Beyond "Jewel in the Palace": The True Story of Dae Jang-geum (Korean History)

#korea #kdrama #koreanculture #joseon #koreanhistory #history #historyofkorea (episode 38)

Dae Jang-geum 大長今 was the first female royal physician (uinyeo 의녀) documented in Korean history. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong (중종, 中宗 1488-1544) of the Joseon dynasty 조선 朝鮮. She is mentioned 10 times in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty 조선왕조실록. This in itself is unusual because she is not of royal birth. This video will be about the historical Dae Jang-geum mentionned in these records and not about the mostly fictional TV series of the same name (Jewel in the Palace in English).

What transpires from the historical records, is that King Jungjong was pleased with Jang-geum's medical knowledge and the king trusted her in taking care of him and his family.

First, I will elaborate on the times in which Jang-geum and Jungjong lived. Jungjong became king after his half-brother, Yeonsangun 연산군, 燕山君, was deposed by a group of literati (scholars). Political factions (Sarim 사림 & Hungu 훈구) were strong and made ruling the country rather difficult. Nonetheless, Junjong carried out reforms with the help of Jo Gwang-jo 조광조, 趙光祖 (1482-1520), who would become a very important figure in Joseon’s history. I will discuss Jo Gwang-jo’s attempt at reforms as well as his tragic end.

Then, I will mention all the entries about Dae Jang-geum found in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. We will learn how medical treatment was provided in the royal court and what information was deemed important enough to record for posterity.

Finally, I’ll try to connect the historical Jang-geum to the fictional Jang-geum from the TV series.

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📜 Korean History Playlist    • Korean History Series  

🎬 Recommended viewing:
Dae Jang Geum (2003) aka Jewel in the Palace, MBC, 54 episodes. Starring: Lee Young-ae, Ji Jin-hee, Hong Ri-na, Im Ho

📖 Recommended reading:
https://sillok.history.go.kr/
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*Other figures and topics explored in this video: Hyangyak 향약, Third Literati Purge of 1519 기묘사화 己卯士禍, Queen Janggyeong 장경왕후 章敬王后, King Injong 조선 인종 仁宗, Queen Jeonghyeon 정현왕후 貞顯王后, Gyeongyeon 경연, Traditional Korean / Chinese medicine 한약 漢藥, death by drinking poison sasa 사사, Records of King Jungjong 중종실록, 中宗實錄, Three Classics 삼경 三更, Five Classics 오경 五經

0:00 Introduction
2:20 Jungjong & Jo Gwang-jo
5:35 Jang Geum entries
12:19 History meets fiction