Historical Changes in the Patterns of Royal Endogamy in Korea

Won-tak Joo, University of Florida
Hyunju Lee, Ajou University

Endogamy among royal family members was one of the most common strategies to maintain social power in premodern societies. This study aims to describe and understand historical changes in the patterns of royal endogamy from ancient to medieval society. We focus on the case of Korea and analyze the marriage networks of kings and their close kin members in the Silla kingdom (57 BC-935) and the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392). We have three major findings. First, the boundary of endogamy has expanded from three- or four-degree kin (e.g., aunt, cousin) to six- or eight-degree kin (e.g., 2nd or 3rd cousin). Second, the extended boundary of endogamy resulted in overlapping blood relationships among royal families, yielding wider but stronger kinship networks. Third, extended endogamy was effective in binding local elites. This mechanism is captured by surname adoption (???): when couples from the same kinship (and with the same surname) get married, wives frequently adopt their mother’s surname to solidify their connection to maternal kin members in local communities. These patterns exemplify how endogamy has evolved from ancient to medieval society as a mechanism of social stratification.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 105. Kinship Dynamics and Effects: Historical Insights