[K-Women Talk] Mubis of the Goryeo Dynasty: From "King's Women" to Villainesses

The term "Mubi" (無比) means incomparable. It could refer to wisdom, strength, or perhaps beauty. In the History of Goryeo, there are two women referred to as Mubi, both of whom were likely exceptionally beautiful. Both received the king's utmost affection. Another thing they had in common was their humble origins.

The first Mubi was a court lady during the reign of King Uijong of Goryeo. She was favored by King Uijong and bore him three sons and nine daughters. However, because of her lowly status, her children were not recognized as royalty. In Goryeo, a mother's status was as important as a father's, and even the king's children could not be considered royalty if their mother was of humble birth. King Uijong's official queens were Queen Jangkyung and Queen Jangseon, and only the children born to them were considered legitimate heirs. The children of Mubi were not even recorded in history. Nevertheless, King Uijong's affection was so deep that he bestowed many privileges upon Mubi's children and their husbands.

This led to social criticism, and it is said that Mubi, backed by the king's favor, even participated in state affairs. Regardless of Mubi's presence, however, King Uijong is remembered as one of the most notorious tyrants in Goryeo history. In 1170, military officials who had been discriminated against and ignored staged a rebellion, massacred civil officials, and deposed King Uijong, sending him into exile on Geoje Island. Mubi tried to escape but was captured. The military officials wanted to execute her, but the queen mother, King Uijong's mother, pleaded for her life, so Mubi was allowed to follow King Uijong into exile. It is unclear what happened to her afterward, but her fate was likely tragic. King Uijong was brutally murdered by his own subordinate, Lee Uibang, his body shattered and discarded in a pond without a proper burial. By then, Mubi was likely no longer alive either. Her radiant beauty, the king's affection, and her twelve children were all forgotten.

The second Mubi lived during the reign of King Chungnyeol. Like the first, she was of humble origin but still received the king's favor. The complication was that the queen consort was the Imperial Princess Jeguk of the Yuan Dynasty. King Chungnyeol married Princess Jeguk, daughter of Kublai Khan, whose full name was Holuduluge Li Mishil. It was a political marriage. King Chungnyeol already had a Goryeo queen, Lady Jeonghwa, and children with her, but when Princess Jeguk became the official queen, Lady Jeonghwa was expelled to a separate palace and was not allowed to see the king at all.

Even Lady Jeonghwa, who was a noble and royal herself, was treated this way, but Mubi was not. King Chungnyeol loved Mubi deeply and took her with him every time he visited Dorasan, earning her the nickname "Dorasan." Princess Jeguk was known for her arrogance, often disrupting banquets, taking temple relics at will, and even striking her husband. How, then, did Mubi remain unharmed? After Princess Jeguk died of illness, her son-who became the next king, King Chungseon-blamed Mubi for his mother's illness and had her executed. He did not stop there; he also purged dozens of his father's close associates. King Chungnyeol, shocked, relinquished power, and King Chungseon, under the pretense of comforting his father, presented him with a beautiful widow. This marks the end of the historical records about Mubi.

In history, both women called Mubi are depicted as villainesses who, backed by the king's affection, disrupted the established order. Perhaps this is understandable, as giving birth to royal children while being of low status itself challenged the social order. In the end, both women were erased from history, remembered not by their names or roles but simply as "the king's women." Their beauty, the king's deep affection, and their many children were powerless before the rigid structure of society. One wonders how many more stories of women like them, unrecorded and forgotten, lie buried at the bottom of history. Such thoughts bring a sense of melancholy.

Lee Han, History Writer