THIS IS PART 3 OF 5
THE JOSEON COURT, THE BUREAUCRATS, SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN 16TH C. KOREA
« The Chosŏn court and central bureaucracy in Seoul governed matters of the state through a Confucian lens. Confucian doctrines paid little attention to war or the importance of a well-funded military and were so influential in the fifteenth century that Chosŏn saw little need to defend itself. Theoretically, the ruler held full power over the kingdom atop the social hierarchy. For the first one hundred years of the Chosŏn dynasty, stalwart kings checked bureaucratic power, but, beginning in the sixteenth century, the bureaucracy grew cunning and made decisions based on allegiances, exerting greater control over the rulers. Kings could not stop these political competitions. Those who tried to exercise too much control over the bureaucracy were pushed aside. Within the court, rulers often sat and watched as members of the bureaucracy battled each other over matters great and small. Those in the bureaucracy, the sadaebu, often exerted real authority because kings depended upon them to run the government. Members of the sadaebu were often at odds with one another, which in turn generated political, or factional, strife. »
The sadaebu was the upper echelon of the elite yangban class. Representing only a small percentage of the population, the yangban were the scholarly and military elites, who qualified for office if they passed the government examinations. While the yangban had certain privileges, such as tax exemptions, most were impoverished and held little power. The sadaebu, on the other hand, were the governing group of the court; they continued to succeed in the highest examinations—which gave them access to government positions—and held political control. Below them, the yangin, or commoners, mostly poor peasants, were the majority of the population and carried the burden of paying land taxes and providing corvée and military service. The commoners were the ones who were largely responsible for funding the treasury of a government run by scholar bureaucrats—officials who attacked excess and surplus as supporting immoral choices that would harm the livelihoods of the people. The sadaebu and other yangban should have, in theory, paid taxes, but many yangban did not; it was a tradition that increasingly burdened the commoners. At the bottom of the social hierarchy, nobi, or slaves, were exempt from taxes or other obligations, but they had no privileges. They were considered “base” and “low” (ch’ŏn); their lives were not their own. […] »
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angelshadows50
October 16, 2023 at 6:57 AM
THIS IS PART 3 OF 5
THE JOSEON COURT, THE BUREAUCRATS, SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN 16TH C. KOREA
« The Chosŏn court and central bureaucracy in Seoul governed matters of the state through a Confucian lens. Confucian doctrines paid little attention to war or the importance of a well-funded military and were so influential in the fifteenth century that Chosŏn saw little need to defend itself. Theoretically, the ruler held full power over the kingdom atop the social hierarchy. For the first one hundred years of the Chosŏn dynasty, stalwart kings checked bureaucratic power, but, beginning in the sixteenth century, the bureaucracy grew cunning and made decisions based on allegiances, exerting greater control over the rulers. Kings could not stop these political competitions. Those who tried to exercise too much control over the bureaucracy were pushed aside. Within the court, rulers often sat and watched as members of the bureaucracy battled each other over matters great and small. Those in the bureaucracy, the sadaebu, often exerted real authority because kings depended upon them to run the government. Members of the sadaebu were often at odds with one another, which in turn generated political, or factional, strife. »
The sadaebu was the upper echelon of the elite yangban class. Representing only a small percentage of the population, the yangban were the scholarly and military elites, who qualified for office if they passed the government examinations. While the yangban had certain privileges, such as tax exemptions, most were impoverished and held little power. The sadaebu, on the other hand, were the governing group of the court; they continued to succeed in the highest examinations—which gave them access to government positions—and held political control. Below them, the yangin, or commoners, mostly poor peasants, were the majority of the population and carried the burden of paying land taxes and providing corvée and military service. The commoners were the ones who were largely responsible for funding the treasury of a government run by scholar bureaucrats—officials who attacked excess and surplus as supporting immoral choices that would harm the livelihoods of the people. The sadaebu and other yangban should have, in theory, paid taxes, but many yangban did not; it was a tradition that increasingly burdened the commoners. At the bottom of the social hierarchy, nobi, or slaves, were exempt from taxes or other obligations, but they had no privileges. They were considered “base” and “low” (ch’ŏn); their lives were not their own. […] »