2005, Vol., No.77

The Review of Korean History 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.02

pISSN : 1225-133X
https://journal.kci.go.kr/hksh

During the Shilla dynastic period, to say that only males exerted political power is not valid. Males did hold the majority of political power, but females also took roles in doing political activities. In fact during the Shilla Dynasty, it was common for females to hold some of the highest political positions. For example, in the case of a king being incapable of properly exerting power due to a reason such as young age, a woman such as the king’s mother have taken power in place of the king. Throughout the Shilla Dynasty, even as the political power of females decreased, females continued to share high power in the hierarchical system under the king. Females were granted official governorship posts and noble titleships. It’s important to understand that females being involved in highly influential political positions was unique only to the Shilla Dynasty. In fact, it was during the Shilla Dynasty that a Queen held power.

This study tried to find out the womon’s political power in Koryo dynasty. So specially this article analysed the political participation of king Chung-ryol(忠烈)’s wife, princess Je-guk-dae-jang(齊國大長公主). As for a preliminary step this study looked into the grounds of marriage conclusion between Koryo and Yuan. The next chapter, this article examined the change of Hu-bi-je(后妃制) in Koryu. Early period in Koryo a king gained many wives[polygyny] but the latter term monogamy were prevalent in royal familly. A queen come from Yuan became the only king’s legal wife(嫡妻) and she possessed the higher status than the other royal harems. Finally this study looked into the political participation of king Chung-ryol’s wife. Princess Je- guk-dae-jang(齊國大長公主) was the most fervor politician of all queens in Koryo dynasty. She was benefited of her interest in politics, the permission of king(her husband) and the influence of her maiden home. So she engaged in many political activities. But there was a limit. Her political activities only remained in wife’s assistance and remonstrances. In this point of view she wasn’t beyond woman’s limitation in pre-modern period.

The last Queen of Chosun Dynasty(Empress Myungsung) is one of the most famous women in the long Korean History. She married King Kojong in 1866 and died in 1895 by the barbarian assault of the Japanese soldiers and civillians just after the Sino-Japanese war. Her political power was paramount to anyone in the Royal palace except for the King Kojong for almost 30 years in the last part of 19th century. This paper focuses to research the political power and sacrifice of the last Queen of Chosun Dynasty(whose title was changed to Empress Myungsung by the royal decree in 1897). The writer uses royal letters of hers which have been collected in recent years from the offsprings of the Yeohung Min’s family and also uses other domestic and foreign materials. This paper concludes that Empress Myungsung’s role in the palace was integrated to support politically and diplomatically her husband, King Kojong(Empress Kojong in 1897). Even though she was so intelligent, smart and powerful in the palace court, she did not act without King Kojong’s authorization. However the viewpoint of historiography of Confucian scholar’s and Japanese colonial scholar’s has distorted her image as well as those of King Kojong and the famous regent Taewonkun. That has been the worst sacrifice of her since her tragic death in 1895. It also means the distortion of modern Korean History.