Collection
Documents of the Joseon Royal Family
The king of Joseon was the owner of the Jongmyo Shrine, where memorial services were performed for the deceased kings, and Sajik Shrine, where rituals were performed to please the gods of Earth and crops, and had absolute authority over the national affairs. The king’s power and authority were considered sacred as they have been bestowed upon him by the heavens, and such were passed down to his lineal descendants. Thus, in order to maintain the divine will, one of the important missions of the king was to pass the throne seamlessly, and such unbroken lineage was referred to as wangtong (the royal line) or daetong (the great line). The book of the royal genealogy of Joseon was compiled with diverse records such as the records of the royal line, centering on the kings, the records of the wives of t