티무르조의 대장전(大帳殿)과 왕실 부인들의 위계

Abstract

This thesis examines the structure of Saraparda, the residence of Timurid royal women, and the order of rank and standards among wives. Timur, great monarch who united Mā-warā"al-naḥr in 1370, established four Saraparda structures inherited from the Ordu System of the Mongol Empire. Each Saraparda had a leading wife who headed it, subjugated wives, and if leading wife died, another wife from a similar background replaced her. There were three grades among Timurid royal women, namely Khatun, Quma (concubine), and Sarari (Maid). The Khatun rank women were descendants of Chingiz Khan or Timur, and high-ranking Amirs of Timurid. The Concubines were from lower classes than Khatun, but they were freemen. The maids were slaves of various kinds who got the prince"s favor. Although the hierarchy"s standards appeared strict and fixed, they had a lot of flexibility. Whenever the monarch died, political upheavals occurred, and the composition of the monarch"s entourage changed. Thus, a Khatun, whose father was a high-ranking official, could suddenly be degraded to a concubine or slave, and vise versa. Those changes in class reflected the characteristics of the Mongol-Turkic nomadic state. In the 15th century, Mongol-Turkic nomadic ruling class imposed a marriage contract procedure under Islamic law. However, it was just a procedural change and Islamic marriage law was not applied completely. Therefore, the institutions and order surrounding the Timurid royal women"s nature stemmed from the Mongol-Turkic tradition.