#TheRedSleeve - the Queen Dowager: a thread 🧵 #BaeksangArtsAwards2022 #Baeksang2022 #Baeksang #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung 
Nota: this thread will be a mix of historical facts and events from the drama #TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
Queen Jeongsun (called the queen dowager after Yeongjo’s death) was the 2nd official consort of the king. She married him at 13 yo. Yeongjo was already 64 yo. She was 10 years younger than Sado & 6 years older than San. #TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
Yeongjo would have 2 consorts, 5 concubines & 14 children (11 will die before him). None of his official consort would have a child. Which is ironical bc Yeongjo has always been ashamed to be the son of a mere court lady maid #TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
The fact that queen Jeongsun didn’t have any child is important bc the value of a woman (specially in the royal family) was linked to her ability to have children. It was her only purpose.#TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
When Hwabin will try to get Deok Im killed, pretending she had an affair, she’ll strike the chord of the queen dowager, by saying she was childless like her, which means in a inferior position inside the palace #TheRedSleeve #LeeSeYoung #LeeJunHo
In the first ep of #TheRedSleeve the queen seems to be San’s ally whereas he’s surrounded by danger, which was wrong. The only interest of the queen is herself and her self preservation. She doesn’t feel indebted to San and acts if only she can get benefit of it #TheRedSleeve
The queen is a very smart woman who understood completely how to « manage » her husband in order to stay safe. She saw Sado’s death & knows perfectly how dangerous Yeongjo can be. She does what she has to do to keep along with him, which means staying in his favor #TheRedSleeve
When san’s sisters ask her to intervene in his favor to the king (after the tiger hunt), she refused bc she clearly knows it would trigger Yeongjo. Instead, she proposes to send Deok Im, which is double edged.#TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
If Deok Im fails, she’s thrown under the bus; if she succeeds, the queen’s play the good part. When San’s is confined, Deok Im asks the queen to intervene. She declines first bc she doesn’t see any benefit for her if San accesses to the throne #TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
So Deok Im strikes the queen’s chord: if she helps San, she could play a big role as queen dowager rather than been confined into her room, in the dazzling prison. Once again, the queen will only accept the request bc she would receive smth in exchange #TheRedSleeve #LeeSeYoung
Litterally the queen’s philosophy in #TheRedSleeve is 1. Never do smth for free 2. Never get drawned into smb else mess 3. Get along with Yeongjo
The queen will only help San bc Deok Im will give her what she wants: the way to humiliate princess Hwawan, who was the cherished daughter of Yeongjo #TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
Queen Jeongsun was chosen because Yeongjo liked her answers to the questions asked during the selection. Remember the questions the queen asked to Deok Im in #TheRedSleeve when they played riddles? It was those she was asked during her selection in the real life
After Yeongjo, the queen Dowager became the most powerful person in the palace. As an eldest of the royal family, she’s the only one who can frontally oppose to San, which she would … She had also a leverage on San: his marital life #TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
The queen dowager choose Wonbin as a concubine at a time it was said that Jeongjo didn’t take the time to visit the queen and fulfill his royal duty (he won’t face these kind of issue with Deok Im). She would also chose a new concubine 3 MONTHS AFTER UIBIN’s death #TheRedSleeve
As we can see in #TheRedSleeve the relationship between Jeongjo and the queen dowager were very bad (in fact it was worst IRL), bc the king exiled the queen’s brother which was the leader of Noron (I may write smt about noron & soron in another thread)
In #TheRedSleeve we can see the queen dowager developing an obsession for Deok Im. She proposes twice to become her court lady maid, which means San could no longer take her as a concubine. In the same, she incites San to take what he desires…which is Deok Im.
Confessing her love for San to lady Seo, Deok Im added: « if I can’t have it all, I rather have none of it ». Instead, the queen Dowager’s love is extreme and destructive: if she can’t have Deok Im she prefers her to dead, agreeing to scheme against her with Hwabin #TheRedSleeve
She will try another attempt to pick Deok Im up when San will move faster by bedding her in the evening #TheRedSleeve #LeeSeYoung #LeeJunHo
After Deok Im’s death the queen Dowager is shown crying. IRL she was ruthless & merciless. After Jeongjo’s death, she became Sunjo’s regent who was only 10. She departed from Jeongjo’s policy enforcing the Catholic Persecution of 1801 and favoring the Noron faction #TheRedSleeve
The queen executed Jeongjo's half-brother (Eunon) and maternal uncle abolished Jang Yong-young (Jeongjo’s army), and massively defeated the Catholic Church that Jeongjo had tolerated #TheRedSleeve #LeeJunHo #LeeSeYoung
The queen died in 1805 (5 years after JeongJo) and is buried with Yeongjo and his first wife
End of the thread 🧵
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