唐 前期 公主의 정치적 위상 ― 玄宗의 公主 통제를 중심으로 ―

Abstract

This article examines how the political status of princesses changed before and after the throne of Xuanzong. First of all, there was a background that allowed the previous princesses to be politically active during the opening years of the current reign, and besides the nomadic tendencies and personal inclination, there was an institutional device called the Princess Department[Gongzhu-fu]. The princess's ability to rely on the emperor's personal favor to govern was due to the existence of the Princess Department, which was more like Prince Department[Wang-fu]. The Princess Department is comprehensively examined from three angles: the rulers who allowed it to be established, the princesses who actually operated it, and the male bureaucrats who viewed it. It is believed that the abolition and restoration of the Princess Department, which took place in the days between Princess Taiping's overthrow and King Linzi's enthronement of Ruizong, was inherent in the tension between King Linzi and Princess Taiping. The enthroned Xuanzong finally got rid of Princess Taiping's Department, which naturally led to the disappearance of the Princess Department. As the first blow against the princesses, Xuanzong abolished the Princess Department, depriving them of their political base, leaving only the Princess Bureau[Gongzhu-yisi] that were originally opened to princesses and subordinating them to the Royal Affairs Department[Zongzhengsi]. The Princess Bureau were only given the duties of managing the princesses' wealth, and as a second blow, Xuanzong cut the princesses' stipends to weaken their economic base. By institutionally controlling the princesses' political participation and economically pressuring their lives, Xuanzong also changed the choice of the princesses' marriage partners. Since Xuanzong had just crowned his father and cemented his own imperial throne, it was expected that his choice of sire would be highly publicized. However, upon reflection, there was a surge in the use of sons-in-law with imperial connections, i.e., maternal grandchildren. In terms of the circumstances of his ascension to the throne, having suppressed two coups involving princesses, he favored a maternal sire to keep the princesses who had challenged the imperial power more under control. After all, from the emperor's point of view, using a princess as a human resource to stabilize the dynasty would also strengthen his public rationale.