조선시대에는 27명의 왕(1대 태조~27대 순종)이 있었다. 이 가운데 ‘대왕’이라는 호칭이 어울리는 임금들은 많지 않다. 한글을 창제한 ‘세종대왕(1397~1450, 재위 1418~1450)처럼 누구나 동의할 만큼의 업적이 필요하기 때문이다. 성리학적 이념을 기반으로 하는 이상적 사회를 염두에 두었던 정조의 효 사상을 엿볼 수 있는 것들로는 화성축조, 융릉, 용주사 창건, 능행 등 많이 찾아볼 수 있고, 조선시대의 전 시대를 아우른 효경의 내용 가운데 임금으로써 실천해야 하는 정조의 효를 기초로 한 정치를 살펴볼 수 있다. 정조의 능 행차는 단순히 사도세자 능을 참배하는 효의 표현만은 아니었다. 정조는 그것을 백성들을 직접 만나는 기회로 삼았다. 정조는 사도세자의 능행길에서 실제로 많은 백성들을 만났다. 그것은 자연스럽게 백성들에게 자애로운 아버지(君主)라는 인상을 심어 주었다. 다시 말하면 정조는 백성들과 거리를 좁히는데 전력을 다하였고, 사망 직전까지도 백성들의 일반 민원사항을 직접 보고 판결할 정도였다. 이런 정교(政敎)는 백성의 부모로서 군주의 위상을 확보하는 ‘효치(孝治)’의 실천이었다. 동시에 정조는 왕위에 오른후, 신하들과의 토론과 대화를 통해서 다양한 문제 해결도 고민하였다.

There were 27 kings(from Taejo, the first king, to Sunjong, the 27th), but not many of theme deserved to be called ‘the Great.’ For it, an undisputable achievement like that of Sejong the Great(1397~1450, reign: 1418~1450) who invented Hangeul. King Jeongjo the Great built Hwaseong Fortress. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Joseon was going through a transition from the long dominance of Neo-Confucianism to practical studies, which resulted in scientific devices like Nokro and Gijunggi invented by Dasan Jeong that were used for building the fortress. Conveying the spirit of ‘seeking the truth based on facts’ and the king’s love for the people, this sturdy structure was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1997. However, Jeongjo was not called ‘the Great’ simply because of this enormous structure. Hwaseong Fortress is deeply related to the death of his father: Sadosaeja. It reflects the wish to enshrine his tomb in the most auspcious land and The given name of King Jeongjo was Seong(祘) and penname Hyeonwun(亨運). The name Seong is originally pronounced as ‘San’; however, he decided to change it to ‘Seong’ after someone named ‘Seo Seong(1558~1631)’ who was a civil minister during the mid-Joseon dynasty and whose offspring greatly prospered. King Jeongjo was born in ‘Gyeongchunjeon’ within the Changgyeonggung Palace, as the second son of Sadosaeja and Hyegyeonggung Hong in 1752(King Yeongjo 28). King Jeongjo’s royal tomb procession was not simply an expression of his filial duty toward his deceased father. He took that as an opportunity to see his people in person. He met many people during the processions and it gave people the impression that he was a benevolent father. In other words, he strove to approach the people and even reviewed and gave verdict on complaints and disputes of the people until his death.2) His politics were a practice of ‘filial governance’ through which he tried to build his status as a parent of his people. Also, upon taking the throne, he began to debate and discuss with his subordinates to resolve various issues.