이 글은 선조가 사후에 ‘중흥’의 국왕으로 부각되는 양상을 추적하고 그 의미를 조망한 연구이다. 조선시대 국왕들은 후대에 각종 형태로 추숭을 받았다. 그러므로 선조에 대한 현창이 특별한 현상이라 말할 수 없다. 그럼에도 이 글에서 선조를 특별히 주목하는 이유는 선조 추숭이 임진왜란을 극복하고 조선을 구한 임금으로 초점을 맞추어 진행되었기 때문이다. 선조는 인조와 서인세력의 이해와 맞물리면서 중흥과 사대의 공을 이룬 국왕으로 추앙되어 후대의 모범이 되는 국왕으로 거듭났다. 이것은 명 멸망 이후 조선에서 ‘중화계승의식’이 확산되는 속도와 궤를 같이하면서 퍼져 나갔다. 선조에 대한 현창 사업도 활발해졌다. 인조 대에 종묘의 宣祖室을 위한 단독 樂章이 제작되고, 숙종 대에는 선조가 세실로 정해지고 『宣廟寶鑑』까지 편찬 되었다. 그리고 선조가 환도하기 직전에 머물던 평안도 영유에 세운 와룡사가 현종, 숙종, 영조 대를 거치면서 ‘충’을 실현하는 본산으로 확대되었다. 이러한 양상은 선조에 대한 기억이 위로 국왕들에게는 조선을 구한 공열과 사대의 표상으로, 아래 民에게는 충을 실천해야 하는 본보기로서 거듭났음을 잘 보여준다. 그리고 새롭게 형성된 선조의 이미지는 17세기를 관통하여 18세기까지 지속 또는 증폭되었다.

Examined in this article is how King Seonjo came to be honored as the ‘Renaissance king’ after his death, and what was the meaning of such effort of the time. The kings of the Joseon dynasty were honored and commemorated in various forms and fashions after their deaths, so in that regard the honoring of Seonjo was not at all an unusual thing. Nonetheless, the reason it is extensively examined in this article is because Seonjo was “reevaluated” as a “king who saved Joseon after winning the Imjin Wae`ran war.” With the interests of King Injo and those of the Westerners faction meeting with each other, King Seonjo came to be portrayed in a new light, as a hero for the Joseon dynasty, who achieved the survival of the country and maintained loyalty toward Ming. In other words, he was newly decorated as a role model for the rest of the country. This new evaluation of him continued to spread, as the Joseon people`s sentiment of inheriting Ming and its legitimate traditions continued to grow, after Ming`s fall. Commemoration projects of King Seonjo continued to become more active. During the reign of King Injo, a musical score(樂章) alone for King Seonjo`s chamber at the Dynastic Shrine(宣祖室) was created. During the reign of King Sukjong, King Seonjo was designated with a Seshil chamber, and even Seonmyo Bogam(宣 廟寶鑑) was published. Wa`ryong-sa(臥龍祠), in the Yeong`yu(永柔) area of the Pyeong`an-do province, where Seonjo remained before returning to the Capital, continued to be expanded in the reigns of kings Hyeonjong, Sukjong and Yeongjo, as a central stage of demonstrating ‘Loyalty.’ All these efforts of the time show us that the memory of King Seonjo was being strengthened with new images of himself as a savior of the country and loyal vassal to Ming (in the eyes of following kings), and as a model of loyalty, in the eyes of the public. This new image of King Seonjo continued to be strengthened in the 17th and 18th centuries.