Book I 153
Cho Chun, and Chŏng Tojŏn, requested the king to establish the heir appar-
ent.^143 Though they wanted the king to make his choice based on age and
ability, they found that the king had Pangbŏn, [the first son from Lady
Kang],14 4 in mind because of his love for her. However, those merit subjects
believed that Pangbŏn, being reckless and often out of control, was quite
unacceptable, so they privately said, “His younger brother would be a little
better if the king really wants to make the son of Lady Kang heir apparent.”
Around that time, the king asked them, “Who would be the best candi-
date for heir apparent?” But there was no one who said that the heir apparent
should be chosen based on primogeniture and the contributions he had
made. Kŭngnyŏm said, “Your youngest son can be the one.” The king finally
made his decision and chose the crown prince.
The king gave instructions with regard to determining the grades of the
dynasty-founding merit subjects: “King Kongmin of the former dynasty
- King T’aejo had six sons from his first wife, Queen Sinŭi (Lady Han), and two sons
from his second wife, Queen Sindŏk (Lady Kang). Once the new dynasty was established,
choosing the crown prince emerged as an important political issue because the future of many
people depended on it. When T’aejo initially asked his ministers for their opinion on the
matter, Pae Kŭngnyŏm was known to have replied, “When the state is in peace, the choice
should be made based on the rule of primogeniture, and when the state is in disarray, both age
and contribution should be taken into consideration in making the choice.” Pae replied this
way because he had Prince Chŏngan (Yi Pangwŏn), the fifth son of T’aejo, in mind. However,
T’aejo revealed his intention of choosing a crown prince from the sons from his second wife,
Lady Kang. T’aejo’s intention turned out to be firm and clear, so his ministers suggested that
his youngest son, Pangsŏk, be crown prince rather than Pangbŏn, who was disreputable in his
conduct. When the youngest son from the second queen was chosen as crown prince, Yi
Pangwŏn (future King T’aejong) and his brothers were outraged. The eldest prince, Yi Pangu,
was thirty-six years old, and Yi Pangwŏn was twenty-six. Though Yi Pangwŏn, being intelli-
gent and ambitious, made more contributions than anyone else among the princes towards
enthroning his father, he was poorly rewarded because of Lady Kang, who believed him to be
too dangerous for her future if his power were not held in check, and many merit subjects who
joined Lady Kang, including Chŏng Tojŏn. Then it happened that Lady Kang died in 1396, and
Chŏng Tojŏn and his followers reinforced their vigilance against Yi Pangwŏn. Around that
time, T’aejo became sick and the pressure from the merit subjects intensified. As a result, Yi
Pangwŏn decided to remove Chŏng Tojŏn as well as his stepbrothers born of Lady Kang; and
with the help of Ha Yun, who masterminded the attack, he successfully eliminated his oppo-
nents in 1398. As a result, T’aejo abdicated the throne and Yi Pangwŏn seized power, making
his older brother Panggwa succeed his father temporarily. This historical development is
called the First Strife of Princes.
- “Lady Kang” here refers to Consort Kang, or Queen Sindŏk. Her titles in the source
text are used interchangeably.
