조선 초 揀擇의 시행 배경과 운영 (The selection process for royal marriage and its meaning in the early Chosun Dynasty)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 조선시대사학회
· 수록지 정보 : 조선시대사학보 / 71호 / 129 ~ 154페이지
· 저자명 : 박미선

초록

조선 왕실에서 국왕과 그 직계친의 혼인대상은 揀擇으로 결정되었다. 본고에서는 조선 초 간택의 시행 배경과 운영상의 변화를 통해 왕실 혼인의례에 있어서 간택의 의미를 파악하고자 하였다. 태종대부터 세종대까지 명나라에 진헌할 처녀의 간택은 京外에 禁婚토록 하였으며, 관리를 파견하여 처녀를 선발한 다음, 선발된 處女를 詣闕하도록 하는 방식으로 진행되었다. 이는 조선 왕실의 혼인에도 적용되었는데, 태종대에는 건국 초 외척의 견제를 막고 內事를 다스리기 위해 후궁을 선발할 때에 일부 그 방법이 적용되었다. 이후 간택과 관련한 사건이 발생하고, 이를 처벌하는 과정에서 간택은 君臣을 구분하는 주요한 혼인의례의 과정으로 인식되었다. 京外에 금혼하도록 한 후, 관리를 파견하고, 처녀를 예궐하도록 하는 방법은 진헌처녀간택과 같은 형식이었는데, 점차 조선 독자의 운영방식이 갖춰져 갔다. 처녀선발의 업무를 일부 담당하였던 嘉禮色은 성종대에 가례도감으로 바뀌면서 선발 업무가 없어졌던 것으로 파악된다. 또한 이씨 성을 가진 처녀를 간택대상에서 제외시켜 ‘同姓不婚’을 실천하고자 하였으며, 간택된 처녀를 移寓시키고, 국왕 및 대비에게 간택을 축하하는 의례를 거행하여, 왕실의 威儀를 구별․강화시키는 측면에서 간택이 운영되었다.

영어초록

This article started with a question how the selection process for royal marriage was officially begun in the Chosun Dynasty. The study examined the factor contributing to operation of the selection process which had not been used in the royal family till then, by relating to the way of selecting maids to present to the Ming Dynasty, and also reviewed the operation and significance of the selection process in early Chosun.
From the beginning of nation-building until the 7th year of King Taejong’s reign, the marriage of the royal family was determined by discussing between King and his aides. But, since the 11th year of King Taejong’s reign, the official selection process had been used. The procedure and contents were different from the form of the traditional three rounds of the selection called ‘Sam-Gantaek’ and the letter of maiden certificate called ‘Cheonyo-Danja’ usually understood as the selection process. The form was formalized in later Chosun with accumulated precedent, while the process operated in early Chosun rather showed a similarity to the way of selecting maids to present to the Ming Dynasty.
To select maids to present to Ming, the King ordered prohibition of marriage and established the organization called ‘Jinhunsaek’ to conduct selecting maids in capital and local regions on getting the imperial order from Emperor of Ming. The public official of ‘Jinhunsaek’ and eunuch were sent to local regions for the selection process. And also it was the way to select the empress and prince’s partner, which means that there is correlation between them. They are quite similar in that they classified the region into the capital and local, selected in local regions first and then made a final decision in the palace. But there was unique features operated only in Chosun such as using Chosun devices and letting the blind or shaman report the result. In the 6th year of King Sejong’s reign, the process was regarded as insufficient and replaced with a voluntary report and the provincial governor’s official document.
Such a selection process was also used in selecting the concubine, crown princess, prince, son-in-law of the King during the period of King Sejong’s and Taejong’s reign. That is, with King’s order of marriage prohibition, there established ‘Garyesaek’ as an official division in charge of royal marriage through which an official called ‘Sunyusa’ and eunuch selected maids in person in local regions. In early operation, there appeared a case to refuse or abuse the selection. But the case shows that the selection process for royal marriage was King’s order requiring an absolute obedience and a clear standard to distinguish between King and subjects. The selection process for royal marriage in early Chosun seems insufficient in its formality, but it established its status in symbolism.

참고자료

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