Korean nobility
Korean monarchy existed in Korea until the end of the Japanese occupation and the defeat of Japan. After the independence and the installation of the Constitution that adopted republic system, the concept of nobility has been abolished, both formally and in practice.
Sources
[edit]As the Benedictines and other monastical orders did during Europe's Dark Ages, the Buddhist monks became the purveyors and guardians of Korea's literary traditions while documenting Korea's written history and legacies from the Silla period to the end of the Goryeo dynasty. Korean Buddhist monks also developed and used the first movable metal type printing presses in history—some 500 years before Gutenberg[citation needed]—to print ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhist monks also engaged in record keeping, food storage and distribution, as well as the ability to exercise power by influencing the Goryeo royal court.
Ruler and princely styles
[edit]Original titles
[edit]The monarchs of Goguryeo adopted the title of "Taewang", which placed them on the same level as the Chinese emperors. The literal translation of the title is the Supreme King. The early monarchs of Silla have used the title of "Geoseogan", "Chachaung", "Isageum", and finally "Maripgan" until 503. This follows from an earlier tradition when Korean kings were styled either Han or Kan, which are cognates of the Turkic khan. Marip originally meant the highest, and gan meant rulers. In addition, Baekje used the title of "Eoraha", "Ha" meaning "rulers" and "Eora" meaning "the largest".[1][2][3][4][5]
Imperial titles
[edit]Goguryeo adopted the title, "Taewang" (태왕;
The title was revived for less than two decades during the Korean Empire that came after Joseon.
Royal titles
[edit]Wang (Korean: 왕; Hanja:
Although often translated in English as "king", this title also applied to a female ruler. Female rulers, equivalent to queen regnant in English, were informally referred to as yeowang (여왕;
Wangbi (왕비;
Prince
[edit]Gun (Korean: 군; Hanja:
In the Joseon Dynasty, solid regulations about investiture were established, for both royals and non-royals. Legitimate sons of the king (those born of the queen consort) were entitled as a daegun (Korean: 대군; Hanja:
Non-royal servants could also receive the princely title as well. Buwongun (Korean: 부원군; Hanja:
When one became a gongsin, his ancestors up to his paternal great-grandparent would be posthumously promoted in rank, with his father especially being named different classes of gongsin depending on the class of the gongsin title of his son (first to third class). He would also be entitled as a gun, all posthumously[11].
All gun titles had a prefix attached to them, the name of that servant's bon-gwan. For example, Yoon In-Gyeong, a 16th century politician, was named a gongsin in the aftermath of the Fourth Literati Purge of 1545, among thirty others. Because of this, he was raised to the first rank and therefore was invested as the Paseong Buwongun (Korean: 파성부원군; Hanja: 坡
The gun title could only be entitled upon the eldest descendant of the gongsin when he reached the second rank. Those who had their titles inherited would be referred to as seungseupgun (Korean: 승습군; Hanja:
The dethroned rulers of Joseon Dynasty that did not receive a temple name are presently referred to as their gun title from when they were princes. There were three dethroned kings known as guns in the Joseon Dynasty (one restored to the dignity of king and given a temple name posthumously).
Under the Korean Empire (1897-1910), the close male relatives of the Emperor were given the title of chinwang (Korean: 친왕; Hanja:
Aristocracy before Joseon
[edit]Silla
[edit]In Silla, the nobility was categorized by the Bone rank system.
Royal families split into two classes: sacred bone, which meant eligibility for the royal succession, and true bone, until the former was extinguished.
Non-royal nobles split into three classes: the 6th head rank, the 5th head rank and the 4th head rank; the 6th being the highest.
Goryeo
[edit]Servants that were not royals would be given titles and land that had the words gaeguk (Korean: 개국; Hanja:
- Gukgaegukgong (국개국공,
國 開國 公 ), Duke of a state - Gungaegukgong (군개국공,
郡 開國 公 ), Duke of a county - Hyeongaegukhu (현개국후,
縣 開國 侯 ), Marquis of a town - Hyeongaegukbaek (현개국백,
縣 開國 伯 ), Count of a town - Gaegukja (개국자,
開國 子 ), Viscount - Hyeonnam (현개국남,
縣 開國 男 ), Baron of a town
Starting from 1031, Goryeo princes began to be invested in 6 different classes of titles, the same way as nobles not of the royal family, but with the gaeguk fixes removed[6].
Also the title Taeja (태자;
Noble families in Korea
[edit]Some clans whose social rank throughout Korean history could be considered equivalent to nobility are as follows (this is merely a sample and nowhere near the total list of families who attained and/or retained such social rank over the duration of Korea's lengthy history; families on this list are often also recognizable via their status during the Joseon era as yangban families).
List of Noble families in Korea, such as:
- House of Yi (Joseon Dynasty)
- House of Moon (East Tamna Dynasty, Jeju Island)
- House of Ko (West Tamna Dynasty, Jeju Island)
- House of Park (Silla Dynasty)
- Papyeong Yoon
- Cheongju Han
- Gyeongju Yi
- Andong Kim
- Gimhae Kim
- Miryang Park
- Yeoheung Min
- Dalseong Seo
- Gyeongju Seok
- Pyeongyang Ko
Foreign noble families in Korea
[edit]The Chinese Ming Xia emperor Ming Yuzhen's son Ming Sheng was given the noble title Marquis of Guiyi by the Ming dynasty Hongwu Emperor after his surrender. Ming Sheng was then exiled to Korea at the age of 17 in 1372 by the Ming dynasty. The Korean official Yun Hui-chong's married his daughter off to Ming Sheng in March 1373. The emperor asked the Korean king to treat Ming Sheng as a foreign noble by giving his descendants and family corvée and taxation exemptions. These were granted by a patent from the Korean king which lasted until the invading soldiers in the Qing invasion of Joseon destroyed the Ming family's patents.[14][15][16][17][18] The Chinese Ming family exists as the Korean clans, Yeonan Myeong clan, Seochok Myeong clan and Namwon Seung clan.[19][20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 이도학, 백제사 (History of Paekje), 2005, ISBN 89-89899-57-5
- ^ 도수희, 백제왕칭어에 대하여: 어라하, 건길지, 구드래, 구다라를 중심으로 (Concerning the title of Baekje's rulers: Ŏraha, Kŏgilji, Kudŭrae and Kudara), 한국언어문학, 11, 244-247 (1973)
- ^ 도수희, 백제어 연구 II (Study of Pakeje Language II, 백제문화개발연구원(1989)
- ^ 도수희, 백제어 연구 III (Study of Paekje Language III) (1994), 백제문화개발연구원
- ^ 도수희, 존칭의 비(卑)칭화에 대하여 (Concerning honorific titles and humble names), 한국현대언어학회 특강논문 (1998)
- ^ a b "왕기를 개성국공으로 책봉하다". Goryeosa - Database of Korean History. 12 February 1031.
- ^ "Daejeon Tongpyeon § 종친부(
宗 親 府 )". Joseon Dynasty Legal Data - Database of Korean History. 1785. - ^ "대원군". Standard Korean Language Dictionary - National Institute of Korean Language. 2008.
- ^ "Daejeon Tongpyeon §
封 君 ". Joseon Dynasty Legal Data - Database of Korean History. 1785. - ^ "Daejeon Tongepyeon §
總論 ". Joseon Dynasty Legal Data - Database of Korean History. 1785. - ^ "Daejeon Tongpyeon §
總論 ". Joseon Dynasty Legal Data - Database of Korean History. 1785. - ^ "홍언필·윤인경·이기 등에게 공신을 제수하다". Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty. 16 September 1545.
- ^ "Yukjeon Jorye §
承 蔭 ". Joseon Dynasty Legal Data - Database of Korean History. 1867. - ^ Goodrich, Luther Carringto (1976). Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368-1644, Volume 2 (illustrated ed.). Columbia University Press. p. 1072. ISBN 023103833X.
- ^ Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting (illustrated ed.). Springer Science & Business Media. 2000. p. 1072. ISBN 3540656308.
- ^ Farmer, Edward L., ed. (1995). Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society Following the Era of Mongol Rule. BRILL. p. 22. ISBN 9004103910.
- ^ Serruys, Henry (1959). The Mongols in China During the Hung-wu Period (1368-1398). Impr. Sainte-Catherine. p. 31.
- ^ Serruys, Henry (1967). Sino-Mongol Relations During the Ming, Volume 1. Institut belge des hautes études chinoises. p. 31.
- ^ Academy of Korean Studies 서촉명씨
西 蜀 明 氏 . Academy of Korean Studies. - ^ Jin Guanglin [in Japanese] (2014). "A Comparison of the Korean and Japanese Approaches to Foreign Family Names" (PDF). Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia. 5: 20 – via Society for Cultural Interaction in East Asia.
External links
[edit]- Almanach de Bruxelles (now a paying site)