Yi Cha-ch'un

In this Korean name, the family name is Yi.

Yi Cha-ch'un 이자춘 李子春
King of Joseon (posthumously)
Darugachi
Reign	1343–1356
Born	20 January 1315 Aldong, Ssangseong Prefecture, Yuan dynasty
Died	3 June 1361 (aged 46) Gwiju-dong, Hamheung-bu, Dongbuk-myeon, Goryeo
Burial	Jeongneung tomb Hamju County, South Hamgyeong Province, North Korea
Spouse	Lady Yi Queen Uihye
Issue	5 sons and 1 daughter
Posthumous name First: King Hwan (환왕, 桓王; given in 1392 by King Taejo) Last: King Yeonmu Seonghwan the Great (연무성환대왕, 淵武聖桓大王; given in 1411 by King Taejong) Temple name Hwanjo (환조; 桓祖)
House	Jeonju Yi
Father	Yi Ch'un
Mother	Lady Bak of the Munju Bak clan

Yi Cha-ch'un (Korean: 이자춘; Hanja: 李子春; 20 January 1315 – 3 June 1361) or known by his Mongolian name Ulus Bukha (Korean: 울루스부카; Hanja: 吾魯思不花), was a minor military officer of the Yuan Empire who later transferred his allegiance to Goryeo and became the father of Yi Sŏng-gye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty.

Biography

Yi Cha-ch'un was a chiliarch of a Yuan Dynasty mingghan in Ssangseong Prefecture (present-day Kŭmya County, South Hamgyŏng Province, North Korea - former Goryeo territory annexed by Mongol Empire). After Ssangseong was reconquered by Goryeo under King Gongmin, he migrated to Hamju and got promoted to manho (the equivalent of the Mongolian myriarch of a tümen, lit. ten thousand or chief of ten thousand). He married a Goryeo-Korean lady from Anbyeon, who became Queen Uihye, the mother of Yi Sŏng-gye. He died in Hamgyong in 1361.

Since he was glamorized by his descendants, descriptions of Yi Cha-ch'un's life tend to be contradictory to each other. For example, he is said to have risen to the rank of scholar-official. However, when he died, the king at the time expressed condolences for Cha-ch'un as if for scholar-officials, implying that Yi Cha-ch'un was not a scholar-official.

Family

• Father: Yi Ch'un (1265–1342)
  • Grandfather: Yi Haeng-ni (1236–?)
  • Grandmother: Queen Jeongsuk of the Deungju Ch'oe clan (1232–?)
• Mother: Queen Gyeongsun of the Munju Pak clan (1268–?)
  • Grandfather: Pak Kwang (박광; 1240–?)
• Wives and their Children:

1. Queen Uihye of the Yeongheung Ch'oe clan (의혜왕후 영흥 최씨; 1304–?)
   1. Princess Jeonghwa (1330–?), First daughter
   2. Yi Sŏng-gye, King Taejo of Joseon (1335–1408), Third son
2. Royal Noble Consort Yi of the Hansan Yi clan (빈 한산 이씨; 1319–1334)
   1. Yi Wŏn-gye, Grand Prince Wanpung (1330–1388), first son
   2. Yi Ch'ŏn-gye, Grand Prince Yeongseong (1333–1392), second son
3. Princess Jeongan (정안옹주; 1320–1404)
   1. Yi Hwa, Grand Prince Uian (1348–1408), Fifth son
4. Unknown woman (1325–?)
   1. Yi Yŏng (이영; 1341–1394), Fourth son

In popular culture

• Portrayed by Jeon Byung-ok in the 2005–2006 MBC TV series Shin Don.
• Portrayed by Jung Dong-gyu in the 2012 SBS TV series Faith.
• Portrayed by Lee Soon-jae in the 2015–2016 SBS TV series Six Flying Dragons.

See also

• List of Goryeo people
• History of Korea