← Explore on the interactive map

The Gye-hae Restoration: King Injo's Coup of 1623

Type Event Region East Asia Time 1623

In March 1623 (the Gye-hae year), the Western faction led by Kim Yu and Yi Seop launched a coup, deposing King Gwanghae (Yi Hun) and enthroning his n…

Timeline

  1. 1623Hanyang · Korean PeninsulaGwanghae provoked widespread discontent through policies such as killing the crown prince, confining his legal mother, favoring Later Jin, and distancing from Ming; the Western faction and some military officers and royal clansmen plotted his deposition.
  2. 1623Changdeokgung Palace · JoseonIn March 1623, Kim Yu, Yi Seop, and others led troops into the palace, seized Gwanghae, and declared a 'restoration of order'; Gwanghae was deposed and exiled to Ganghwa Island.
  3. 1623Hanyang · Korean PeninsulaGrand Prince Yeongseong, Yi Jeong, ascended the throne at Changdeokgung, adopting the era name Tianqi (following the Ming Xizong's reign title), becoming King Injo; the Western faction took power and re-emphasized the 'serving the great' diplomacy toward Ming, planting the seeds for the later Byeongja Horan invasion.

Sources