the Wansjan Pak clan (1850-1923)
- Prince Ki Yoe (1886-1955)
- Noble Consort Soe of the Tsjandju Yi clan (1858-1944)
Titles and honours
Legacy
In arts and media
King Tedjo of Sjakwang is depicted in the 1993 series Fox of Tsjosan (조선의 여우). He is also a playable character in the New Netherlandish video game Kronne van Öst-Indië, released in 2007.
