[May 18] Sejong, king of Korea

True Name: 세종대왕 世宗大王
Surname: "The Great"
Parents: Taejong, king of Korea, and Wongyeong

Date of Birth: 15 May 1397

House: Joseon
Spouse: Soheon, among others

Predecessor: Taejong

Reign: 1418 – 1450

Summary: Despite being the third son of King Taejong, Sejong was always the favorite. He was made grand prince in 1399 in spite of his brothers. He was helped along the way a bit. His eldest brother didn't want to be king, so he acted the fool until he was banished from Seoul. The brother wandered through the mountains, while the second brother became a Buddhist monk. In August 1418 Taejong abdicated in favor of Sejong. He retained control over the military and had a great influence over court life until he died in 1422. From that point forward, Sejong was the sole ruler of Korea.

Beginning in 1419. Sejong began plans to remove Japanese pirates off of Korea's coastline. The end result of this was a long war that was not finally resolved until 1443 with the Treaty of Gyehae, but the threat of Japan was finally removed. In the north, Sejong sent a general to deal with Manchu incursions that had begun to threaten his borders. Four forts were built to secure the northern borders. The domestic and political management of his realm is where Sejong shines. He wanted to protect and enlighten his people, and did so in numerous ways. He improved the agricultural life of the peasants and encouraged creative thought and invention. His most successful inventor, a peasant named Jang Yeong-sil, he brought to court and promoted despite protests from the aristocracy. Sejong also corrected the calendar to better reflect Korean dates rather than Chinese dates. Sejong's most impressive feat, though, was the creation of the Korean written language, Hangul. While the aristocracy retained Chinese as their written language, the peasants suddenly became literate and began using Hangul in everyday life. Sejong continued to rule an enlightened people even after he went blind in his later years. He eventually died of diabetes-related causes in 1450, whereafter he was succeeded by his son Munjong. Civil war broke out two years after when Munjong died leaving the throne to a grandson of Sejong's and his second son. The two fought long and undermined the peace that Sejong had established in Korea.

Date of Death: 18 May 1450

Successor: Munjong

Other Monarch Deaths:

Wladyslaw, duke of Opole (1401)

Túpac Amaru II, pretender to the Inca (1781)