조선시대 兩班의 蓄妾現像과 經濟的 부담

Abstract

This purpose of this paper is to look at the process to settle concubine and secure family order and how it impacted on their pocketbooks in Joseon dyansty, based on census registrations and diaries. 1) Concubine system of Joseon dynasty had been settled since multi-marriage was restricted in early Joseon dynasty. Protestants of early Joseon cited the saying, 'No two proper wives are there in courtesy,' restricting concubines and settling monogamy system. Keeping concubine was restrained by punishing who had multi-married, by compulsory divorce, or by discriminating children of concubines. As multi-marriage gets impossible, concubines of nobility had limited to women of common or humble class. 2) Range of who became concubines in Joseon dynasty was wide from illegitimate daughter of nobility to official gisaeng and slave, while the best part of them were official gisaengs or private slaves. Concubinage was ripe in Joseon dynasty where a government official comes in company with his beloved official gisaeng when he was appointed as a local official, to make her his gisaeng concubine. 3) Wife and concubine are different from many views. While a wife was selected from the same class to carry on a family line, concubine was done only by her husband's private taste. Relation of them also were very different from the view of social contribution or consistency of the marriage. Positions of a wife and a concubine cannot be exchanged, meanwhile they were discriminated not only during their lives but also after their deaths. A wife was compelled to take the mantle, but a concubine generally remarried after being separated from her husband. 4) Scale of concubines is supposed from census registrations, diaries, and genealogical tables. As a result of comparison between genealogical tables and census registrations of a same surname village, the ratio of proper kids against concubines' kid was about 70 : 30. All of maternal and paternal line of Yu Hui-chun family gave births of kids from concubines, except only a few generation up above. Men of Lee Mun-geon family were close to those of Yu Hui-chun family. Oh Yun-gyeom son of Oh Hi-mun was the same from this view. 5) Concubines of upper nobility are divided into official gisaengs and private slaves, while private slaves are again divided into his own slave and other one's slave. To purchase other one's slave and make her a commoner, much tough courses were needed. Buying a slave was based on agreement with her master, but it was difficult if both parties were not agreed on conditions. In this case the original master used to call 3 or 4 times of price so that the potential buyer couldn't keep her as a concubine. 6) Concubines and her kids were from humble class and did not have any economic power. They took the advantage of being a concubine to share noble culture, turning the whole aftermath economic life to their husbands and other family members. Husbands frequently offered labor and supplies. Being anxious about the concubine, slaves were alternatively sent to her followed by the wife's ex post facto approval. 7) If the husband were a noble official, his concubine received and enjoyed a considerable scale of resources from local officials and his relatives. Even concubines were on the list of presents for a noble official. Presents were sent in ordinary times, but the husband directly asked to offer presents in case of big and small family events. Those supplies considerably helped to live their lives, and the husband was very graceful for the favor of local officials toward his concubine. However, this was absolutely a kind of debt as a noble official. In Joseon dynasty, they made it a practice to present a beloved gisaeng to newly appointed local official, which was all the same with a concubine. However, presents to gisaeng were for just one time while those to a concubine consisted for along time. On balance, this burden on their pocketbooks forced them to limit keeping a concubine.