Empress Myeongseong[b] (Korean: 명성황후; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895)[c] was the official wife of Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire. During her lifetime, she was known by the name Queen Min (Korean: 민비; Hanja: 閔妃). After the founding of the Korean Empire, she was posthumously given the title of Myeongseong, the Great Empress (명성태황후; 明成太皇后).