# Myeongjong takes the throne (1545)

URL: https://allhistories.com/north-korea/timeline/1545-myeongjong-takes-the-throne
Location: Hanyang, Joseon
Themes: Politics

In 1545 King Injong died after a reign of less than a year, and his 11-year-old half-brother became King Myeongjong. Because the king was a child, his mother, Queen Munjeong, the third queen of Jungjong, ruled as regent. The succession was the outcome of a long rivalry between two branches of the Yun clan, the families of Jungjong's second and third queens. The "Greater Yun," led by Yun Im, had supported Injong; the "Lesser Yun," led by Queen Munjeong's brother Yun Won-hyeong, backed Myeongjong. Queen Munjeong governed forcefully for eight years and remained dominant even after formally ending her regency in 1553. Yun Won-hyeong became the most powerful official at court, and corruption and land seizures by powerful families spread. Myeongjong's reign was marked by the power of royal in-laws, a revival of Buddhism, banditry and Japanese raids, and is often seen as a low point of early Joseon government.

## Why it matters
It began two decades of rule by royal in-laws under Queen Munjeong.

Ruler at the Time: [Myeongjong of Joseon](https://allhistories.com/north-korea/rulers/myeongjong-of-joseon)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Myeongjong of Joseon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeongjong_of_Joseon)
- [Wikipedia — Queen Munjeong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Munjeong)
- [Wikipedia — Injong of Joseon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injong_of_Joseon)
- [Wikipedia — Early Joseon (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseon)