[KS] Qing–Chosŏn royal exchanges or marriages?

[Jonathan Best]

Greetings from an earlier time in East Asian history, Frank et allia,


Frank wrote:

"In any case, aside from the specific context that piqued my interest,
it's fascinating to note that there were essentially no intermarriages
among royal families in East Asia. Perhaps this can be attributed to
the significant disparities between these countries, as they weren't
direct competitors. Alternatively, it could be due to the nature of
their relationships, which were characterized by Confucian tributary
dynamics rather than horizontal alliances. The intermarriages then
happened a level lower, within Chinese warlord families, for example
(Chiang himself is an example for exactly that)."



But according to the Samguk sagi, there were royal intermarriages in Northeast Asia—in fact, marriages between Silla and Paekche (allegedly twice)1, Silla and Kaya (once)2, and Japan and Silla (twice, at least formal proposals offered)3. In the latter case, both marriages are said to have been proposed by Japan, although it's unclear whether in either case the marriage was ever consummated, yet in the first case, the daughter of a named high official—whom I think was undoubtedly a close member of the royal clan, if not of born of the reigning family—was chosen for the honor. I believe that there is a factual basis for all these accounts, but in my estimation the dating in all cases but two (1a & 2 below) is anachronistic.


Jonathan



1a. Silla Annals: 493:3 (Soji 15:3) Paekche's King Modae [= Tongsŏng] sent an envoy requesting [a bride] for marriage. The King selected Ibǒlch'an Piji's daughter and sent her. [SGSG 3.128 (Soji 15:30; HU tr. pp. 106–07]

Paekche Annals: 493:3 (Tongsŏng15:3) The king sent an envoy to Silla to request a marriage alliance. The king of Silla chose the daughter of Ich’an Piji and sent her to be one of his secondary wives. [SGSG 26.371 (Tongsŏng 15:3; Best tr. p.311]



1b. Silla Annals: 553:10 (Chinhŭng 14:10) The [Silla] king married a Paekche princess making her a secondary queen. [SGSG 4.135 (Chinhŭng 14:10); HU tr. pp. 126]
Paekche Annals: 553:10 (Sŏng 31:10) A daughter of the king was sent in marriage to Silla. [SGSG 26.376 (Sŏng 31:3; Best tr. p.335]


2. Silla Annals: 522:3 (Pŏphŭng 9:3) The king of Kaya sent an envoy to our court to request establishing a marriage alliance. Our king favored the connection and, in response, selected the younger sister of Ich’an Pijobu and sent her. [SGSG 4.132 (Pŏphŭng 9:3); HU tr. 118]


3a. Silla Annals: 312:2 (Hŭrhae 3:2) The king of Wa sent an envoy proposing a marriage for his son, the king sent the daughter of Ach’an Kŭmni. [SGSG 2.118 (Hŭrhae 3:2); HU tr. p.82)


3b. Silla Annals: 344:2 (Hŭrhae 35:2) The king of Wa sent an envoy requesting a marriage with a daughter of the king, but the king declined because all of his daughters were married. [SGSG 2.119 (Hŭrhae 35:2; HU tr. p.83)


SGSG = Academy of Korean Studies edition, v. 1
HU tr. = Shultz & Kang, English translation of the Silla Annals
Best tr. = my English translation of the Paekche Annals

Frank wrote:
In any case, aside from the specific context that piqued my interest,
it's fascinating to note that there were essentially no intermarriages
among royal families in East Asia. Perhaps this can be attributed to
the significant disparities between these countries, as they weren't
direct competitors. Alternatively, it could be due to the nature of
their relationships, which were characterized by Confucian tributary
dynamics rather than horizontal alliances. The intermarriages then
happened a level lower, within Chinese warlord families, for example
(Chiang himself is an example for exactly that).


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://koreanstudies.com/pipermail/koreanstudies_koreanstudies.com/attachments/20230924/864b904c/attachment.htm>