태조~성종대 왕실여성의 封號와 가문 현황 분석 - 大君夫人·君夫人을 중심으로

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본고는 조선 초기 왕실여성 가문의 성격과 외척의 정치적 역할을 파악하기 위한 기초 연구로서, 태조∼성종대까지 간택후궁과 대군부인·군부인들의 가문 현황을 정리하는 데에 주된 목적을 두었다. 연구 대상은 無品인 王女를 제외한 간택후궁 25명과 왕자 부인 102명, 모두 127명이다. 이 여성들이 命婦의 爵號로 불렸던 만큼 그 정비 과정과 함께 公的칭호를 살펴보았다.
왕실여성의 칭호는 명부제도의 정비와 관련된다. 그들에 대한 칭호는 명부의 名號이자 封號였다. 명부는 나라에서 봉호를 받은 여성을 총칭하는 용어로, 명부의 수장인 왕비 아래에 內命婦와 外命婦로 나뉜다. 후궁은 내명부의 봉호를 받았고 왕자 부인은 외명부의 봉호를 받았다. 외명부제도는 1396년(태조 5) 吏曹에서 문무관 부인에게 내린 봉작을 정비하면서 처음 시작되었다. 이후 1417년(태종 17)과 1432년(세종 14)에 한두 차례 개정되었고 성종대 완성된 경국대전에 최종 수록되면서 대군부인·군부인의 호칭은 각각 정1품 府夫人과 郡夫人이 되었다.
왕자와의 혼인을 통해 정1품에 오른 부인들은 간혹 정치적 문제나 자신의 윤리적 이유 등으로 그 지위를 잃게 되면서 그에 따른 호칭도 변경되었다. 여기에 해당하는 24명은 왕위를 계승한 남편을 둔 대군부인이나 궁궐에서 쫓겨난 폐빈·폐비 또는 이혼당한 대군부인, 그리고 왕비로 승격된 간택후궁 등이다.
태조에서 성종대까지 왕실여성들의 가문 127명의 성관을 분석한 결과, 국왕 10명의 간택후궁 25명은 15개의 성씨와 19개의 관향으로 파악되었고 왕자 78명의 부인 102명은 32개의 성씨와 58개의 관향으로 파악되었다. 이때 대군부인의 집안은 28개 가문에서 40명이 배출되었던 비해 왕자군의 부인 집안은 47개 가문에서 62명이 배출되었다. 그런 만큼 이 시기에는 왕실의 통혼 범위가 매우 넓었다. 게다가 대군과 왕자군의 신분적 차별이 사대부 집안과의 혼인 관계에서 아무런 영향을 미치지 않았다는 사실을 확인하였다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article contains a preliminary study that would hopefully contribute to further studies of the nature of certain houses to which the female members of the Joseon Royal family belonged in the early days of the dynasty, as well as studies of the role of the Royal family’s in-law houses. The goal of this article is to catalogue all the houses of the Daegun-Bu’in(大君夫人) and Gun-Bu’in(君夫人) figures of the Joseon Royal family, and the history of Selected Royal concubines(Gantaek Hugung, 揀擇後宮) from the days of the Dynasty founder(Taejo, 太祖) through the reign of King Seongjong(成宗). Examined here are total of 127 females, including 25 Gantaek Hugung figures (with the exception of Royal princesses who bore royal blood and thus had no Pum[品] ranks), as well as 102 females who were wives of the Royal princes. These females were addressed with their bestowed Myeongbu(命婦) titles[爵號], so their official titles are also examined here.
Titles of the Joseon Royal family females were developed with the establishment of the Joseon Myeongbu system, which was compiled of official titles[名號] that were to be bestowed(or assigned, 封號) by the government to females married to the Royal family males or other governmental officials. The term Myeongbu itself was a generic term that referred to females who were officially designated by the state, while the system, under the leadership of the Queen, featured two tracks of females: the Inner Myeongbu figures(Nae-Myeongbu, 內命婦) and the Outer Myeongbu figures(We-Myeongbu, 外命婦). Royal concubines received titles associated with the former track, while wives of princes received titles associated with the latter. The latter track was initiated for the very first time in 1396(5th year of Founder Taejo’s reign) when the Ijo(吏曹, Office of Personnel Assignment) office decided to modify titles that had been bestowed to wives of governmental(civil and military) officials. Later the system was revised in 1417(17th year of the reign of Taejong/太宗) and 1432(14th year of the reign of Sejong/世宗), and was also documented in the Joseon Law Code Gyeongguk Daejeon(經國大典) compiled during the Seongjong era. The titles for Daegun-Bu’in and Gun-Bu’in became Bu-Bu’in(府夫人) and Gun-Bu’in(郡夫人) respectively, with both figures harboring the Jeong-1-pum[正一品] rank.
Females who obtained this rank through marriages with the Royal princes sometimes lost their status due to political controversies or breach of moral conduct, and in those cases their titles were also adjusted or modified. Among the 127 figures examined here, 24 cases can be spotted, ranging from Daegun-Bu’in figures married to males who later became Kings, to Queens and Royal concubines who were stripped of their ranks and summarily dismissed from the palace, to Daegun-Bu’in figures who were forcibly divorced, and to Gantaek Hugung figures who were promoted to the status of Queen.
Analysis of the household names of all 127 Joseon Royal family females from the era of Taejo to Seongjong reveals: 25 Gantaek Hugung figures—married to total of 10 kings—who collectively feature 15 last names[姓氏] and 19 hometowns[貫鄕], as well as 102 females married to 78 Royal princes featuring 32 last names and 58 hometowns. There were 40 Daegun-Bu’in figures from 28 houses, while 62 prince-wives from 47 houses. The Royal family of this time displayed quite a range in its marital network, and the unequal nature of the relationship between Daegun figures and other princes does not seem to have affected their marriages with Sa-Daebu(士大夫, Scholar/Official) households.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 요약
• 머리말
• Ⅰ. 외명부의 정비와 지위 변화
• Ⅱ. 왕실여성의 가문 현황 분석
• 맺음말
• 참고문헌
• Abstract