麗末鮮初 世子 朝見의 추이와 그 의미: 昌王의 親朝요청과 恭讓王 세자의 朝見

Abstract

Examined in this article is King Gongyang-wang(恭讓王)s dispatching[朝見] of his son and crown prince(世子) to China, and how such sending was related to the earlier attempt to arrange King Chang-wang(昌王)s Chinjo(親朝) visit to Ming(明). Even after Yi Seong-gye(李成桂) turned his troops around at Wihwa-do(威化島), King Wu-wang(禑王)s legitimacy was not officially challenged, and therefore his son Chang-wang was allowed to be enthroned. But Ming emperor Hongmu-je(洪武帝), under the name of not recognizing the person in throne apparently erected by vassals who killed the former king, denied the Goryeo kings request. In response, Yi Seong-gye raised the notion of both Wu-wang and Chang-wang being the son of Shin Don(辛禑辛昌論), and under the name of reviving the country, replaced Chang-wang with a new King Gongyang-wang. He then arranged the son of Gongyang-wang, now newly established as the crown prince himself, to visit China and pay respect to the Ming court(朝見). The plan was also set in motion due to the new stance of the Ming emperor who intended to strengthen its control over Goryeo by recognizing the new king and government on the Korean peninsula. Yi and other leaders of Goryeo wanted to stabilize their footing and not to mention their regime by securing Mings authorization of Gongyang-wangs enthronement which would hopefully be accomplished through the meeting between the Ming emperor and the Crown prince of Goryeo. But by the time the envoy arrived at Sukju(肅州), Gongyang-wang too was kicked out of the throne, so the request for the authorization was effectively nullified. But the attempt itself, arranging a crown princes visit to China in order to legitimize a weak kings enthronement as well as his naming of his own successor, remained in the minds of the Goryeo people as an effective way of bringing a fixation upon the supposed line of succession. The attempt was repeated in the early days of Joseon too, as we can see from the example of Joseon King Taejongs reign, when a crown prince was sent to China for a similar purpose.