ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

The epitaph of Empress Sunmok (Lady Tae), the wife of King Gan (簡王), discovered in the Longhai (龍海) section of the Longtoushan (龍頭山) Tomb Complex －the royal cemetery of Balhae －provides valuable insight into the realities of the period. Examination of the inscription reveals that the empress’ grandfather, Jangmun, served as an official in charge of the coastal region (海守) of Namhae Prefecture, and that the year of her death, Yeonpyeong (延平) 2 (818), corresponds to the early years of King Seon (宣王)’s reign. Her first burial site, the plain of Xianbei’s Mt. Bulyeok (鮮卑不易山原), is believed to have been a specific location within the territory of Balhae. According to the epitaph, Empress Sunmok originally belonged to the Dae clan and was married to King Gan, who shared the same family name. Her family began to rise to prominence in the early 9th century. The fact that King Gan’s name appears without any honorifics or posthumous titles, that King Seon inaugurated a new era name immediately upon ascending the throne to stabilize the political situation, and that the empress was initially buried outside the royal cemetery －all suggest that King Gan’s death and King Seon’s accession occurred amid political strife. However, roughly a decade later, Empress Sunmok was reburied in the royal cemetery and referred to as “Empress (皇后)” in her epitaph. This indicates that by the latter part of King Seon’s reign, King Gan and his consort had been officially recognized as members of the royal family. Behind this lay King Seon’s political strategy to emphasize royal unity in order to secure a stable succession to the throne.

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