From Arranged Marriage to Deteriorating Health: The Story of The Last Princess of Korea

(Warning: Mental illness and suicide references ahead)

                    Many of you fine people who read this have no idea of how many royal families and monarchs that have existed since the advent of human history. Nowadays you probably only known several European constitutional monarchy royals like The British Royal Family and King Charles III, The Dutch Royals with King Willem-Alexander as the current monarch, or even the still-ruling Japanese empire with Emperor Naruhito at the helm. Others might include the likes of those in the Middle East, few of them practice Absolute Monarchy like Saudi Arabia, or even our neighbors in Southeast Asia, like Malaysia with their unique rotating sultanate policy and Brunei. In short, this form of government has existed as long and as historic as the human civilization itself. I often thought what if Indonesia adopted this form of government, but given our national history and its turbulence, it seems very unlikely. But one can only hope, am I right? 

                  Now, there are several instances where a country changed their government model from a monarchy to a republic. One can look at the history of the French Republic, who attained their independence by the way of blood during the French revolution, often involving imprisonment of several member of the French royal family and subsequent execution by guillotine. The most famous story of those is the execution of King Louis XVI and his wife Queen Marie-Antoinette. Others, unfortunately ended via occupation by another country, like the Joseon Empire, which is the precursor of modern-day Korea. Once known as one of the great Empires in East Asia, the Korean Empire was occupied and annexed by the Japanese, effectively ending the Joseon Dynasty and setting up a series of events that lead to the Korean war and the subsequent separation of both Korean territories, one in the south with parliamentary republic system, and those of the north which operates with the communism and socialism ideology governed by a dynasty with a dead guy as eternal president (The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea is a necrocracy, which means a country that is governed by a dead man, Kim Il-sung as eternal president). 

 

                  The story of the former Joseon Empire is one big piece on itself, but I want to focus on one specific figure, who was known during her lifetime as the last princess of the Korean Empire, one who was exiled to Japan and finally returned to her homeland, which is now a republic. Princess Yi Deokhye was born on the 25th of May 1912 in Deoksu Palace in Keijo (modern-day Seoul), Korea during the Japanese Imperial times after the region was annexed by Japan two years prior. She was the daughter of Emperor Gojong of Joseon and Imperial Consort Boknyeong. There are some interesting facts about the royal princess. One of them was she was not formally considered as a royal princess by the Japanese just because her mother wasn't the Queen, but rather an imperial concubine to the emperor. This too, was obviously pointed out by her nickname, which was Deokhye-ongju (the royal staff refers to her as Ongju-nim), rather than Gongju (the latter title is given to the daughters of the queen, while the former was assigned to the daughter of the concubines). But in 1917, after his father persuaded the Then Governor-General of Korea Masatake Terauchi, she was finally recognized as the royal princess and was integrated to the royal family registry. 

 

                  Like those of the royal families in the past, arranged marriages between the royals were also common in Joseon, as the emperor once tried to set up a marriage between Deokhye-ongju with a court chamberlain's nephew, named Kim Jang-han in 1919, but went bust after the Japanese intervened, and barred Kim Hwang-jin, the chamberlain to enter the Deoksu Palace. It was also on this year that the emperor died suddenly, allegedly by poison from the Japanese. In 1925, Deokhye-ongju was sent to Japan with the pretense of continuing her studies (in reality, she was exiled), and known by the Japanese as Princess Tokue. She was known as that one student who was untalkative and struggled with exercising. She was allowed to return to Korea temporarily to attend her mother's funeral in 1929 but denied permission to wear proper clothing for the occasion. 

 

                  Princess Deokhye was also known for her battle with mental illness. This condition first manifested in spring 1930, during the period where she often forgot to eat and drink. Subsequent examination revealed that the princess had developed schizophrenia, partly due to her upbringing. Over time, her condition improved, but in 1933, her condition worsened, leading to many trips to various mental clinics. The condition was further exacerbated by the grief of losing her daughter, Masae (Korean name: Jeonghye) who was reported missing in 1956 and allegedly committed suicide due to the stress of her parents' divorce. Speaking of divorce, she once married to Count Takeyuki Sō of Tsushima, after being matched by Empress Consort Teimei, the wife of Emperor Yoshihito (Later Emperor Taishō). Their marriage lasted from 1930 until their divorce in 1955, and Masae was their only daughter. It was reported that the marriage was an unhappy one, and by the time she finally arrived and resided in Korea, Takeyuki attempted to visit his ex-wife, but was denied by her remaining relatives, fearing her worsening mental state if she contacted him. After the divorce, Takeyuki Sō then moved to Kashiwa and subsequently remarried to a woman named Yoshie Katsumura, fathering 3 more children. During this time, Deokhye-ongju spent most of her time in Japan.

 

                  Then, the monumental occasion came. After 38 years, the government of the Republic of Korea invited the princess to return to her homeland, after being discovered by Kim Jang-han, now a reporter inside a mental institution. Initially, South Korean authorities refused the return of the last royal blood, due to the president at the time, Lee Seung-man wanting to avoid political chaos. After some persuasion by Kim, Princess Deokhye finally stepped foot in her homeland after arriving at Kimpo International Airport in Seoul on the 26th of January 1967, and was greeted by few figures of her childhood, including her kindergarten classmate, her nurse, and her remaining family members. She was also able to restore her Korean citizenship, despite being born there, now as Yi Deok-hye. The princess spent her last years in-and-out of hospitals, and in 1983, she once admitted to Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital due to old age. And on the 21st of April 1989, Princess Yi Deokhye, the last royal princess of the Korean Empire passed away at the age of 76 at the Sugang Hall, Changdeok Palace in Seoul, and was laid to rest near her father and her half-brother in Hongryureung, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.

 

                  The story of Princess Deokhye is nothing sort of a tragic one across any royal history. Once the princess of her homeland, she was exiled by the occupation government and was forced to an unhappy, arranged marriage to a Japanese count, developed a mental illness which had worsened over time. There are few literatures that can be used to study the princess, but the 2016 movie The Last Princess directed by Hur Jin-ho is by far the best way to help those who studied Korean history to examine the life of the princess, from her upbringing, her marriage, her mental struggles, all the way to her return and passing. Yes, her life might be a tragic one, but remember, she was a member of the Korean royal family, those who governed the region as Joseon, and her life is to be celebrated as the last ever princess of Korea who finally returned home after a lengthy exile.

Fritz Haber: Sinner or a Saint?

 (Warning: Graphic description ahead)

"Haber-Bosch, the great alliance

Where’s the contradiction?

Fed the world by ways of science

Sinner or a saint?"

 

-"Father" performed by Sabaton, 2022

 

            It has been said that every human that ever lived has two sides of themselves. One is for public consumption to be explored and analyzed, the other is reserved for themselves, far away from the preying eyes of the masses. But never in history has a man is known both as a saving grace of humanity, and a cold-blooded monster responsible for millions of lives lost during a conflict. And as the words above have stated, he can be viewed either as a sinner or a saint.

 

            Since the end of the Renaissance era, scientific breakthroughs have been used to the advantage of mankind, agriculture is one of them. Two German scientists instantly came up to mind when it comes to this, thanks to the Haber-Bosch process. As the name suggests, one of the responsible scientists was the man named Fritz Haber. The Breslau, Prussia (present day Wrocław, Poland) native was born into a well-off Jewish family on the 9th of December 1868. Upon young Fritz being brought into the world, he lost his mother exactly three weeks after childbirth; his parents are first cousins as well. As a result, Fritz never experienced paternal love from his own dad, and consequently grew close to his stepmother and his three stepsisters. Despite his family's deep religious background, that of Judaism, The Haber family are fully assimilated to the German society; Fritz himself even identified more as German than a Jewish. 

 

           The young Fritz Haber was always interested in chemistry, so much so, his father eventually sent him to Berlin to attend Humboldt University. Felling dissatisfied with his winter semester, he switched to Heidelberg University for his summer semester, and eventually earned his degree from the Technical University of Berlin. But this is also costing his familial relationship with his father, whom, after working together, decided that he and his son were not suited to work together. Siegfried Haber even noted that Fritz never belonged to the business world. 

            

            Eventually, Haber began his academic career at the University of Jena, working as an assistant to fellow chemist Ludwig Knorr. His tenure with Knorr ended up beneficial to Haber's career down the line, as he was recommended by Knorr to Carl Engler of the University of Karlsruhe. From Engler, came Hans Bunte, who advised Haber to study hydrocarbons as part of his thesis. There are many areas of chemistry that involved Haber over the years, but it was his collaboration study with Carl Bosch, about the use of ammonia and its role as synthetic fertilizers that made his name a legend among chemists, even earning him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918. The process, known as the Haber-Bosch process, sought to convert ammonia and from the catalyst process were to be used as fertilizers. Their reasoning being the speed of the crops to grow were too slow, whilst population kept on increasing. 

 

            But with this man, there was a dichotomy. During his lifetime, World War 1 erupted as a result of several diplomatic tensions in the back of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Haber, along with 92 other German intellectuals, formed the Manifesto of the Ninety-Three, to support the German Empire's war efforts. And low and behold, Haber's work on ammonia was weaponized as chlorine gas to be used by German troops on the Western Front. He actually helped develop the non-ballistic use of chemical warfare, a fairly new technology at the time. It was first deployed on the Second Battle of Ypres, fought on 22 April to 25 May 1915 against the French. It was also this type of weapon responsible for the grisliest battle in the history of the first world war, the Osowiec Fortress Offensive, otherwise known as "The Attack of the Dead Men", where heavily gassed Russian soldiers managed to deal a heavy blow to the German army despite their near-death condition, with bloody rags, pieces of damaged lung being spit out, and damaged skin and other soft tissues. 

 

            Granted, the use of Haber's gas weapons was heavily criticized when he was announced as the recipient of the Nobel Prize, citing his involvement during prior war. Hell, one of the critics was his own friend Albert Einstein. And this is not limited to his academic career either. Haber was married twice, first to Clara Immerwahr and had a son, Hermann, and to Charlotte Nathan, fathering two more children, a daughter, and a son. His first marriage with Clara also full of turbulence. Clara Haber was known as a pacifist and opposed his involvement in the war. She committed suicide by shooting her won heart with a revolver after a nasty argument with Fritz. His second marriage with Charlotte didn't end well either, although there was no blood spilled from either party.

 

            During the last years of his life, with the rise of the National Socialist Movement (subsequently known as the Nazi Party), Haber traveled extensively, having spent his time briefly in France, Spain, and Switzerland. Fritz Haber died in Basel, Switzerland on 29 January 1934 at the age of 65, after his health failing significantly over the last two years of his life due to angina attacks, which is a common symptom of coronary heart disease. Per his last wishes, Fritz Haber's remains were cremated and reunited with his first wife's ashes and buried at Hörnli Cemetery in Basel 29 September 1934. 

 

            Fritz Haber's tale is like two sides of the same coin, each with its own dichotomy. On one side, he was a hero of the chemistry and agricultural world, responsible for the creation of synthetic fertilizers used to grow crops, and subsequently fed the entire world. But on the other side, Fritz Haber was a monster capable of evil by developing the same creation, but as a devastating weapon used by the Germans during the Great War. He was, and always be the most polarizing figure ever lived, and normally, I want nothing to do with this man, but the story is so fascinating, I can't help but to dissect this man. Even if it means uncovering more of his heinous underbelly beyond his legacy as the one who fed the world.

 

"Father of toxic gas, and chemical warfare

His dark creation has been revealed

Flow over no man's land, a poisonous nightmare

A deadly mist on the battlefield!"

 

"During times when there's peace he belonged to the world

During times when there's war he belonged to his place of birth."

 

-"Father", performed by Sabaton, 2022

Elizabeth II: The Everlasting Royal Legacy

    Well, they say that the inevitable will eventually come. We all anticipated this news from many years ago, yet when the bitter end comes, we are still in shock. Just this morning, 6 AM Jakarta time, I woke up to the news that the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II passed away in her Scotland residence of Balmoral Castle at the age of 96 years, just seven months after celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, marked her 70th year as the monarch of Great Britain and the Commonwealth realms. It was also two days removed from greeting her 14th Prime Minister of Great Britain Liz Truss, who will instead become the first Prime Minister to serve under her son's reign, now known as His Majesty the King, Charles III. Official news from Buckingham Palace stated that she passed away peacefully surrounded by the Royal Family in Balmoral Castle on the 8th of September 2022 at 6.30 PM BST.

             As we remember the beloved queen, let's dissect her life, from her time in the royal family, her military service, until her eventual ascension to the British Throne. Her Majesty was born Elizabeth Alexandra May on the 21st of April 1926 in Mayfair, London, England, the eldest of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Then known as the Duke and Duchess of York). She then assumed the title of Princess Elizabeth of York and was made the heir to the British Throne directly after George VI. At first, during the reign of her grandfather, King George V, she was third in line of succession, behind Edward VIII and her father. Had Edward married and had kids, she would be pushed further back. Then Edward assumed the throne in 1936 after her grandfather's death, and she became second in line. Then during the same year, Britain entered the constitutional crisis caused by Edward's abdication of the throne, due to him marrying Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who happened to be a divorcee. Technically speaking, if she had a brother, he would be the heir apparent, but since all she had as sibling was Princess Margaret, her younger sister, she became the heir presumptive. 

 

            When war came, most royal families would evacuate to somewhere safer. But during the events of World War II, Elizabeth and Margaret were to be evacuated as suggested by Lord Hailsham, but their mother outright rejected the idea, stating that the children will stay as long as the King stay. Interestingly enough, she served in the British Army during the struggle, served as a trained mechanic and driver and was given the rank of honorary junior commander. During her time in the Royal Family as Princess Elizabeth, she went to many countries, her first overseas tour occurred in 1947, accompanying her parents to southern Africa. One of the most memorable overseas visits that everyone will remember was when she was standing in for her father visiting US President Harry S. Truman in 1951. By that time, she was already married to her longtime husband, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. 

 

            Her marriage with Prince Phillip in and on itself, was also controversial. Although served in the Royal Navy and became a British subject in the process, Phillip was a foreign-born, formerly Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark. He was also in no financial standing and had sister who had married German noblemen with links to the Nazi. Before marriage, he renounced his Greek and Danish titles, and converted to the Anglican branch of Christianity, which basically a variant of the Protestant Christianity. Their marriage lasted until Phillip's death on 9 April 2021 and had four children, His Majesty King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

 

            In early 1952, The news of the death of George VI arrived just as Elizabeth and Phillip arrived in their Kenyan Home during their Australia-New Zealand Tour by the way of Kenya, with His Royal Highness Prince Phillip broke the news to the new monarch. As per tradition, whenever the sitting monarch passed away, their first in line of succession becomes the new monarch with immediate effect. She was 27 years of age when the her coronation ceremony occurred on the 2nd of June 1953 and witnessed many important events during her reign as the Queen of Great Britain and the leader of the Commonwealth. By this time, the Commonwealth had evolved to include 56 states, 15 of them are known as the Commonwealth Realms, where the head of state is the reigning monarch of The United Kingdom, which starting from this day onward, is King Charles III. In 1956, France was almost included in the Commonwealth, but instead signed the Treaty of Rome, which is the precursor to the European Union. She celebrated her Silver, Ruby, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilee, each marked her 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. She also witnessed the rapid decolonization of former British colonial territories in the 60s and the 70s, as many countries moved towards self-governance. She was also the first British Monarch to visit a communist country in 1970 when she visited Yugoslavia and President Josip Broz Tito. 1992 was the year marked by the Queen as annus horribilis, or horrible year, as she witnessed the divorces of Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and then-Prince Charles from their spouses. There was also a rise of the Republican Movement in Britain, calling for a change in government from a monarchy to a republic with elected head of state. Her 70+ year reign was marked by various events in history, with the latest being the Covid pandemic, the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union, and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

 

            When we look at the numbers during her reign as the Queen, Elizabeth II was perhaps the most well-known monarch in recent history. There are 14 prime ministers who served under her reign, most notably Winston Churchill, who was the last PM served under her father, Margaret Thatcher, a.k.a. The Iron Lady, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Theresa May, and the last under her reign and recently resigned Boris Johnson. Liz Truss was appointed Prime minister under her reign but will serve her post under King Charles III. With the United States, especially the presidents, 14 different presidents were elected at the same time as her reign. Her first meeting with Truman may be the first, but the meeting occurred while she was still Princess Elizabeth. Her first proper visit as Queen was when she visited President Dwight Eisenhower on October 1957. Then came Presidents John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, who apparently tried to set up his own daughter Tricia to marry Charles, Gerald Ford, whom she shared a dance with, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, who instantly bonded due to their shared hobby of horse riding, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush, all the way to Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. All of which has either visited her or she visit them personally. The only US president that the Queen never met was Lyndon Johnson, that honor instead went to Princess Margaret. Up until her passing, she exceeded her great-great-grandmother's record for the longest serving monarch in British history. For the record, Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years and 216 days. Her official time as the monarch clocked at 70 years and 214 days. It means that most of us are actually born under her reign. 

 

            For the next 12 days, Great Britain and the Commonwealth will enter a mourning period culminating to the royal funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. All sports, entertainment and comedy programs are banned during this period. King Charles III is also expected to tour the capitals of each home nations of Britain and will set up his coronation later down the road. For now, Operation London Bridge is in motion, and as the world gathers around in grief, we offer our greatest condolences to the royal family in the wake of the Queen's passing. She left a lasting legacy not only for Britain, but for the rest of the world. She will be missed, and may God provide a good health for the new king as he takes his rightful place to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and subsequently, the leader of the Commonwealth. Rest in peace, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and (I know I'm not British, but I'll say this anyway) God Save the King.