조선 태종의 권위 확충

Abstract

Having secured his regal authority, Taijong went on to cause a heated commotion in the court by declaring that he would soon abdicate the throne in favor of the Crown Prince. The ulterior motive for that declaration was to mitigate the damage done to his moral integrity by the role he played as a royal prince in the first violent power struggle with his step-brothers. He further tried to clear himself of the sins he had committed during the process leading up to his accession to the throne, by confessing the sins to Heaven. The commotion of August 1406 revolving around the avowed abdication of the throne was deliberately given rise to by Taijong in order to ease the moral damage he suffered on account of his involvement in the above power struggle among royal princes. It had been less than a year since the political conflict that the commotion transpired. By declaring that he would at once step down from the throne in favor of the Crown Prince, he actually made himself appear to be ready to give up all the advantages he might have taken of the conflict. In the midst of this turmoil he held a memorial service for his deceased step-mother Sindeok Wanghu for the first time after he came to the throne. One day after he repealed the decision to step down from the throne he also held a memorial service for both Bangseok and Bangbeon, his step-brothers who were killed by him in the political conflict noted above. As a consequence of these measures, he could obtain Taijo's reaffirmation of his support of Taijong’s rulership. All in all, the commotion stirred up by the avowed abdication of the throne, the performance of memorial services for his step-mother and step-brothers before the eyes of the people of Hanyang, and the following Taijo’s reaffirmation of his support of Taijong's rulership were of great help in relieving Taijong of his responsibility for the above political conflict. The year of 1407 witnessed another severe drought. This led Taijong to pray for Heaven's pardon for his past sins and wrongdoings. He also prayed to Heaven for its benevolence and mercy that would protect the people from famine and disease brought about by the drought, reminding it of its past benevolent bestowal of a mandate from Heaven on him despite his sins. By demonstrating his concern and sympathy for the people who were suffering from severe drought and ensuing famine, Taijong attempted to expand his support base. He would have been seen in the eyes of the people as a ruler who had received a mandate from Heaven and were deeply concerned about people's livelihood. The dispatch of the Crown Prince to Beijing and his having audience with the Chinese emperor had the twofold effect of rendering the setting up of the Crown Prince legitimized by the Chinese emperor and of making this diplomatic feat widely known. This diplomatic achievement, with its domestic reverberations, must have greatly boosted Taijong’s prestige as a ruler and reinforced his regal authority. In this way the legitimacy of Taijong’s rulership was reaffirmed and his regal authority was strengthened.