Seonjo of Joseon

Yi Gyun, youngest son of Prince Deokheung and grandson of King Jungjong, became the 14th monarch of Joseon at 14 when his uncle King Myeongjong died in 1552. He took the throne promoting Confucianism and pushing reforms, the energy of a young ruler trying to right the state. Then came the Imjin War. The invasion laid bare years of political infighting and a leadership that couldn't hold when it mattered. He died in 1608, his name tethered not to the reforms but to the unraveling.