THIS IS PART 2 OF 5
THE RELATIONS BETWEEN MANCHU AND JOSEON (ON A PEOPLE LEVEL)
« The Manchu empire was divided into constituencies that included various groups and tribes based on language, lineage ties, and geographic proximity under the umbrella of the early khan’s leadership. This concept of inclusion extends to interaction with the Chosŏn dynasty.
Korea was an integral part of Jurchen-Manchu expansion and imperial identity. To create emperorship, the khan needed recognition by the Korean court and the inclusion of the Chosŏn dynasty into his expanding empire. The Manchu achieved this in the 1627 agreement with the Chosŏn, but King Injo’s withdrawal from this arrangement demanded action. Breaking the peace was not only a military threat, it was also an ideological danger to the Manchu emperorship. Allowing the Chosŏn dynasty to break away challenged the entire order and posed a threat to Manchu expansion into China.
Harder to tease out is whether key Korean figures who cooperated with the Manchu before 1636—and those who defected to the Manchu side—actually considered themselves Manchu. Unlike the amorphous area north of the frontier, by the seventeenth century, the Chosŏn dynasty had a defined frontier along the Yalu and Tumen rivers, combined with a distinct political identity extending back several hundred years at least. Those living south of the rivers were subjects of the Chosŏn dynasty. Those who lived across the rivers to the north were Jurchen, Khitan, Mongol, and Han Chinese. Those Koreans who moved across the northern border appeared to have other political identities.
Those Koreans who moved across the northern border appeared to have other political identities. Apparent from Na Man’gap’s diary is that the conflict around the frontier had forced people to move as refugees or as war captives back and forth to the Korean peninsula.
Did Chosŏn people become part of the Qing empire as Manchu or did the Chosŏn court consider those who traveled to the peninsula subjects of the dynasty? This is hard to know as their histories have largely been neglected. Those individuals noted in sources such as the Sillok tended to have language skills, education, or wealth that allowed them to move across political and linguistic borders. Na Man’gap describes some of these people in his diary. As will be shown below, the Manchu, in the early decades of the seventeenth century, captured a number of Chosŏn military men who had fought with the Ming in the northeast regions. Some of these men remained in Jurchen-Manchu lands, learned to speak Manchu, and later served as envoys between the Qing and Chosŏn courts. Judging from Manchu acceptance of the Chinese and other tribal people, as the Manchu created their empire, it would not have been a stretch for them to extend this process of assimilation and border crossing to those born on the Korean peninsula. There probably were Koreans who moved across the frontier and took Manchu identities. Na’s diary serves as a supplement to the works of New Qing history scholarship by helping to untangle issues of identity in the early period of the Manchu empire. […]
As will be shown below, the Manchu, in the early decades of the seventeenth century, captured a number of Chosŏn military men who had fought with the Ming in the northeast regions. Some of these men remained in Jurchen-Manchu lands, learned to speak Manchu, and later served as envoys between the Qing and Chosŏn courts. Judging from Manchu acceptance of the Chinese and other tribal people, as the Manchu created their empire, it would not have been a stretch for them to extend this process of assimilation and border crossing to those born on the Korean peninsula. There probably were Koreans who moved across the frontier and took Manchu identities. Na’s diary serves as a supplement to the works of New Qing history scholarship by helping to untangle issues of identity in the early period of the Manchu empire. »
NOTE : The topic of prisoners of war (after the Byeongjahoran) taken by the Qing is a difficult and not yet too well researched subject. The writer of « My Dearest » seems to be treating it in a conventional interpretation so far, although it is likely that there are more aspects to the topic (as the Manchu motivation for taking people and how many indeed they captured). But this would go beyond the scope of the drama series, I believe, in any case. — Jang Hyeon is obviously a Joseon yangban (if only one of possibly minor importance, from the countryside) who had strong connections to the Jurchen people, certainly as merchant, a livelihood he porbably took up after leaving his father’s house as he was responsible for the death of his older sister. … My current guess … ( as per 16 Ocotber 2023
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angelshadows50
October 16, 2023 at 6:58 AM
THIS IS PART 2 OF 5
THE RELATIONS BETWEEN MANCHU AND JOSEON (ON A PEOPLE LEVEL)
« The Manchu empire was divided into constituencies that included various groups and tribes based on language, lineage ties, and geographic proximity under the umbrella of the early khan’s leadership. This concept of inclusion extends to interaction with the Chosŏn dynasty.
Korea was an integral part of Jurchen-Manchu expansion and imperial identity. To create emperorship, the khan needed recognition by the Korean court and the inclusion of the Chosŏn dynasty into his expanding empire. The Manchu achieved this in the 1627 agreement with the Chosŏn, but King Injo’s withdrawal from this arrangement demanded action. Breaking the peace was not only a military threat, it was also an ideological danger to the Manchu emperorship. Allowing the Chosŏn dynasty to break away challenged the entire order and posed a threat to Manchu expansion into China.
Harder to tease out is whether key Korean figures who cooperated with the Manchu before 1636—and those who defected to the Manchu side—actually considered themselves Manchu. Unlike the amorphous area north of the frontier, by the seventeenth century, the Chosŏn dynasty had a defined frontier along the Yalu and Tumen rivers, combined with a distinct political identity extending back several hundred years at least. Those living south of the rivers were subjects of the Chosŏn dynasty. Those who lived across the rivers to the north were Jurchen, Khitan, Mongol, and Han Chinese. Those Koreans who moved across the northern border appeared to have other political identities.
Those Koreans who moved across the northern border appeared to have other political identities. Apparent from Na Man’gap’s diary is that the conflict around the frontier had forced people to move as refugees or as war captives back and forth to the Korean peninsula.
Did Chosŏn people become part of the Qing empire as Manchu or did the Chosŏn court consider those who traveled to the peninsula subjects of the dynasty? This is hard to know as their histories have largely been neglected. Those individuals noted in sources such as the Sillok tended to have language skills, education, or wealth that allowed them to move across political and linguistic borders. Na Man’gap describes some of these people in his diary. As will be shown below, the Manchu, in the early decades of the seventeenth century, captured a number of Chosŏn military men who had fought with the Ming in the northeast regions. Some of these men remained in Jurchen-Manchu lands, learned to speak Manchu, and later served as envoys between the Qing and Chosŏn courts. Judging from Manchu acceptance of the Chinese and other tribal people, as the Manchu created their empire, it would not have been a stretch for them to extend this process of assimilation and border crossing to those born on the Korean peninsula. There probably were Koreans who moved across the frontier and took Manchu identities. Na’s diary serves as a supplement to the works of New Qing history scholarship by helping to untangle issues of identity in the early period of the Manchu empire. […]
As will be shown below, the Manchu, in the early decades of the seventeenth century, captured a number of Chosŏn military men who had fought with the Ming in the northeast regions. Some of these men remained in Jurchen-Manchu lands, learned to speak Manchu, and later served as envoys between the Qing and Chosŏn courts. Judging from Manchu acceptance of the Chinese and other tribal people, as the Manchu created their empire, it would not have been a stretch for them to extend this process of assimilation and border crossing to those born on the Korean peninsula. There probably were Koreans who moved across the frontier and took Manchu identities. Na’s diary serves as a supplement to the works of New Qing history scholarship by helping to untangle issues of identity in the early period of the Manchu empire. »
NOTE : The topic of prisoners of war (after the Byeongjahoran) taken by the Qing is a difficult and not yet too well researched subject. The writer of « My Dearest » seems to be treating it in a conventional interpretation so far, although it is likely that there are more aspects to the topic (as the Manchu motivation for taking people and how many indeed they captured). But this would go beyond the scope of the drama series, I believe, in any case. — Jang Hyeon is obviously a Joseon yangban (if only one of possibly minor importance, from the countryside) who had strong connections to the Jurchen people, certainly as merchant, a livelihood he porbably took up after leaving his father’s house as he was responsible for the death of his older sister. … My current guess … ( as per 16 Ocotber 2023