During the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period, royal titles and styles (forms of address) had been extensive and complex. The general title of the monarch was king () until Gojong crowned himself emperor (), a title that was only allowed for Chinese emperors. Official titles came with official forms of address, depending on who the addressee was and by whom they were addressed.

Royal family

Naming

When a prince became king, he was addressed as such, personal names were not used. After the death of a king, he was given several names. One is the

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

(), which was given when the

spirit tablet A spirit tablet, memorial tablet, or ancestral tablet is a placard that people used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor as well as to enclose it. The name of the deity or the past ancestor is usually inscribed onto the tablet. Wit ...

was placed at the Jongmyo Shrine. This is the name by which historians usually refer to Joseon kings. The ''myoho'' could end in either ''jo'' () or ''jong'' (). The preceding syllable was an adjective suitable for the king. The other name was the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

(). This is a longer name, made up of adjectives characteristic of the king's rule. For example, King Gyeongjong's posthumous name was King Deokmun Ikmu Sunin Seonhyo the Great (), while his temple name was Gyeongjong ().

Titles and styles

Forms of address were combined with names, titles or both, for example: * ''Jusang Jeonha'' (주상 전하; His Majesty the King) *''Jungjeon Mama'' (중전 마마; Her Royal Highness the Queen) * ''Seja Jeoha'' (세자 저하; His Royal Highness the Crown Prince) *''Wangja Agissi'' n childhood(왕자 아기씨; His Young Highness the Prince) then ''Daegun Jaga / Daegam'' n adulthood(대군 자가 / 대감; His Highness / His Excellency the Grand Prince) * ''Gongju Agissi'' n childhood(공주 아기씨; Her Young Highness the Royal Princess) then ''Gongju Jaga'' n adulthood(공주 자가; Her Highness the Royal Princess)

Concubines

Each royal consort () in the inner palace had a certain rank, according to which their titles and forms of address were formulated.

Royal court

Officials

References

{{List of titles and honours of the Countries Crown Society of Joseon Royal titles Government of Joseon