Korean monarchy existed in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

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

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 Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...

period to the end of the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

dynasty. Korean Buddhist monks also developed and used the first movable metal type printing presses in history—some 500 years before

Gutenberg Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (; – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable-type printing press. Though not the first of its kind, earlier designs w ...

—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

Original titles

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

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".

Imperial titles

Goguryeo adopted the title, " Taewang" (태왕; 太王), meaning "Grandest of all Kings".

Balhae Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It ...

and

monarchs adopted the title(s) ''Je'' (제; 帝), or emperor. However, unlike the Goguryeo, the imperial titles were not used in diplomatic campaigns with the prominent Chinese Dynasties of that time. Goryeo dropped its Imperial title for a short period after the peace treaty with the Mongols. It was later reinstated for a short while after the Goryeo dynasty defeated the Mongols in the 1360s. The title was revived for less than two decades during the Korean Empire that came after Joseon.

Royal titles

''Wang'' (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 왕;

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 王) was a Chinese royal style used in many states rising from the dissolution of

Gojoseon Gojoseon () also called Joseon (), was the first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary founder named Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in the Korean P ...

Buyeo Buyeo or Puyŏ ( Korean: 부여; Korean pronunciation: u.jʌ or 扶餘 ''Fúyú''), also rendered as Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It is sometimes considered a Korea ...

, Goguryeo, Baekje,

and

. In late Goryeo (918-1392) and the Joseon Dynasty (until 1897) the rulers of Korea were still known as "wang", as evident in the title of

King Sejong the Great Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do ( Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great ( Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initi ...

. However, they were referred to by their

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dyna ...

s. Although often translated in English as "

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

", this title also applied to a female ruler. Female rulers, equivalent to

queen regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...

in English, were informally referred to as ''yeowang'' (

: 여왕;

: 女王) or "female ''wang''". ''Wangbi'' (

: 왕비;

: 王妃) was title for the wife of the reigning king, equivalent to queen consort in English.

Prince

''Gun'' (군; 君) is translated as "prince". The Royal Prince born of the Principal Royal consort (Queen) was designated ''Daegun'', translated as the Grand Prince of the Blood. The princes born of concubine was given the title ''gun'' (often distinguished as ''wangja-gun''), translated as the Prince of the Blood. The father of the king who himself has never reigned was given the special title of ''Daewongun'' (The Grand Prince of the Blood in the Court). Those who has distinguished himself in the service of the court were also given the princely title as well. ''Buwongun'' (The Grand Prince of the Court), were the title of the father of the Queen, or those who have reached the rank of the Chief State Counsellor. ''Gun'' was the title of the meritorious subjects who reached the rank of the State Counsellor. These princes created for service had a prefix attached to the princely title, a town that a subject is affiliated to. Though designed as a titular appointment as a Lord of the area, the title was purely honorific. The title ''gun'' can also refer to the dethroned rulers of Chosŏn dynasty as well. There were three dethroned kings to be called "Gun" in Joseon Dynasty (one restored to the dignity of king posthumously). Under the Korean Empire (1897–1910), the Prince of the Blood was given the title of ''Chinwang''. While the literal translation is the Imperial King of the Blood, a more appropriate title is the Imperial Prince of the Blood. Only four ''chinwang'' were appointed.

Aristocracy before Joseon

Silla

, the nobility was categorized by the

Bone rank system The bone-rank system was the system of aristocratic rank used in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. It was used to segregate society, and particularly the layers of the aristocracy, on the basis of their hereditary proximity to the throne and th ...

. Royal families split into two classes:

sacred bone The bone-rank system was the system of aristocratic rank used in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. It was used to segregate society, and particularly the layers of the aristocracy, on the basis of their hereditary proximity to the throne and th ...

, 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

At the time of Goryeo, Korean nobility was divided into 6 classes. * Gukgong (국공, 國公), Duke of a state * Gungong (군공, 郡公), Duke of a county * Hyeonhu (현후, 縣侯), Marquis of a town * Hyeonbaek (현백, 縣伯),

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of a town * Gaegukja (개국자, 開國子),

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

of a town * Hyeonnam (현남, 縣男), Baron of a town Also the title Taeja (

hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 태자,

hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 太子) was given to sons of emperor not like other east Asian countries. In other countries, this title meant

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...

. Taeja was similar to Chinwang (

: 친왕,

: 親王) of the Korean Empire.

Noble families in Korea

Some clans whose social rank throughout Korean history could be considered equivalent to

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

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 The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats ...

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) * Cheongju Han * Gyeongju Yi * Andong Kim * Gimhae Kim * Miryang Park * Yeoheung Min * Dalseong Seo * Gyeongju Seok * Pyeongyang Ko

Foreign noble families in Korea

The Chinese

Ming Xia The Ming Xia (1363–1371), officially the Great Xia, was a short-lived Chinese dynasty in modern Sichuan and Chongqing during the chaotic late Yuan dynasty. It was founded by the Red Turban rebel general Ming Yuzhen whose army expelled Yuan loya ...

emperor Ming Yuzhen's son Ming Sheng was given the noble title Marquis of Guiyi by the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

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 The Qing invasion of Joseon (Korean: Byeongja Horan) occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly-established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and ...

destroyed the Ming family's patents. The Chinese Ming family exists as the

Korean clan Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...

Yeonan Myeong clan Yeonan Myeong clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Yonan County, Hwanghae Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Yeonan Myeong clan’s member was 27133. Their founder was Ming Yuzhen who establis ...

Seochok Myeong clan Seochok Myeong clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Sichuan, China. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Seochok Myeong clan's member was 27133. Their founder was Ming Yuzhen who established the short-lived Mi ...

and

Namwon Seung clan Namwon Seung clan () was one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan was in Namwon, North Jeolla Province. According to the research in 2000, the number of Namwon Seung clan was 613. Their founder was Ming Sheng who was the second emperor of the shor ...

.p20

References

External links

* Almanach de Bruxelles (now a paying site) {{Nobility by nation Heads of state History of Korea