을미사변 후 고종의 國母復讎와 君主專制論

Abstract

in February 1897, king Kojong moved out of the Russian legation to the Kyŏngun Palace (today’s Tŏksu Palace). and in August king Kojong changed his reign name to Kwangmu (“Martial Brilliance”), and in October he proclaimed to the nation and the world the establishment of the independent “Great Han Empire.” and in August 1899, emperor Kojong proclaimed Constitution of the Daehan Empire, which expressed the political system of the Daehan Empire as despotic ruler system. then how could emperor Kojong make the Daehan Empire a state of despotic ruler system. This Paper studied those causes. first, emperor Kojong used revenge theory for state mother myeongseong, who were assassinated in 1895 by japanese assassinators. after the brutal assassination of Queen Myeongseong, the defending orthodoxy and rejecting heterodoxy faction rose against japan. they called themselves righteous army(義兵). they insisted doctrine of righteousness or moral duty theory, which described king and queen as state father and mother. they insisted revenge for Queen Myeongseong. in february 1896, King Kojong fled from kyungbokgung and went under Russian protection. in Russian legation, King Kojong supported revenge theory for stste mother Queen Myeongseong. revenge theory for stste mother Queen Myeongseong was based on the doctrine which claimed that king and queen should be heaven but subjects be earth. therefore, revenge theory for stste mother Queen Myeongseong could be used for strengthening royal authority. in february 18976, King Kojong went back to Gyeongungung Palace (Deoksugung Palace). King Kojong continuously supported revenge theory for Queen Myeongseong, and by that King Kojong could strengthen royal authority and become emperor. after all, in August 1897, King Kojong changed his reign name to Kwangmu (“Martial Brilliance”), and in October he proclaimed to the nation and the world the establishment of the independent “Great Han Empire.” of course, the political system of the Daehan Empire was despotic ruler system.