Yi Gae was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

 and one of the six martyred ministers

Six martyred ministers

The six martyred ministers or Sayuksin were six ministers of the Joseon Dynasty who were executed by King Sejo in 1456 for plotting to assassinate him and restore the former king Danjong to the throne....

. He was born to a yangban

Yangban

The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...

 family of the Hansan Yi

Lee (Korean name)

Lee is the common English spelling of 이 , a common Korean family name. The proper pronunciation in South Korea is like the English letter "E", although in North Korea the name is still written as "리" and pronounced "Lee". Many times South Koreans will knowingly introduce themselves as "Lee" to...

 lineage, and was the great-grandson of Goryeo

Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...

 period philosopher Yi Saek

Yi Saek

Yi Saek , also known as Mokeun, is a Korean writer and poet. His family belonged to the Hansan Yi clan. Yi Saek played a crucial role in the introduction and localisation of philosophy of Zhu Xi...

.

Yi passed the higher examination

Gwageo

The gwageo were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' knowledge of the Chinese classics, and sometimes also of technical subjects...

 in 1436, and he was appointed to the Hall of Worthies

Hall of Worthies

The Hall of Worthies or Jiphyeonjeon ' was set up by Sejong the Great of the Korean Joseon Dynasty in 1420. It consisted of scholars selected by the king....

 by Sejong

Sejong the Great of Joseon

Sejong the Great was the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. During his regency, he reinforced Korean Confucian policies and executed major legal amendments . He also used the creation of Hangul and the advancement of technology to expand his territory...

 in 1441. After Munjong

Munjong of Joseon

King Munjong was the fifth King of the Joseon Dynasty, who ruled Korea from 1450 to 1452. He was the eldest son of King Sejong the Great, and succeeded him in 1450, but died of disease two years later. He was succeeded by his son, Danjong of Joseon.Most of Munjong's achievements were performed...

 rose to the throne in 1450, he was appointed to provide personal instruction in the classics to the prince, who became the young King Danjong

Danjong of Joseon

Danjong of Joseon was the sixth king of the Joseon Dynasty.Danjong succeeded his father, Munjong of Joseon, at the age of 12...

 in 1453.

In 1455, Danjong was overthrown by Sejo

Sejo of Joseon

Sejo of Joseon was the seventh king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He produced a coup d'etat and became king himself in 1455.-Reign:...

. Yi joined a conspiracy of other high officials to overthrow Sejo and return Danjo to the throne; but just before the plot would have unfolded, it was betrayed to the king by Kim Jil

Kim Jil

Kim Jil , also often spelled Kim Chil, was a scholar-official of the early Joseon Dynasty. He is remembered today primarily for his participation in, and betrayal of, the conspiracy led by the six martyred ministers....

. Arrested, he refused to repent under torture and was executed.

Death Poem

Yi Gae wrote the following death poem

Death poem

A death poem is a poem written near the time of one's own death. It is a tradition for literate people to write one in a number of different cultures, especially in Joseon Korea and Japan.-History:...

 before in the prison his execution.

방안에 혔는 촛불 눌과 이별하엿관대

겉으로 눈물지고 속타는 줄 모르는다.

우리도 천리에 임 이별하고 속타는 듯하여라.

Oh, candlielight shining the room, with whom did you part?

You shed tears without and burn within, yet no one notices.

We part with our Lord thousand miles away and burn like thee.

See also

• Joseon Dynasty politics
  Joseon Dynasty politics
  The politics of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910, were governed by the reigning ideology of Korean Confucianism, a form of Neo-Confucianism. Political struggles were common between different factions of the scholar-officials...
  
  
• Korean Confucianism
  Korean Confucianism
  Korean Confucianism is the form of Confucianism developed in Korea. One of the most substantial influences in Korean intellectual history was the introduction of Confucian thought as part of the cultural influence from China...
  
  
• List of Joseon Dynasty people
• List of Korea-related topics