‘樂浪望族’ 李仁德 出自의 재검토

Abstract

Lee In-deok(672-733), one of the most controversial figures in his ethnic identity, seems to be related to Goguryeo refugees and their descendants who were massively relocated to the interior of the Tang Dynasty after the collapse of Goguryeo in 668. Early researchers only mentioned the possibility of being related to Nakrang, noting that his ancestors were described as “the prestigious family of Nakrang(樂浪望 族)” in the Lee In-deok tomb’s inscription. Since then, several previous studies have presumed that Lee In-deok, who participated in the royal coup d’état started by Emperor Xuanzong(玄宗) of the Tang Dynasty to remove the Empress Wi(韋) of Emperor Zhongzong(中宗), was a descendant of Goguryeo. On the other hand, other previous studies found that it was difficult to conclude that he was a descendant of Goguryeo refugees only with the description of “the prestigious family of Nakrang” in his tomb inscription. Some preceding researchers then assumed Lee In-deok as a Sogdian, citing that “Jincheng-jun Kaiguozi(金城郡開國子),” which means “the aristocrat who made a great contribution to the country as a native of Jincheng-jun,” was historically the affiliated area of the Sogdians, and secondly, “Liquan-li(醴泉里),” where his private mansion was located, and “Gaoyang-yuan(高陽原),” where his tomb was located, were both the collective residences and cemeteries of the Sogdians in Changan(長安), the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, as a result of this study’s empirical review on the arguments of the main issues, it is difficult to connect the Lee In-deok family with Goguryeo only by the expression “the prestigious family of Nakrang” in his tomb inscription, but conversely, it is also difficult to explain why Lee In-deok tried to connect the name “Nakrang,” which is historically related to Goguryeo, with the place of origin of his ancestors in the inscription. In addition, among the titles that praised Lee In-deok’s contribution in his inscription, “Jincheng-jun(金城郡)” was an area where Goguryeo refugees had been forcibly mass-migrated and later belonged to Longyou-dao(隴右道), where the Goguryeo people had since been active for a long time as “the unified military group composed of Goguryeo people,” so it can be an argument to prove the possibility that Lee In-deok was a blood-related descendant of Goguryeo. And various cases were confirmed that the location of private mansions and cemeteries of prominent minority figures such as Goguryeo and Sogdians who lived in Changan, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, were not necessarily fixed according to their ancestry. In conclusion, the issue of revealing the lineage of Lee In-deok, who claimed to be from “the prestigious family of Nakrang” in his tomb inscription, is difficult to classify as a descendant of Goguryeo refugees based on historical arguments known to date, but it is also not easy to conclude that he is not of Goguryeo descent.