Queen Jeonghyeon (Korean: 정현왕후 윤씨; 30 July 1462 – 29 September 1530), of the Papyeong Yun clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and third queen consort of Yi Hyeol, King Seongjong and the mother of Yi Yeok, King Jungjong. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1479 until her husband's death in 1495, after she was then honoured as Queen Dowager Jasun (자순왕대비) during the reigns of her adoptive son, King Yeonsan from 1495 to 1506, and her son, King Jungjong from 1506 to 1530.
Queen Jeonghyeon came to wield considerable power and also influence a number of political decisions which secured her son's position on the throne, however, her excessive reliance on her kin and paternal clan paved way for the occurrence of the second and third literati purges.
Yun Chang-nyeon (윤창년; 尹昌年) was born on 21 July 1462 into the Paepyeong Yun clan to Yun Ho and his wife, Lady Jeon of the Damyang Jeon clan as their eldest child and daughter within two sons.
On her father's side, Queen Jeonghui, a Queen Consort of King Sejo, is her second cousin twice removed, and Queen Munjeong, the future Queen Consort of her son, King Jungjong, was her fourth cousin twice removed.
One of her 6th (older) cousins (육촌오빠) was Yun Pil-sang (윤필상; 尹弼商), Internal Prince Papyeong (파평부원군; 1427–1504). Yun Pil-sang's cousin, Yun Sa-ro (윤사로; 1423–1463), married the fourth daughter of King Sejong, Princess Jeonghyeon. With their eldest son, he became the father-in-law of Han Myŏnghoe, and the brother-in-law to Queen Jangsun and Queen Gonghye. As well as their granddaughter who married Park Won-jong, the maternal uncle of Queen Janggyeong; who was also a 5th cousin once removed of the future Queen.
Through her father, Yun Kwan, a Goryeo general, was her 10th great-grandfather and Royal Consort Hui-bi, the Queen consort of King Chunghye of Goryeo, was her first cousin 5th times removed.
With her future husband and herself, they were fourth cousins as they shared Yun Cheok (윤척; 尹陟) as their great-great-great-grandfather.
The Queen is considered to have a good upbringing because of her background having been born to the privileged Yangban society and she received education in both Hangul and Hangja where she practiced calligraphy skills. She was generally regarded as a smart, courteous, and kind woman.
The new king who had ascended the throne of Joseon in 1469 was still young and his infancy had paved way for the establishment of a regency which was headed by his grandmother Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong who was assisted by his mother Queen Insu.
Soon enough though, Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong's influence surpassed that of her own mother who was strained because the former was her senior and she had barely received a title at that point, the intense strife between Seongjong's Grandmother and his mother for dominance had an effect on his marriage. Since it was natural for a King to take in concubines, both the Grand Queen Dowager and Queen Mother, in a thick contest of wills, presented a number of candidates from some of the wealthiest and noble families in the land. Initially with the intention of strengthening the young King's position since by this time, there were still a number of people that were opposed to King Sejo's line of succession.
Yun Chang-nyeon, who was an excellent candidate, was elected deliberately because her father Yun Ho served in a high position in 1473 and moreso it was under the patronship of Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong. She was given the title of Suk-ui (숙의; 淑儀) with second junior rank (종2품) having born King Seongjong a son, Grand Prince Jinseong, and three princesses; Princess Suksun, and two unnamed princesses who died prematurely.
In 1473, Han Song-yi, who was Seongjong's first queen consort, died and was posthumously honoured as Queen Gonghye and because she perished without a male issue, the King was urged by counselors to take a second Queen consort to secure the royal succession. Seongjeong had decided to elevate one of his concubines to the position and Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Haman Yun clan was chosen as the new Queen Consort for her beauty. Lady Yun was instated on 8 August 1476 at the age of 21 and several months later, she succeeded in giving birth to Yi Yung who later to become King Yeonsan.
The new Queen however proved to be temperamental and highly jealous of Seongjong's remaining concubines and Yun Chang-nyeon was not an exception, she'd even stooped to poisoning one of them in 1477. One night in 1479 during a heated argument with her husband and two of his Consorts, which was rumored to have supposedly been orchestrated by Yun Chang-nyeon, and the concubines who had now become afraid of the young Queen, she clawed the King, leaving visible scratch marks on his face.
The King who was perhaps lenient to her tried to conceal the injury, but remarkably, his mother, Queen Dowager Insu was somehow informed of the incident and upon unravelling the truth, concerted her power with Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong and ordered the Queen to be deposed and sent into exile.
Queen Yun was thus rebuked as a queen in 1479. It is argued that Yun Chang-nyeon had sufficiently helped to bring upon her demise along with her father, Yun Ho and her 6th cousin, Yun Pil-sang. But it is unknown how much Royal Consort Suk-ui, who was 17 years old at the time, was involved in the disposition of the now deposed Queen Yun.
Since the position of the Queen couldn't be left vacant still, Seongjong was urged by the Royal Court, and both his Grandmother and mother, to choose a new mother for the nation. Instead of bringing in another woman from outside the Palace, he exploited his Royal prerogative to elevate one of his Royal Concubines to the position and even though, to the opposition of many who still held her accountable for Queen Yun's demise, Yun Chang-nyeon was nonetheless selected as the third queen consort of Seongjong on 8 November 1480 and was officially Crowned.
Seongjong's first wife, Queen Gonghye of the Cheongju Han clan, and Yejong's first wife, Queen Jangsun of the Cheongju Han clan, were also first cousins thrice removed of Queen Jeonghyeon. Queen Jeonghyeon's great-grandmother, Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan, is the daughter of Han Sang-jil, and a paternal aunt of one of King Sejo's close associates, Han Myŏnghoe; making them first cousins twice removed.
The New Queen Yun Chang-nyeon having ascended the throne had her position far from secure and as it so happened that her instatement itself sparked off a number of tumultuous affairs in the Royal Court, under the Aegis of the three Queens Dowager: Jaseong, Inhye, and Insu, the Deposed Queen Yun became a political rival that she needed to get rid of for her own safety.