Royal Bestowment for Great Prince Bongnim

This document records the special bequeathal of King Injo’s slaves to his second son Great Prince Bongnim (1619–1659) on twenty eighth day of the second month, 1631. The original name of Great Prince Bongnim was Ho and the royal title Great Prince was bestowed upon him by the king in 1626. His older brother Crown Prince Sohyeon was designated heir apparent in 1625 (thiry year of King Injo), but was ultimately unable to take the crown. Great Prince Bongnim ascended the throne upon King Injo’s death. The Royal Documents of Bestowme(sapae ) is an official certificate issued when the king grants slaves or land, or exempts local officials from routine tasks. This particular document was issued when King Injo transferred fifty-three slaves owned by government offices across the country to the private property of Great Prince Bongnim. The document has been handed down along with two other grants issued on the same day. The grants document itself only mentions “at the time of bestowing a title,” and thus not specifying the date of transfer. However, in 1631, a series of sacrificial ritals were conduct on behalf of Prince Bongnim, and we can assume that the granting of slaves also occurred during this period. Slaves granted to Great Prince Bongnim were managed by the Great Princes’ Office (Daegunbang ). According to this record, the slaves were originally distrubuted throughout various regions, including Suwon, Jipyeong, Gongju, Cheongju, Jiksan,Yeonggwang, Suncheon, Jeonju, Damyang, Okgwa, Gobu, Buan, Nampyeong,Mujang, Jinju, Ulsan, Uiseong, and Andong, and originally belonged to differentgovernment offices such as the Office of the Interior, Ministry of Finance, the Office of Meritorious Officials, the Board of Military Affairs, Office of the Crown Prince, Bureau of Slave Administration, Left Naval Commander of Jeolla Province, Government Arsenal, Office of Food and Fuel Supplies, and Agencies in Charge of Meritorious Officials,and Royal Relatives.