|
The Three Kingdoms went through the stages of walled-city states and tribal leagues that led to the centralized aristocratic state centered around monarchical power. The political structures of the Three Kigdoms evolved from early pluralistic systems to monolithic bureaucratic structures cenered upon the kingship. In the case of GOGURYEO's transformation into a centralized aristocratic state, those who in former days had been tribal or clan chieftains of the walled-city states moved to the capital and were given rank appropriate to their earlier positions and in this way were integrated into the new socio-political structure of the ruling class. They lived in the capital and enjoyed privileges corresponding to their given status. The royal families and those of the king's wife constituted the dominant group of the ruling class.
In GOGURYEO, descendents of the five group chieftains as well as the royal lineage were eligible for Daetaero, the highest position of the bureaucracy.BAEKJE, there were the names of eight great familities, beside the royal family, which supported the monarchy: Sa, Hae, Yon, Hyop, Chin, Kuk, Mok and Paek.
SINRA had evolved a unique status system called "GOLPUMJE (Bone Ranks). Government positions, occupations and social life were all governed by GOLPUMJE. At the top of society were two classes called SEONGGOL("Sacred Bone") and Chin'gol ("True Bone"), exclusively made up of the royal families.
GOGURYEO was the first to introduce the vertical grading of government positions. The grading system of BAEKJE is markedly similar to Chinese practice. The grading system of SINRA was completed in the 6th century in the reign of BEOPHEUNGWANG. The most significant feaure of the plitical process of each of the Three Kingdoms is the role played by counciliar bodies in political decision making. The Hwabaek institution, SINRA's Council of Nobles, provides the clearest illustration of this phenomenon.
|
