Naemyeongbu

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Naemyeongbu
Naemyeongbu consorts in green wonsam and red chima during a historical reenactment
Korean name
Hangul
내명부
Hanja
Revised RomanizationNaemyeongbu
McCune–ReischauerNaemyŏngbu

Naemyeongbu (Korean: 내명부; Hanja: 內命婦ふ), literally Women of the Internal Court, was a category of rank in the royal court of Joseon that referred to concubines and female officials living within the palaces. It was separate from the Oemyeongbu (Korean: 외명부; Hanja: 外そと命婦みょうぶ) category, which consisted of royal women living outside the palace.[1]

Definition[edit]

Although regulations concerning court ladies were introduced under King Taejo, detailed definitions of ranks, titles, and duties were outlined in the State Code of Joseon, promulgated under King Seongjong, where the term naemyeongbu appears.[2]

Naemyeongbu comprised women serving at court and living in the palaces, but excluded the Queen Consort and the Queens Dowager who were beyond rank and oversaw the court ladies.[1] By contrast, gungnyeo refers to all women at court below the senior 1st rank.[2]

Within the naemyeongbu, the naegwan (Korean: 내관; Hanja: 內官) were concubines from the senior 1st rank to junior 4th rank, and they did not play any role in the household chores of the palace.

Ladies from the senior 5th rank to junior 9th rank were called gunggwan (Korean: 궁관; Hanja: 宮みや官かん), or alternatively yeogwan and nain.[2] They were responsible for various palace chores depending on their position and might work in the royal chambers, kitchen, or laundry.[1]

Recruitment[edit]

Naegwan[edit]

Queens and Crown Princesses[edit]

Queen Sinjeong was selected as the wife of Crown Prince Hyomyeong in 1819 and entered the palace at age 10

The legal spouse of a King or Crown Prince during the Joseon period was selected through a specific procedure that differed from matchmaking practices common outside the royal family. The government issued a ban on marriages in noble households throughout the country, indicating that unmarried daughters of the aristocracy between the ages of 13 and 17 were potential candidates.[3] Depending on the age of the crown prince, girls as young as 9 were sometimes considered, which occurred in the selections of Lady Hyegyeong and Queen Sinjeong. A temporary department called the Office of the Royal Wedding (가례도감; 嘉よしみ禮れい都と監かん) was installed to manage all relevant tasks.[4]

On announcement of the marriage ban, aristocratic families were required to submit details of their unmarried daughters' birth dates and times, as well as the family's genealogical records up to three generations.[5] Candidates were required to be beautiful in appearance and virtuous in character. Those who were not considered physically attractive were disqualified, regardless of their family lineage or virtue.[4] Five to six candidates were selected based on this, which was whittled down to two or three candidates in the second stage, with the bride-to-be selected in the third round.[5] This third presentation was conducted in the presence of the King and Queen Dowager, who consulted the three state councillors before making the final decision.[4]

After selection, gifts of silk and jewellery were sent to the bride's family, and the bride moved to a detached palace where she was instructed in palace etiquette.[4][6] The wife of a King was then formally invested as Queen, after which she moved into the palace to undergo a consummation ceremony. The next day, she was greeted by all palace staff, after which she went to greet the Queen Dowager(s). An invested Queen of Joseon would then receive formal recognition from the Emperor of China acknowledging her legitimacy.[5]

Despite the benefits of one's daughter being selected as the primary wife of the King or Crown Prince, aristocratic families were often reticent to marry their daughters into the royal family and quickly arranged marriages for their young daughters when a selection was anticipated.[7] One lady of the Gwon clan even feigned insanity during the presentation to avoid being chosen as Crown Princess.[8]

The Royal Queenship[edit]

In the Joseon Dynasty, the rank between Queens was determined by the position of the reigning King and was divided into three distinct positions i.e

The Royal Grand Queen Dowager (Taewangtaebi Mama) was either the reigning King's Grandmother or on the other hand, the Eldest Dowager of two Widow Queens present in the Palace.

The Royal Queen Dowager (Wangtaebi Mama) was either the King's mother in most cases or the Immediate Royal Widow of the previous King

The Queen Consort (Wangbi Mama or Jungjeon) was the incumbent Principal Consort of the Reigning King by official amendment.

Each of these positions could only be occupied by one individual with the exception of one time in which the Queens Insu and Inhye both served as Royal Queens Dowager during the reign of King Seongjong(r. 1469–1494) and as Grand Queens Dowager during the reign of King Yeonsan(r. 1494–1506) which was the first and last time it happened in the Joseon Dynasty and Queen Insu apparently outranked Inhye, her counterpart even though her Husband never reigned as King.

As such with the absence of a Queen in the Naemyeongbu, the most senior Dowager Present who was also considered the most able served as a nominal head of the institution and oversaw all the Court Ladies and Palace servants until a Queen was chosen or returned to the Palace. However, even if the Queen headed the harem and the Inner Court, the presence of the elderly widows implied that as they could not be subject to the Queen because of their Senior rank. Instead they supervised her activities and ensured that she was governing the ladies of the Palace efficiently. In fact, it was chiefly the influence of the Dowager Queen that challenged a Queen Consort's hegemony as they were able to have the latter Deposed if her behaviour was deemed inappropriate or even elevated to the position of a Dowager Queen or the Queen Consortship, however, she could not appoint a Dowager Queen or Depose her.

Royal concubines[edit]

If the Queen Consort did not produce a male heir, similar formal procedures as those used to select the Queen were followed to recruit royal concubines. Women thus selected entered the palace with the junior 2nd rank at the minimum, and they would be granted a special title if they had a son who became Crown Prince.[3] Royal concubines were sometimes selected from women up to the age of 20.[4]

Gunggwan[edit]

Court ladies participating in the wedding of Queen Min and assisting the new Queen (re-enactment in 2006)

Court ladies of the senior 5th to junior 9th ranks were recruited through various processes depending on the role. They were originally selected from among female servants who worked for public offices or the daughters of gisaeng, but gradually daughters of respectable families came to be recruited. To avoid their daughters being taken into the palace, many such families married off their daughters very young, leading to a revision to the State Code that girls born to good families would not be recruited.[9] However, Lee Bae-yong suggests that this rule probably only applied to court ladies of the lower ranks, whereas those working closely with the King or Queen potentially continued to be recruited from good families.[10]

Girls were recruited between ages 4 to 10, and successful candidates were bound to live their entire lives in the palace. The young girls were trained in their duties and taught to write in Korean vernacular script, as well as some Chinese characters. They began formally working around ages 11 to 12, with a coming-of-age ceremony held when they turned 18.[10]

A woman only became eligible to hold the rank of sanggung (senior 5th) after 35 years of service.[1] Both the head sanggung as well as the sanggung who personally attended the King or Queen could hold tremendous influence and power, but they typically lost it if a new monarch or consort was installed.[10]

Ranks[edit]

At the Top was the Royal Grand Queen Dowager ("taewangtaebi") or in some instances a Royal Queen Dowager ("wangtaebi") The Queen Consort (jungjeon; 중전) came second or third in rank depending on the type of Dowager that was present and was immediately followed by 4 categories of high-ranked royal consorts, with 2 levels each: senior (jeong, 정) and junior (jong, 종).

For the rank of Bin, the King or Queen would attach a prefix in association with the character/personality of the Royal Consort, such as Huibin (Hui = Radiant), Sukbin (Suk = Clarity/Purity), Uibin (Ui = Appropriate/Fitting), and so forth. However, they are all equal as they hold the same "Bin" rank.

Senior 5th sanggung (상궁; 尙宮) and sangui (상의; 尙儀) were the court ladies who served directly under the royal family members, or the head manager of their assigned department. Depending on their role and department, there would be internal ranking within the sanggung. For example, a sanggung who served the Queen has higher authority and ranking than a sanggung who serves a prince, princess, and/or concubine.

A court lady could also become a sanggung if the King showed favor. They would be called "favored sanggung" or "special court lady" ("seungeun sanggung") and would be considered the highest rank of the senior 5th. However, since they are still in the 5th rank, a favored sanggung would not be considered a member of the Royal Family or part of the naegwan. On some occasions a favored sanggung was promoted to the rank of Sugwon.

Officially admitted royal consorts would start from the rank of Sugui. Non-officially admitted royal consorts would start from the rank of Sugwon. The most notable case is Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Indong Jang clan.

Rank
(Korean: 품계; Hanja: 品しな階かい) 		Title Duties
Classification Hanja Revised Romanization Hangul Hanja
Naegwan
— — Queen 왕비 王妃おうひ Primary Consort of the King.
Queen 계비 繼つぎ妃ひ The King’s primary consort from his second, third, etc. marriage.
Queen Dowager (왕)대비 (王おう)大だい妃ひ Widow of the King's father.
Grand Queen Dowager 대왕대비 大王だいおう大だい妃ひ Widow of the King's grandfather.
Crown Princess 세자빈 世子せいし嬪 Primary Consort of the Heir.
Senior 1st 正せい一品いっぴん Bin 빈 嬪 Most senior rank for concubines.
Junior 1st 從したがえ一いち品ひん Gwiin 귀인 貴人きじん Second most senior rank for concubines.
Senior 2nd 正せい二に品ひん Soui 소의 昭あきら儀ぎ Supports the ceremonies of the Queen.
Junior 2nd 從したがえ二に品ひん Sugui 숙의 淑よし儀ぎ
Senior 3rd 正せい三さん品ひん Soyong 소용 昭あきら容よう Prepared ancestral rites and meals for guests.
Junior 3rd 從したがえ三さん品ひん Sugyong 숙용 淑よし容よう
Senior 4th 正せい四よん品ひん Sowon 소원 昭あきら媛ひめ Oversaw the management of royal palaces on a daily basis.
Junior 4th 從したがえ四よん品ひん Sugwon 숙원 淑よし媛ひめ Wove silk and ramie cloth for presentation on a yearly basis.
Gunggwan
Senior 5th 正せい五ご品ひん Sanggung 상궁 尚なお宫 Escorted the queen; oversaw the sagi and jeoneon.
Sangui 상의 尙儀 Responsible for all daily etiquette and procedures; oversawl saseol and jeondeung.
Junior 5th 從したがえ五ご品ひん Sangbok 상복 尙服 Supplied clothing and embroidered badges and wrappings; oversaw saui and jeonsik.
Sangsik 상식 尙食 Prepared meals and side dishes; oversaw saseon and jeonyak.
Senior 6th 正せい六ろく品ひん Sangchim 상침 尙寢 Responsible for the procedure of escorting the king to his chambers; oversaw saseol and jeondeung.
Sanggong 상공 尙功 Managed the weaving and embroidery processes; oversaw saje and jeonchae.
Junior 6th 從したがえ六ろく品ひん Sangjeong (Gungjeong) 상정 (궁정) 尙正 (宮みや正ただし) Oversaw the conduct, work, and punishment of the court ladies.
Sanggi 사기 司つかさ記き Responsible for documents inside palaces and had access to account books.
Senior 7th 正せい七なな品ひん Jeonbin (Sabin) 전빈 (사빈) 典てん賓まろうど (司つかさ賓まろうど) Prepared meals for guests, looked after guests at banquets.
Jeonui (Saui) 전의 (사의) 典てん衣ころも (司つかさ衣ころも) Responsible for the clothing and hair accessories of ladies in the gunggwan.
Jeonseon (Saseon) 전선 (사선) 典てん膳ぜん (司つかさ膳ぜん) Prepared boiled and seasoned side dishes.
Junior 7th 從したがえ七なな品ひん Jeonseol (Saseol) 전설 (사설) 典てん設しつらえ (司つかさ設しつらえ) Responsible for tents and rush mats, cleaning, and care of goods.
Jeonje (Saje) 전제 (사제) 典てん製せい (司つかさ製せい) Produced clothing.
Jeoneon (Saeon) 전언 (사언) 典てん言ごと (司つかさ言げん) Responsible for conveying messages between the king and the inner court.
Senior 8th 正せい八はち品ひん Jeonchan 전찬 典てん贊さん Helped with meals and guidance during guest receptions and events.
Jeonsik 전식 典てん飾かざり Responsible for washing, combing, and clothing.
Jeonyak 전약 典藥てんやく Responsible for prescribed medicine.
Junior 8th 從したがえ七なな品ひん Jeondeung 전등 典てん燈とう Responsible for lights and candles.
Jeonchae 전채 典てん彩いろどり Wove silk and ramie cloth.
Jeonjeong 전정 典正のりまさ Supported the gungjeong.
Senior 9th 正せい九きゅう品ひん Jugung 주궁 奏そう宮みや Affairs related to music.
Jusang 주상 奏そう商しょう
Jugak 주각 奏そう角かく
Junior 9th 從したがえ九きゅう品ひん Jubyeonchi 주변치 奏そう變へん徵ちょう
Juchi 주치 奏そう徵ちょう
Juu 주우 奏そう羽わ
Jubyeongung 주변궁 奏そう變へん宮みや
[11]

Notable Naemyeongbu[edit]

Queens[edit]

The Cheongju Han clan produced 16 Queens, the largest number in Korean history. Queen Sohye, wife of Crown Prince Uigyeong, and a member of the clan, wrote Naehun, a Confucian morality guidebook for women.[12]

Crown Princesses[edit]

Notable consorts[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d National Palace Museum of Korea (2016), p. 107.
  2. ^ a b c Yi 2008, p. 63.
  3. ^ a b Yi 2008, p. 83.
  4. ^ a b c d e Yi 2008, p. 84.
  5. ^ a b c National Palace Museum of Korea (2016), p. 110.
  6. ^ Kim Haboush 2013, p. 63–68.
  7. ^ Yi 2008, p. 85.
  8. ^ Yi 2008, p. 86–87.
  9. ^ Yi 2008, p. 63–65.
  10. ^ a b c Yi 2008, p. 65.
  11. ^ National Palace Museum of Korea (2016), p. 108.
  12. ^ "MusicalAmerica - Terra Han introduces East Asian Royal women's identity through her own family traditions of Han clan of Cheongju". www.musicalamerica.com. Retrieved 12 May 2020.

References[edit]

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