-Now that Baekje and Gogoryeo had fallen, tensions escalated between the Tang dynasty and Sila over where to go from here.
-Begs the question: WTF were Silla thinking by allying with the Tang??
-Obviously, the Tang dynasty wanted Korea to go back to its old commandery divisions, but this time with a unified Korean peninsula under Chinese control, the Tang dynasty set up a new government in Pyongyang called "the Protectorate General to Pacify the East".
-In order to give the Protectorate General some legitimacy, the Tang got King Bojang (who survived the fall of Gogoryeo and had been a puppet for Yeon Gaesoman when he controlled Gogoryeo) to back them up in Pyongyang, which was the former capital of Gogoryeo).
-Therefore, King Bojang was set up as governor of the Protectorate General, and King of Joseon.
-Pyongyang may have been pacified, but rural Gogoryeo was still hostile to the Tang dynasty, seeing them as foreign invaders.
-This anti-Chinese resistance looked to Silla to drive off the Chinese from the peninsula.
-General Kim Yu-sin (Silla) managed to drive off the Tang dynasty troops that were occupying the former lands of Baekje.
-673- Kim Yu-sin dies. However, the anti-Chinese resistance looked to Silla to drive off the Tang from the peninsula.
-Tang sources claim that the Chinese were winning the battles, but this doesn't make sense because why would the Chinese then just suddenly leave the peninsula?
-One theory is that Emperor Gaozong's health was deteriorating at this point, and the empress, Wu Zetian, didn't seem to care much about taking over Korea.
-Silla began to feel more nationalistic, and together due to its newfound power and its emerging Buddhist faith, thanks in large part to the success of the monk Wonhyo.
-Also, after the war, King Munmu found himself surrounded by a powerful, militarized aristocracy...uh-oh!
-681- King Munmu died, leaving the crown to his son, King Sinmun.
-King Sinmun tried to reign in their wealth by limiting what they could tax from their lands.
-The crown was severely indebted to the aristocracy because it was the aristocracy that had paid for the war effort, and now they looked to the crown to repay their debts.
-King Sinmun had allowed the aristocrats to become like lords of their own domains under the crown, i.e. a feudal system, as repayment for supporting the kingdom, but this made the lords too powerful and rich, which is why the crown tried to impose restrictions on the aristocracy's taxation of the people of their lands and estates.
-He even tried to move the capital from Gyeongju to Dalgubeol (Daegu), but this didn't work out.
-King Sinmun's biggest political rival was a dude named Gumwong, who was essentially Silla's "prime minister".
-King Sinmun was also opposed by "King Anseung", the would-be king of old Gogoryeo before it was conquered, but had been given rulership over the fake kingdom of Bodeok (a puppet kingdom of Silla).
-King Sinmun then flexed his political muscle by cracking down on the aristocracy and did initiated a strong purge, arresting any people he didn't like and annexed the lands of the Gogoryeo resistance fighters.
-King Sinmun also set up the Gukhak, or "National Academy", which was founded to train government officials in the Confucian classics.
-He also sent a delegation to set up peaceful relations with Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty, which allowed Silla to copy lots of Chinese culture.
-Meanwhile, the Tang Dynasty gave up on trying to maintain a puppet kingdom on the Korean peninsula, so they decided to cut their losses and fortify the Liaodong Peninsula.
-As a result, there was a power vacuum in the former Gogoryeo lands unclaimed by Silla, so that'[s how the state of Balhae (known as Jin at the time, just to be confusing, and would change its name to Balhae in 712) came about.
-Formed after Gogoryeo fell and occupied much of Gogoryeo's old territory, including the northern half of modern-day North Korea.
-Balhae was made up of Malgal tribes that were ruled by former Gogoryeo aristocrats.
-Populated by many slaves as well.
-The Malgal people kind of governed themselves, but paid tribute to their Gogoryeo overlords.
-Many historians claim that Balhae was a Korean kingdom, but this is controversial since the Malgal people that made up most of the population weren't closely related with the Yemaek tribes that the Koreans of the peninsula are descended from.
-Also, Balhae history is really sketchy because there are no surviving historical records from the kingdom, so who knows what the deal was.
-Silla continued to maintain the Bone Rank during this time.
-At the top was the the "sacred" or "hallowed" bone rank- the (Gyeongju) Kim, Park, and Sook clans, AKA the founding clans of Silla.
-When the Gaya Confederacy was incorporated into Silla in 562 (finally falling because they were allied with Baekje for a war against Silla awhile ago), the (Gaya) Kim were brought into the Bone Rank as a "sacred" clan as well.
-King Sinmun died in 692, his legacy remembered as successfully consolidating Silla's power as a government and country, upholding the crown's authority, and making peace with the Tang Dynasty.
-Meanwhile, the aristocracy wasn't happy with how strong the crown had become, and this would prove to be problematic later on.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
The Three Kingdoms - Part 5
-King Jinheung (Silla) dies in 576, but right before he died he converted to Buddhism, first Silla king to die as a Buddhist.
-His legacy: greatly expanding Silla's power and establishing the Hwarang caste.
-However, King Jinheung's true crown prince was killed (according to some accounts), so his second son, King Jinji, was enthroned.
-King Jinji sucked, probably just really corrupt and debauched, so he was overthrown by the nobility, one of whom was the royal concubine Lady Mishil.
-Lady Mishil was a hardcore socialite and probably banged a bunch of nobles, Hwarang, 3 Silla kings, and even a crown prince!!
-She was able to get her current lover, Prince Baek-jeong, on the throne. Thus, he became King Jinpyeong in 579 after King Jinji was dethroned.
-King Wideok (Baekje) died in 598. He was desperately trying to gain the support of the Chinese dynasties, but they were so unstable that they didn't give a fuck about Korea, so Baekje was SOL.
-However, he did have some success with Yamato.
-King Wideok was replaced by King Hye, but King Hye died the next year in 599.
-Baekje was in terrible shape.
-Lost more territory to Silla, Gogoryeo was taking over their trading posts, and China's new Sui dynasty took over Baekje's trading posts in China (probably in an effort to consolidate power).
-King Hye was replaced by King Beop.
-King Beop was a hardcore Buddhist, enforcing vegetarianism, a ban on hunting and butchering animals, etc. However, he died in 600.
-King Beop was replaced by King Wideok's son, King Mu.
-Meanwhile, Gogoryeo was actually doing OK!
-Led by King Pyeongwon between 559-590.
-Cut the royal budget and royal food surplus, and implemented new farming programs successfully.
-Defended the south, also benefited from Chinese civil wars.
-However, by 589, China was unified under the Sui dynasty, so that was bad news for Gogoryeo.
-King Pyeongwon died in 590, replaced by his son, King Yeongyang.
-Kicked off his reign by attacking Chinese territories.
-Also reached out to the encroaching Turk hordes for an alliance.
-The Sui dynasty were getting pissed off at Gogoryeo's growing power, so they sent out a monster force of like 300,000 to invade Gogoryeo.
-Unfortunately, the Sui army was so bloated and bogged down during the monsoon season rains that they were easily attacked by Gogoryeo forces and Turk horse archers.
-To make matters worse, when the Chinese finally got on their ships to invade the Korean peninsula, the sea was especially stormy, and many ships were destroyed or lost.
-Gogoryeo navy was able to fight off the rest.
-612- Apparently, the Sui were not quite ready to give up, and in 600 sent over an incredibly massive army of A MILLION troops to invade the Gogoryeo.
-618- King Yeongyang dies, same year as the Sui dynasty collapsed.
-King Yeongnyu, half-brother of King Yeongyang, replaced him.
-It was around this time that Taoism was introduced to Gogoryeo, but it wasn't that popular.
-Feeling good about driving off the massive Chinese armies, Gogoryeo attacked Baekje and Silla to reclaim the Han River basin.
-In China, the Tang dynasty came to power after the Sui fell in 618,
-Gogoryeo, exhaused from fighting with China, agreed to finally submit as a tributary to the Tang.
-Silla and Baekje soon submitted as well.
-However, soon after the kingdoms submitted, Tang raiders destroyed a Gogoryeo monument to the great general Eulji (the main dude responsible for fending off the Sui dynasty armies).
-Thus, King Yeongnyu began to build a huge wall, Donald Trump-style, in the west to help defend Gogoryeo from future invasions.
-Meanwhile in Baekje, King Mu had been renovating palaces and temples and shit since he was pretty devout and pious, but didn't spend enough on the military.
-Although he did win a series victories against Silla in 611, 616, 623, 624, and 626, in 627 he was forced to relent because Silla had allied itself with the Tang dynasty, so Baekje backed off.
-Meanwhile in Silla, King Jinpyeong had developed a huge love of Chinese culture, and that's how relations between the Tang dynasty and Silla became close.
-King Jinpyeong couldn't produce a male heir, so he named his daughter as crown princess.
-This pissed off a lot of the conservative nobility, because she's a GIRL.
-There was a conspiracy to stop this from happening, but the conspiracy was exposed and the conspirators were executed.
-King Jinpyeong died in 632, replaced by his daughter, QUEEN Seondeok!
-First time this ever happened in Korean recorded history!
-Huge patron of Buddhism, art, and science.
-Built what is recognized as the first observatory in East Asia (located in Gyeongju).
-Unfortunately, a bunch of idiots used superstition as an excuse to oppose a female ruler, and there was a rebellion by those who believed in the alleged ill omens that were said to be taking place during her reign.
-Luckily for Queen Seondeok, she had a badass military commander, a hwarang named Kim Yu-sin, leader of a hwarang crew called The Disciples of the Dragon Fragrance.
-Queen Seondeok died without a male heir in 647, so her cousin (niece?) Queen Jindeok came to the throne in 647.
-Continued to court favor with the Tang dynasty.
-She even wrote a poem and had it embroidered on an epic tapestry for Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, which was hugely successful.
-She also tried to get Gogoryeo to ally with Silla in order to invade Baekje, but Gogoryeo refused because they wanted to regain control of the Han River basin completely for themselves.
-Gogoryeo actually tried to get Baekje to ally with them against Silla, but this didn't pan out.
-Queen Jindeok died without a son in 654! Uh-oh!
-According to the Bone Rank caste system, there was no other suitable heir that had "sacred bones" or whatever, so they had to go to to the next step down in the rank.
-Kim Yu-sin endorsed his friend, which apparently was good enough for most people, so in 661 his friend took the Silla throne as King Muyeol.
-In Gogoryeo, the commander in charge of overseeing the western defenses, Yeon Gaesomun, was becoming really popular, so King Yeongnyu tried to have him killed. Yeon Gaesomun found out and killed King Yeong-nyu instead!
-THE FINAL KINGS:
-King Bojang of Gogoryeo- enthroned in 642, replaced his older brother, King Yeongnyu, who had been slain by Yeon Gaesomun. King Bojang was a puppet king, as Gogoryeo was actually under military rule by Yeon Gaesomun.
-King Uija of Baekje- eldest son of King Mu, enthroned in 641.
-Lots of crazy ill omens during his reign. Baekje seemed to know that the end was nigh!
-King Muyeol of Silla- the winner of the epic Three Kingdoms slugfest!!!
-THE FINAL BLOWOUT:
-643- The Tang dynasty informs Baekje and Gogoryeo to stop fucking around with Silla.
-The Tang Dynasty finally decides that enough is enough, and invades Gogoryeo in 645, but this time Emperor Gaozong decides to learn from Chinese past mistakes that occurred during their botched invasions of the last 500 years or so.
-Initially, the Chinese were successful, and won some major victories. Also, the Emperor Gaozong's goal was not to completely conquer Gogoryeo, but to make them truly commit to the Tang dynasty as a tributary state. However, these attacks ultimately failed in getting Gogoryeo to submit.
-Because of all the violence, migrants fleeing from the violence, Gogoryeo casualties in battle, etc., it's possible that Gogoryeo lost about 10% of its population during this time. Not to mention famine due to the destruction of crops, lack of farmers due to death or migration, etc.
-Meanwhile, Silla wanted to use its newfound power as an ally of the Tang dynasty by getting them to attack Baekje.
-King Uija of Baekje was also a shitty ruler, as he was unable to control the inner power struggles and decadence of his court.
-Everyone knew that Baekje's time was running out as Silla and the Tang dynasty hungrily eyed Baekje's lands, and many Baekje nobility began to GTFO by migrating to Japan.
-660- Baekje is invaded by 2000 Tang ships and Silla's army, led by Kim Yu-sin.
-Baekje was completely overwhelmed by this powerful alliance, but fought valiantly.
-Baekje's capital fell to Silla and the Tang dynasty later that year.
-One of the reasons why Emperor Gaozong was helping Silla in the first place was because they believed that after Baekje fell, it would be a Chinese commandery, but Silla wanted to try and flip the situation so that the territory would be a part of its own kingdom instead.
-661- King Muyeol (Silla) died, replaced by his son, King Munmu.
-After Baekje fell, the Tang requested Silla's assistance immediately in an invasion of Gogoryeo.
-However, Gogoryeo was able to repel these forces after they failed to capture Pyongyang.
-Also, there was still trouble in Baekje, as small resistance armies formed to fight off the invaders.
-In 661, Japanese forces arrived to liberate Baekje! A son of King Uija (Baekje) had gone to the Yamato to ask for help.
-This Japanese army was known as the Baekje Restoration Army.
-However, the Japanese navy was unsuccessful in fighting off the Tang ships, and Silla forces crushed the Yamato/Baekje resistance troops. Baekje's new resistance capital was taken, and Baekje was finally crushed once and for all!
-The Baekje prince fled to Gogoryeo, and it would be like 1000 years before Japan would try to ever fuck with Korea again.
-Much to Silla's dismay, Emperor Gaozong wasn't about to let Silla keep the Baekje territory, and he consolidated his troops there to defend the land, appointing a Baekje prince as governor of the region.
-Then, insultingly, Emperor Gaozong insisted that King Munmu was not a king, but actually only a governor of what they considered to be a future Chinese commandery as well, and forced both King Munmu and the Baekje prince to sign a truce as "governors".
-Meanwhile in Gogoryeo, Yeon Gaesomun died, and King Bojang couldn't keep it together.
-Silla and the Tang dynasty knew that the timing was perfect, so they invaded Gogoryeo in 668.
-Because Yeon Gaesomun wasn't there to maintain control, Gogoryeo was poorly organized.
-Pyongyang fell the same year. Gogoryeo had once been the most powerful kingdom in NE Asia, and now it had been conquered.
-Very impressive that Gogoryeo had managed to exist for roughly 600 years, considering it was thinly populated, had shitty weather, shitty trading opportunities, shitty agriculture, etc.
-Unfortunately, much of Gogoryeo's archaeology is still unknown since it's all in North Korea, which is obviously not very open to allowing access to its archaelogical sites or whatever else.
-Many Koreans see themselves as heirs to the cultural legacy of Silla, but it was actually Gogoryeo that was the true champion of Korea's cultural heritage and defense!
-Gogoryeo was the strongest and most independent, and defended Baekje and Silla for centuries. The glory goes to them, it seems.
-The Three Kingdoms period of Korea finally comes to an end in 668, and Silla is the last man standing!
-His legacy: greatly expanding Silla's power and establishing the Hwarang caste.
-However, King Jinheung's true crown prince was killed (according to some accounts), so his second son, King Jinji, was enthroned.
-King Jinji sucked, probably just really corrupt and debauched, so he was overthrown by the nobility, one of whom was the royal concubine Lady Mishil.
-Lady Mishil was a hardcore socialite and probably banged a bunch of nobles, Hwarang, 3 Silla kings, and even a crown prince!!
-She was able to get her current lover, Prince Baek-jeong, on the throne. Thus, he became King Jinpyeong in 579 after King Jinji was dethroned.
-King Wideok (Baekje) died in 598. He was desperately trying to gain the support of the Chinese dynasties, but they were so unstable that they didn't give a fuck about Korea, so Baekje was SOL.
-However, he did have some success with Yamato.
-King Wideok was replaced by King Hye, but King Hye died the next year in 599.
-Baekje was in terrible shape.
-Lost more territory to Silla, Gogoryeo was taking over their trading posts, and China's new Sui dynasty took over Baekje's trading posts in China (probably in an effort to consolidate power).
-King Hye was replaced by King Beop.
-King Beop was a hardcore Buddhist, enforcing vegetarianism, a ban on hunting and butchering animals, etc. However, he died in 600.
-King Beop was replaced by King Wideok's son, King Mu.
-Meanwhile, Gogoryeo was actually doing OK!
-Led by King Pyeongwon between 559-590.
-Cut the royal budget and royal food surplus, and implemented new farming programs successfully.
-Defended the south, also benefited from Chinese civil wars.
-However, by 589, China was unified under the Sui dynasty, so that was bad news for Gogoryeo.
-King Pyeongwon died in 590, replaced by his son, King Yeongyang.
-Kicked off his reign by attacking Chinese territories.
-Also reached out to the encroaching Turk hordes for an alliance.
-The Sui dynasty were getting pissed off at Gogoryeo's growing power, so they sent out a monster force of like 300,000 to invade Gogoryeo.
-Unfortunately, the Sui army was so bloated and bogged down during the monsoon season rains that they were easily attacked by Gogoryeo forces and Turk horse archers.
-To make matters worse, when the Chinese finally got on their ships to invade the Korean peninsula, the sea was especially stormy, and many ships were destroyed or lost.
-Gogoryeo navy was able to fight off the rest.
-612- Apparently, the Sui were not quite ready to give up, and in 600 sent over an incredibly massive army of A MILLION troops to invade the Gogoryeo.
-618- King Yeongyang dies, same year as the Sui dynasty collapsed.
-King Yeongnyu, half-brother of King Yeongyang, replaced him.
-It was around this time that Taoism was introduced to Gogoryeo, but it wasn't that popular.
-Feeling good about driving off the massive Chinese armies, Gogoryeo attacked Baekje and Silla to reclaim the Han River basin.
-In China, the Tang dynasty came to power after the Sui fell in 618,
-Gogoryeo, exhaused from fighting with China, agreed to finally submit as a tributary to the Tang.
-Silla and Baekje soon submitted as well.
-However, soon after the kingdoms submitted, Tang raiders destroyed a Gogoryeo monument to the great general Eulji (the main dude responsible for fending off the Sui dynasty armies).
-Thus, King Yeongnyu began to build a huge wall, Donald Trump-style, in the west to help defend Gogoryeo from future invasions.
-Meanwhile in Baekje, King Mu had been renovating palaces and temples and shit since he was pretty devout and pious, but didn't spend enough on the military.
-Although he did win a series victories against Silla in 611, 616, 623, 624, and 626, in 627 he was forced to relent because Silla had allied itself with the Tang dynasty, so Baekje backed off.
-Meanwhile in Silla, King Jinpyeong had developed a huge love of Chinese culture, and that's how relations between the Tang dynasty and Silla became close.
-King Jinpyeong couldn't produce a male heir, so he named his daughter as crown princess.
-This pissed off a lot of the conservative nobility, because she's a GIRL.
-There was a conspiracy to stop this from happening, but the conspiracy was exposed and the conspirators were executed.
-King Jinpyeong died in 632, replaced by his daughter, QUEEN Seondeok!
-First time this ever happened in Korean recorded history!
-Huge patron of Buddhism, art, and science.
-Built what is recognized as the first observatory in East Asia (located in Gyeongju).
-Unfortunately, a bunch of idiots used superstition as an excuse to oppose a female ruler, and there was a rebellion by those who believed in the alleged ill omens that were said to be taking place during her reign.
-Luckily for Queen Seondeok, she had a badass military commander, a hwarang named Kim Yu-sin, leader of a hwarang crew called The Disciples of the Dragon Fragrance.
-Queen Seondeok died without a male heir in 647, so her cousin (niece?) Queen Jindeok came to the throne in 647.
-Continued to court favor with the Tang dynasty.
-She even wrote a poem and had it embroidered on an epic tapestry for Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, which was hugely successful.
-She also tried to get Gogoryeo to ally with Silla in order to invade Baekje, but Gogoryeo refused because they wanted to regain control of the Han River basin completely for themselves.
-Gogoryeo actually tried to get Baekje to ally with them against Silla, but this didn't pan out.
-Queen Jindeok died without a son in 654! Uh-oh!
-According to the Bone Rank caste system, there was no other suitable heir that had "sacred bones" or whatever, so they had to go to to the next step down in the rank.
-Kim Yu-sin endorsed his friend, which apparently was good enough for most people, so in 661 his friend took the Silla throne as King Muyeol.
-In Gogoryeo, the commander in charge of overseeing the western defenses, Yeon Gaesomun, was becoming really popular, so King Yeongnyu tried to have him killed. Yeon Gaesomun found out and killed King Yeong-nyu instead!
-THE FINAL KINGS:
-King Bojang of Gogoryeo- enthroned in 642, replaced his older brother, King Yeongnyu, who had been slain by Yeon Gaesomun. King Bojang was a puppet king, as Gogoryeo was actually under military rule by Yeon Gaesomun.
-King Uija of Baekje- eldest son of King Mu, enthroned in 641.
-Lots of crazy ill omens during his reign. Baekje seemed to know that the end was nigh!
-King Muyeol of Silla- the winner of the epic Three Kingdoms slugfest!!!
-THE FINAL BLOWOUT:
-643- The Tang dynasty informs Baekje and Gogoryeo to stop fucking around with Silla.
-The Tang Dynasty finally decides that enough is enough, and invades Gogoryeo in 645, but this time Emperor Gaozong decides to learn from Chinese past mistakes that occurred during their botched invasions of the last 500 years or so.
-Initially, the Chinese were successful, and won some major victories. Also, the Emperor Gaozong's goal was not to completely conquer Gogoryeo, but to make them truly commit to the Tang dynasty as a tributary state. However, these attacks ultimately failed in getting Gogoryeo to submit.
-Because of all the violence, migrants fleeing from the violence, Gogoryeo casualties in battle, etc., it's possible that Gogoryeo lost about 10% of its population during this time. Not to mention famine due to the destruction of crops, lack of farmers due to death or migration, etc.
-Meanwhile, Silla wanted to use its newfound power as an ally of the Tang dynasty by getting them to attack Baekje.
-King Uija of Baekje was also a shitty ruler, as he was unable to control the inner power struggles and decadence of his court.
-Everyone knew that Baekje's time was running out as Silla and the Tang dynasty hungrily eyed Baekje's lands, and many Baekje nobility began to GTFO by migrating to Japan.
-660- Baekje is invaded by 2000 Tang ships and Silla's army, led by Kim Yu-sin.
-Baekje was completely overwhelmed by this powerful alliance, but fought valiantly.
-Baekje's capital fell to Silla and the Tang dynasty later that year.
-One of the reasons why Emperor Gaozong was helping Silla in the first place was because they believed that after Baekje fell, it would be a Chinese commandery, but Silla wanted to try and flip the situation so that the territory would be a part of its own kingdom instead.
-661- King Muyeol (Silla) died, replaced by his son, King Munmu.
-After Baekje fell, the Tang requested Silla's assistance immediately in an invasion of Gogoryeo.
-However, Gogoryeo was able to repel these forces after they failed to capture Pyongyang.
-Also, there was still trouble in Baekje, as small resistance armies formed to fight off the invaders.
-In 661, Japanese forces arrived to liberate Baekje! A son of King Uija (Baekje) had gone to the Yamato to ask for help.
-This Japanese army was known as the Baekje Restoration Army.
-However, the Japanese navy was unsuccessful in fighting off the Tang ships, and Silla forces crushed the Yamato/Baekje resistance troops. Baekje's new resistance capital was taken, and Baekje was finally crushed once and for all!
-The Baekje prince fled to Gogoryeo, and it would be like 1000 years before Japan would try to ever fuck with Korea again.
-Much to Silla's dismay, Emperor Gaozong wasn't about to let Silla keep the Baekje territory, and he consolidated his troops there to defend the land, appointing a Baekje prince as governor of the region.
-Then, insultingly, Emperor Gaozong insisted that King Munmu was not a king, but actually only a governor of what they considered to be a future Chinese commandery as well, and forced both King Munmu and the Baekje prince to sign a truce as "governors".
-Meanwhile in Gogoryeo, Yeon Gaesomun died, and King Bojang couldn't keep it together.
-Silla and the Tang dynasty knew that the timing was perfect, so they invaded Gogoryeo in 668.
-Because Yeon Gaesomun wasn't there to maintain control, Gogoryeo was poorly organized.
-Pyongyang fell the same year. Gogoryeo had once been the most powerful kingdom in NE Asia, and now it had been conquered.
-Very impressive that Gogoryeo had managed to exist for roughly 600 years, considering it was thinly populated, had shitty weather, shitty trading opportunities, shitty agriculture, etc.
-Unfortunately, much of Gogoryeo's archaeology is still unknown since it's all in North Korea, which is obviously not very open to allowing access to its archaelogical sites or whatever else.
-Many Koreans see themselves as heirs to the cultural legacy of Silla, but it was actually Gogoryeo that was the true champion of Korea's cultural heritage and defense!
-Gogoryeo was the strongest and most independent, and defended Baekje and Silla for centuries. The glory goes to them, it seems.
-The Three Kingdoms period of Korea finally comes to an end in 668, and Silla is the last man standing!
Sunday, October 23, 2016
The Three Kingdoms - Part 4
-By the mid-4th century, China had completely broken down into about 60 minor states.
-Wa (based out of Kyushu) were always a threat to Korea, but still hadn't developed into a powerful, unified Japan yet.
-Baekje and Silla are still strong, Gaya remains in the south and controls the iron trade, and Gogoryeo has huge (yet poorly defined) territory.
-Gogoryeo's western border with China was always changing.
-Constantly fighting with the Xianbei hordes.
-King Micheon, one of Gogoryeo's greatest kings, died in 331.
-342- Gogoryeo is invaded by the Xianbei, and they manage to take the capital! King Gogukwon was the king of Gogoreyo at this time, and was forced to flee, moving the royal government and capital to Pyongyang. Xianbei also invaded Buyeo as well at this time, forcing the capital to relocate to Okjeo and for the king to commit suicide!
-Meanwhile, Baekje was growing more powerful, and was experiencing a golden age under King Geunchogo. It finally consolidated all of its power after annexing the last of Mahan.
-Also allied with Silla at this time, and he moved Baekje's capital back to the north of the Han River to present-day Seoul- no longer scared of the Malgal tribes.
-369- Gogoryeo launches a huge attack against Baekje, but it was a disaster.
-371- Baekje sacked Pyongyang and killed King Gogukwon. Damn!
-At the same time, Baekje allied itself with the Eastern Jin dynasty in China, which awarded King Geunchogo with the title of "Administrator-General of Lelang", the old Chinese commandery.
-Many Chinese scholars and intellectuals flooded into Baekje.
-Baekje also grew into a strong trading nation, acting as an intermediary between China and Japan. Because parts of Manchuria had been taken over by the Xianbei hordes, trade grew more popular to the south instead of in the Yellow Sea, although the sea sucks for sea travel which is probably why it wasn't used much before. The west/south coast of Korea is dangerous for sea trade.
-Baekje also tried to establish commanderies of their own in mainland China, but it is unknown as to the extent of their domination. They also had outposts in Kyushu, although they were allied with Wa (Yamato).
-Baekje also sent scholars to the Yamato during this time, who introduced Buddhism to the Japanese, as well as lots of merchant traders.
-Also gave the Yamato king the "Seven-branched Sword" (Chiljido).
-Unknown as to if the sword was meant to be a sign of tribute to Yamato OR as a sign of goodwill for submitting to the power of Baekje.
-Lots of debate among scholars as to its true nature.
-Meanwhile, Gogoryeo was fucked up but not defeated! King Goguwon's son, King Sosurim, was in power. He raised an army, centralized his political authority, established Buddhism as a state religion, and adapted useful cultural and political ideologies from China.
-Also implemented Confucian reforms and opened Confucian schools for the nobility to educate the elite.
-Subsisted on tribute from tributary states in Manchuria.
-374-376- Gorgoryeo launched attacks as vengeance against Baekje.
-Baekje was able to repel the Gogoryeo invaders, and Gogoryeo was then attacked in 378 by the Khitan, a Mongolian/Manchurian barbarian horde.
-Stopped attacking Baekje.
-King Sosurim died in 384, replaced by his brother, King Gogugyang.
-King Gogugyang attacked the Chinese territory of Yan in the Liaodong Peninsula, also called "Later Yan"(Hòuyàn), a state of Murong-Xianbei barbarian "emperors" (probably just warlords).
-Gogoryeo controlled this area for a time, but quickly lost it.
-Also continued fighting with Baekje between 386-390.
-Also successfully got Silla to break up its alliance with Baekje.
-King Gogugyang died in 391, replaced by Gogoryeo's greatest ruler, King Gwanggaeto.
-First he adopted his monarchical name, which means "supreme king", implying that he no longer felt that Gogoryeo should be dominated by China.
-Greatly improved the cavalry and navy.
-Attacked Baekje in 393.
-King Asin of Baekje was furious as to the power of Gogoryeo's new army, and quickly mounted a counterattack, but this failed and the people of Baekje began to revolt.
-395- Gogoryeo pushes further south, all the way to the Baekje capital. They were successful, and forced Baekje to surrender.
-King Asin was allowed to stay on the throne, and Baekje was made a vassal state to Gogoryeo.
-Gogoryeo's army then marched back up to the north attack barbarian hordes.
400- Later Yan invades Gogoryeo, but are repelled. King Gwanggaeto then launches a counterattack in 402, and in 404 takes over the entire Liaodong Peninsula!
-Later Yan sues for peace in 408.
-400- Silla reaches out to Gogoryeo- Wa and Gaya have formed an alliance. They were invading Silla and laying siege to the capital.
-Gogoryeo raised an army of 50,000 to help defend Silla. Gogoryeo drove off the invaders, forcing Gaya to submit, and forced Silla to alter the alliance between Gogoreyo and Silla to make it so that Silla was now a vassal state of Gogoryeo!
-King Gwanggaeto died in 413, replaced by his son, King Jangsu.
-Gogoryeo was now a mighty kingdom!
-Some scholars argue that Gogoryeo territory stretched all the way to present-day Mongolia!
-King Gwanggaeto was the only king awarded "the Great" posthumously to his name besides King Sejong.
-A monument was erected near his tomb in present-day Ji'an in NE China.
-All sorts of issues with the badly damaged inscriptions that were discovered 1000 years later, claims that it stated that Wa took over the Korean peninsula in 391 or some shit, conspiracy theories, etc.
-Moved the capital from Gugnae Fortress (near modern day Ji'an) to Pyongyang in 427.
-430s- Gogoryeo began to meddle in Chinese geopolitics.
-The Chinese kingdom of Northern Yan (Bĕiyàn) was being invaded by the Xianbei kingdom of Northern Wei, which, at this point, had conquered much of northern China.
-Gogoryeo agreed to help defend Northern Yan, and drove off the Northern Wei armies in 436.
-By 438, however, Gogoryeo straight-up invaded Northern Yan in 438, conquering it!
-This pissed off the Liu Song ("Former Song") dynasty, who perhaps felt uneasy about Gogoryeo's aggression and growing power. So, Liu Song began to attack Gogoryeo.
-King Jangsu didn't want to get into a full-on war with Liu Song, so he ultimately sued for peace. Also, it's possible that he wanted to play Northern Wei and Liu Song against each other so that they would be distracted while Gogoryeo dominated Silla and Baekje.
-Meanwhile, Baekje continued to strengthen its power as a mercantile nation of wealth and political alliances.
-Tried to send ambassadors to Northern Wei, but they were blocked from getting there by Gogoryeo forces.
-This pissed off Baekje, who definitely wanted Gogoryeo to fall, especially since they couldn't look to Silla for help since Silla was still a puppet kingdom of Gogoryeo.
-455- King Gaero was the new king of Baekje, and he did not want to be a puppet king of Gogoryeo like his father, King Biyu. He made the decision to inform Gogoryeo that Baekje was no longer their puppet state!
-This obviously pissed off King Jangsu (Gogoryeo), but he wasn't quite ready to fuck up Baekje. Too risky since if he got involved in a war with Baekje, Northern Wei could use that to strike a vulnerable Gogoryeo.
-He wanted to wait for war to break out between Liu Song and Northern Wei.
-King Jangsu sent a monk named Dorim to the court of King Gaero (Baekje) early 470s. Dorim was secretly an agent of Gogoryeo, but posed as a baduk-obsessed Buddhist monk who was to distract King Gaero with games and bad advice.
-Dorim advised King Gaero to spend lots of money on public works which would waste resources and piss off the aristocracy.
-King Jangsu attacked in 475, and Baekje sent off the crown prince to Silla to go hopefully raise reinforcements.
-They were too late, as Gogoryeo had overrun Baekje's defenses.
-King Gaero was executed on top of Achasan in Seoul.
-Many Baekje nobles fled south or to Japan (where they intermarried with Japanese nobility).
-There is some evidence to suggest that perhaps the blood of the Japanese emperor was mixed with Korean noble blood.
-Mahan was overrun by these Baekje nobles and fleeing armies, and many Mahanstates were taken over by these Baekje families.
-When King Munju set up the new government, he faced immediate revolt by these Mahan clans who were probably pissed at all of these new Baekje families coming in like they owned the place.
-The new king of Baekje, King Munju, moved the capital from Wiryeseong (Seoul) to Ungjin (Gongju).
-Meanwhile, Gogoryeo's power greatly increased by taking over the Han River basin and Baekje's old capital (Seoul).
-Trade and commerce soared. They also had new, fertile land for agriculture.
-Gogoryeo had also greatly expanded its territory across Manchuria and into modern-day Mongolia. It also was still meddling in Chinese politics by trying to get involved in the conflict between Northern Wei and Southern Qi.
-Southern Qi and overthrown the Liu Song dynasty in southern China in 479.
-Northern Wei even went so far as to recognize Gogoryeo as an equal power! This was something unheard of for Chinese to do!
-King Jangsu tried to remain neutral, but didn't give a fuck when it came to intercepting and raiding diplomatic missions (who were bringing treasure from Baekje, Silla, and Japan).
-By the end of the 400s, shit was starting to get dark in Gogoryeo, unfortunately.
-There was a famine, banditry was on the rise, and the nobility grew increasingly out of touch with the common folk in their decadence.
-Buddhism was also causing social change all over the peninsula.
-In Silla, for example, by the 600s, had developed the Bone Rank system.
-During this time, in the north of Gogoryeo, Buyeo was finally completely conquered by Malgal hordes.
-The Buyeo aristocracy fled south to Gogoryeo, where they were integrated into the Gogoryeo aristocracy.
-Without Buyeo as a buffer, Gogoryeo was now constantly under attack by Malgal hordes.
-This put a big strain on Gogoryeo, especially because they still had to defend the South as well.
-Buyeo had also been Gogoryeo's main supplier of gold, and Baekje had also managed to take over a bit of Gogoryeo's lands in the south, which was a major source of jade.
-504- Gogoryeo's diplomatic mission to Northern Wei went badly because they didn't have any gold or jade as gifts.
-Meanwhile, Silla and Baekje nobles began to intermarry to strengthen the alliance between the two kingdoms.
-Baekje was also able to establish relations with the Chinese as well, which allowed for Chinese culture and artisans to flow into the peninsula.
-538- Baekje sends Buddhism to Japan via monks, diplomats, etc.
-Baekje then moved the capital again further south to Sabi in 538, in present-day Buyeo County (named after all the Buyeo who came to Korea after the fall of their kingdom).
-540s- King Anwon (Gogoryeo) was having trouble producing an heir, and his mistresses were all vying for power to get their own bastards on the throne.
-This resulted in fights in the street, since the mistresses were all from powerful clans, and the king was actually killed in the violence in 545!
-King Yangwon, eldest son of King Anwon, was enthroned as a replacement.
-Unfortunately, King Yangwon was a weak ruler and many felt he was unfit to reign.
-Gogoryeo continued to fight with Baekje and Silla in the south, but couldn't break their defenses.
-Gogoryeo was also facing an invasion from a powerful Turk horde that was emerging from Central Asia- the Göktürks (the Turkic Khaganate)!
-Gogoryeo was able to reinforce the north just in time to drive off the invading Göktürk hordes!
-548- Gogoryeo's newfound power motivated them into thinking that they were strong enough to finally crush Baekje! This was a bad idea, because they weren't ready, and when they invaded, Silla arrived and fucked up the Gogoryeo troops.
-Baekje mounted a counterattack, and gained some territory by taking a fortress.
-Silla also used this opportunity to take two Gogoryeo fortresses.
-Gogoryeo troops were driven back to present-day Seoul, but north of the Han River and the strategically important Han River basin.
-This allowed for Baekje to come in and reclaim Seoul, their old capital!
-557- Gogoryeo commander Gan Juri rebels against King Yangwon, so Gogoryeo forces had to go north to deal with that.
-During this time a disagreement occurred among Baekje forces over who got to control the Han River basin, or how it would be divided up, or operated, and Silla used this time to attack the Baekje troops.
-King Seong of Baekje raised an army and attacked Silla in 553, striking at Gwansan Fortress, but failed miserably.
-King Seong was slain in the attack, so he was replaced by his son, King Wideok, as the new king of Baekje.
-King Wideok realized that he was surrounded by enemies on the peninsula, so he reached out to China and Japan for help.
-All three kingdoms were in pretty bad shape.
-Baekje had no friends and was on the verge of collapse.
-Silla was in a reasonably good position, but was in turmoil due to infighting with the nobility.
-Gogoryeo was bloated, losing battles, and falling apart.
-Around this time in Silla emerged the Hwarang ("Flower Youth") among the nobility.
-Combination of fighter, entertainer, and politician.
-Clearly, the power of the aristocracy in Silla was on the rise again.
-A result of Silla's rapid economic and military growth, possibly due to their new control of the Han River basin.
-Wa (based out of Kyushu) were always a threat to Korea, but still hadn't developed into a powerful, unified Japan yet.
-Baekje and Silla are still strong, Gaya remains in the south and controls the iron trade, and Gogoryeo has huge (yet poorly defined) territory.
-Gogoryeo's western border with China was always changing.
-Constantly fighting with the Xianbei hordes.
-King Micheon, one of Gogoryeo's greatest kings, died in 331.
-342- Gogoryeo is invaded by the Xianbei, and they manage to take the capital! King Gogukwon was the king of Gogoreyo at this time, and was forced to flee, moving the royal government and capital to Pyongyang. Xianbei also invaded Buyeo as well at this time, forcing the capital to relocate to Okjeo and for the king to commit suicide!
-Meanwhile, Baekje was growing more powerful, and was experiencing a golden age under King Geunchogo. It finally consolidated all of its power after annexing the last of Mahan.
-Also allied with Silla at this time, and he moved Baekje's capital back to the north of the Han River to present-day Seoul- no longer scared of the Malgal tribes.
-369- Gogoryeo launches a huge attack against Baekje, but it was a disaster.
-371- Baekje sacked Pyongyang and killed King Gogukwon. Damn!
-At the same time, Baekje allied itself with the Eastern Jin dynasty in China, which awarded King Geunchogo with the title of "Administrator-General of Lelang", the old Chinese commandery.
-Many Chinese scholars and intellectuals flooded into Baekje.
-Baekje also grew into a strong trading nation, acting as an intermediary between China and Japan. Because parts of Manchuria had been taken over by the Xianbei hordes, trade grew more popular to the south instead of in the Yellow Sea, although the sea sucks for sea travel which is probably why it wasn't used much before. The west/south coast of Korea is dangerous for sea trade.
-Baekje also tried to establish commanderies of their own in mainland China, but it is unknown as to the extent of their domination. They also had outposts in Kyushu, although they were allied with Wa (Yamato).
-Baekje also sent scholars to the Yamato during this time, who introduced Buddhism to the Japanese, as well as lots of merchant traders.
-Also gave the Yamato king the "Seven-branched Sword" (Chiljido).
-Unknown as to if the sword was meant to be a sign of tribute to Yamato OR as a sign of goodwill for submitting to the power of Baekje.
-Lots of debate among scholars as to its true nature.
-Meanwhile, Gogoryeo was fucked up but not defeated! King Goguwon's son, King Sosurim, was in power. He raised an army, centralized his political authority, established Buddhism as a state religion, and adapted useful cultural and political ideologies from China.
-Also implemented Confucian reforms and opened Confucian schools for the nobility to educate the elite.
-Subsisted on tribute from tributary states in Manchuria.
-374-376- Gorgoryeo launched attacks as vengeance against Baekje.
-Baekje was able to repel the Gogoryeo invaders, and Gogoryeo was then attacked in 378 by the Khitan, a Mongolian/Manchurian barbarian horde.
-Stopped attacking Baekje.
-King Sosurim died in 384, replaced by his brother, King Gogugyang.
-King Gogugyang attacked the Chinese territory of Yan in the Liaodong Peninsula, also called "Later Yan"(Hòuyàn), a state of Murong-Xianbei barbarian "emperors" (probably just warlords).
-Gogoryeo controlled this area for a time, but quickly lost it.
-Also continued fighting with Baekje between 386-390.
-Also successfully got Silla to break up its alliance with Baekje.
-King Gogugyang died in 391, replaced by Gogoryeo's greatest ruler, King Gwanggaeto.
-First he adopted his monarchical name, which means "supreme king", implying that he no longer felt that Gogoryeo should be dominated by China.
-Greatly improved the cavalry and navy.
-Attacked Baekje in 393.
-King Asin of Baekje was furious as to the power of Gogoryeo's new army, and quickly mounted a counterattack, but this failed and the people of Baekje began to revolt.
-395- Gogoryeo pushes further south, all the way to the Baekje capital. They were successful, and forced Baekje to surrender.
-King Asin was allowed to stay on the throne, and Baekje was made a vassal state to Gogoryeo.
-Gogoryeo's army then marched back up to the north attack barbarian hordes.
400- Later Yan invades Gogoryeo, but are repelled. King Gwanggaeto then launches a counterattack in 402, and in 404 takes over the entire Liaodong Peninsula!
-Later Yan sues for peace in 408.
-400- Silla reaches out to Gogoryeo- Wa and Gaya have formed an alliance. They were invading Silla and laying siege to the capital.
-Gogoryeo raised an army of 50,000 to help defend Silla. Gogoryeo drove off the invaders, forcing Gaya to submit, and forced Silla to alter the alliance between Gogoreyo and Silla to make it so that Silla was now a vassal state of Gogoryeo!
-King Gwanggaeto died in 413, replaced by his son, King Jangsu.
-Gogoryeo was now a mighty kingdom!
-Some scholars argue that Gogoryeo territory stretched all the way to present-day Mongolia!
-King Gwanggaeto was the only king awarded "the Great" posthumously to his name besides King Sejong.
-A monument was erected near his tomb in present-day Ji'an in NE China.
-All sorts of issues with the badly damaged inscriptions that were discovered 1000 years later, claims that it stated that Wa took over the Korean peninsula in 391 or some shit, conspiracy theories, etc.
-Moved the capital from Gugnae Fortress (near modern day Ji'an) to Pyongyang in 427.
-430s- Gogoryeo began to meddle in Chinese geopolitics.
-The Chinese kingdom of Northern Yan (Bĕiyàn) was being invaded by the Xianbei kingdom of Northern Wei, which, at this point, had conquered much of northern China.
-Gogoryeo agreed to help defend Northern Yan, and drove off the Northern Wei armies in 436.
-By 438, however, Gogoryeo straight-up invaded Northern Yan in 438, conquering it!
-This pissed off the Liu Song ("Former Song") dynasty, who perhaps felt uneasy about Gogoryeo's aggression and growing power. So, Liu Song began to attack Gogoryeo.
-King Jangsu didn't want to get into a full-on war with Liu Song, so he ultimately sued for peace. Also, it's possible that he wanted to play Northern Wei and Liu Song against each other so that they would be distracted while Gogoryeo dominated Silla and Baekje.
-Meanwhile, Baekje continued to strengthen its power as a mercantile nation of wealth and political alliances.
-Tried to send ambassadors to Northern Wei, but they were blocked from getting there by Gogoryeo forces.
-This pissed off Baekje, who definitely wanted Gogoryeo to fall, especially since they couldn't look to Silla for help since Silla was still a puppet kingdom of Gogoryeo.
-455- King Gaero was the new king of Baekje, and he did not want to be a puppet king of Gogoryeo like his father, King Biyu. He made the decision to inform Gogoryeo that Baekje was no longer their puppet state!
-This obviously pissed off King Jangsu (Gogoryeo), but he wasn't quite ready to fuck up Baekje. Too risky since if he got involved in a war with Baekje, Northern Wei could use that to strike a vulnerable Gogoryeo.
-He wanted to wait for war to break out between Liu Song and Northern Wei.
-King Jangsu sent a monk named Dorim to the court of King Gaero (Baekje) early 470s. Dorim was secretly an agent of Gogoryeo, but posed as a baduk-obsessed Buddhist monk who was to distract King Gaero with games and bad advice.
-Dorim advised King Gaero to spend lots of money on public works which would waste resources and piss off the aristocracy.
-King Jangsu attacked in 475, and Baekje sent off the crown prince to Silla to go hopefully raise reinforcements.
-They were too late, as Gogoryeo had overrun Baekje's defenses.
-King Gaero was executed on top of Achasan in Seoul.
-Many Baekje nobles fled south or to Japan (where they intermarried with Japanese nobility).
-There is some evidence to suggest that perhaps the blood of the Japanese emperor was mixed with Korean noble blood.
-Mahan was overrun by these Baekje nobles and fleeing armies, and many Mahanstates were taken over by these Baekje families.
-When King Munju set up the new government, he faced immediate revolt by these Mahan clans who were probably pissed at all of these new Baekje families coming in like they owned the place.
-The new king of Baekje, King Munju, moved the capital from Wiryeseong (Seoul) to Ungjin (Gongju).
-Meanwhile, Gogoryeo's power greatly increased by taking over the Han River basin and Baekje's old capital (Seoul).
-Trade and commerce soared. They also had new, fertile land for agriculture.
-Gogoryeo had also greatly expanded its territory across Manchuria and into modern-day Mongolia. It also was still meddling in Chinese politics by trying to get involved in the conflict between Northern Wei and Southern Qi.
-Southern Qi and overthrown the Liu Song dynasty in southern China in 479.
-Northern Wei even went so far as to recognize Gogoryeo as an equal power! This was something unheard of for Chinese to do!
-King Jangsu tried to remain neutral, but didn't give a fuck when it came to intercepting and raiding diplomatic missions (who were bringing treasure from Baekje, Silla, and Japan).
-By the end of the 400s, shit was starting to get dark in Gogoryeo, unfortunately.
-There was a famine, banditry was on the rise, and the nobility grew increasingly out of touch with the common folk in their decadence.
-Buddhism was also causing social change all over the peninsula.
-In Silla, for example, by the 600s, had developed the Bone Rank system.
-During this time, in the north of Gogoryeo, Buyeo was finally completely conquered by Malgal hordes.
-The Buyeo aristocracy fled south to Gogoryeo, where they were integrated into the Gogoryeo aristocracy.
-Without Buyeo as a buffer, Gogoryeo was now constantly under attack by Malgal hordes.
-This put a big strain on Gogoryeo, especially because they still had to defend the South as well.
-Buyeo had also been Gogoryeo's main supplier of gold, and Baekje had also managed to take over a bit of Gogoryeo's lands in the south, which was a major source of jade.
-504- Gogoryeo's diplomatic mission to Northern Wei went badly because they didn't have any gold or jade as gifts.
-Meanwhile, Silla and Baekje nobles began to intermarry to strengthen the alliance between the two kingdoms.
-Baekje was also able to establish relations with the Chinese as well, which allowed for Chinese culture and artisans to flow into the peninsula.
-538- Baekje sends Buddhism to Japan via monks, diplomats, etc.
-Baekje then moved the capital again further south to Sabi in 538, in present-day Buyeo County (named after all the Buyeo who came to Korea after the fall of their kingdom).
-540s- King Anwon (Gogoryeo) was having trouble producing an heir, and his mistresses were all vying for power to get their own bastards on the throne.
-This resulted in fights in the street, since the mistresses were all from powerful clans, and the king was actually killed in the violence in 545!
-King Yangwon, eldest son of King Anwon, was enthroned as a replacement.
-Unfortunately, King Yangwon was a weak ruler and many felt he was unfit to reign.
-Gogoryeo continued to fight with Baekje and Silla in the south, but couldn't break their defenses.
-Gogoryeo was also facing an invasion from a powerful Turk horde that was emerging from Central Asia- the Göktürks (the Turkic Khaganate)!
-Gogoryeo was able to reinforce the north just in time to drive off the invading Göktürk hordes!
-548- Gogoryeo's newfound power motivated them into thinking that they were strong enough to finally crush Baekje! This was a bad idea, because they weren't ready, and when they invaded, Silla arrived and fucked up the Gogoryeo troops.
-Baekje mounted a counterattack, and gained some territory by taking a fortress.
-Silla also used this opportunity to take two Gogoryeo fortresses.
-Gogoryeo troops were driven back to present-day Seoul, but north of the Han River and the strategically important Han River basin.
-This allowed for Baekje to come in and reclaim Seoul, their old capital!
-557- Gogoryeo commander Gan Juri rebels against King Yangwon, so Gogoryeo forces had to go north to deal with that.
-During this time a disagreement occurred among Baekje forces over who got to control the Han River basin, or how it would be divided up, or operated, and Silla used this time to attack the Baekje troops.
-King Seong of Baekje raised an army and attacked Silla in 553, striking at Gwansan Fortress, but failed miserably.
-King Seong was slain in the attack, so he was replaced by his son, King Wideok, as the new king of Baekje.
-King Wideok realized that he was surrounded by enemies on the peninsula, so he reached out to China and Japan for help.
-All three kingdoms were in pretty bad shape.
-Baekje had no friends and was on the verge of collapse.
-Silla was in a reasonably good position, but was in turmoil due to infighting with the nobility.
-Gogoryeo was bloated, losing battles, and falling apart.
-Around this time in Silla emerged the Hwarang ("Flower Youth") among the nobility.
-Combination of fighter, entertainer, and politician.
-Clearly, the power of the aristocracy in Silla was on the rise again.
-A result of Silla's rapid economic and military growth, possibly due to their new control of the Han River basin.
Early Buddhism in Korea
-Of course, Buddhism in Korea was heavily influenced by Korean shamanism when it was first introduced.
-Blended Buddhism with nature worship.
-Special shamanistic holy sites had Buddhist temples built on them.
-Inside some Korean Buddhist temples are shrines set up for the Korean pagan pantheon.
-Heavily emphasized the importance of meditation.
-Very similar to Zen Buddhism in Japan, which was spread there by Korean monks.
-Emphasis also on monastic life, in nature.
-First Korean kingdom to be introduced to Buddhism was Gogoryeo, brought by the Chinese monk Sundo in 372 (according to the Samguk Yusa).
-384- an Indian monk named Marananta brought Buddhism to Baekje.
-Extremely well-received.
-Sometime between 417-458, an Indian monk arrived bringing Buddhism to Silla, but the reception was mixed. The common folk seemed to be into it, but the aristocrats, not so much.
-Maybe the resistance was the result of some of the tenants of Buddhism's incompatibility with Korean shamanism.
-Buddhism denies the importance of ancestor worship.
-Many didn't understand the concept of Pure Land Buddhism.
-Why does early Buddhism matter?
-Specialist monk class emerges, supported by the working class.
-Construction of temples, shrines, monasteries.
-Huge source of culture exchange.
-For example, Buddhist monks from Gogoryeo traveled to Silla, craftsmen from Baekje traveled to Silla to work on construction, missionaries were sent to China and India to look for relics, Baekje monks spread Buddhism to Japan, etc.
-Buddhist orders were set up, such as the Hwarang in Silla.
-Set up to be an elite group of perfect men.
-Buddhism influenced politics via morality, and would soon cause society to evolve into a caste system (the "Bone Rank") influenced heavily by Chinese culture.
-Synthesized in the late 600s by Wonhyo, a Buddhist monk in unified Silla.
-Interesting differences in Korean Buddhism.
-Gogoryeo- mixed with Korean shamanism.
-Baekje- mixed with Japanese Buddhism.
-Silla- most fundamentalist and austere, focused on legit Indian Buddhism.
-Blended Buddhism with nature worship.
-Special shamanistic holy sites had Buddhist temples built on them.
-Inside some Korean Buddhist temples are shrines set up for the Korean pagan pantheon.
-Heavily emphasized the importance of meditation.
-Very similar to Zen Buddhism in Japan, which was spread there by Korean monks.
-Emphasis also on monastic life, in nature.
-First Korean kingdom to be introduced to Buddhism was Gogoryeo, brought by the Chinese monk Sundo in 372 (according to the Samguk Yusa).
-384- an Indian monk named Marananta brought Buddhism to Baekje.
-Extremely well-received.
-Sometime between 417-458, an Indian monk arrived bringing Buddhism to Silla, but the reception was mixed. The common folk seemed to be into it, but the aristocrats, not so much.
-Maybe the resistance was the result of some of the tenants of Buddhism's incompatibility with Korean shamanism.
-Buddhism denies the importance of ancestor worship.
-Many didn't understand the concept of Pure Land Buddhism.
-Why does early Buddhism matter?
-Specialist monk class emerges, supported by the working class.
-Construction of temples, shrines, monasteries.
-Huge source of culture exchange.
-For example, Buddhist monks from Gogoryeo traveled to Silla, craftsmen from Baekje traveled to Silla to work on construction, missionaries were sent to China and India to look for relics, Baekje monks spread Buddhism to Japan, etc.
-Buddhist orders were set up, such as the Hwarang in Silla.
-Set up to be an elite group of perfect men.
-Buddhism influenced politics via morality, and would soon cause society to evolve into a caste system (the "Bone Rank") influenced heavily by Chinese culture.
-Synthesized in the late 600s by Wonhyo, a Buddhist monk in unified Silla.
-Interesting differences in Korean Buddhism.
-Gogoryeo- mixed with Korean shamanism.
-Baekje- mixed with Japanese Buddhism.
-Silla- most fundamentalist and austere, focused on legit Indian Buddhism.
Friday, October 21, 2016
The Three Kingdoms - Part 3 - Silla
-Originally was called different names, such as Saro, Saru, Seona, etc. It only became known as "Silla" in the 500s.
-69 BC- Refugees flee from the collapse of Gojoseon. Some flee to the SE part of the Korean peninsula, forming a loose confederation of tribal villages dominated by 3 clans- Park, Kim, and Seok.
-According to Korean records, the kingdom of Silla was officially founded by King Park Hyeokgeose in 57 BC- complete with a wacky origin story of being born out of an egg that was shaped like a gourd (or "bak", hence the family name "Bak/Park").
-Obviously, a lot of the history of all this shit is messed up since it was written a thousand years after it allegedly happened, plus it was written by biased sources most likely and had all sorts of fantastical shit going on.
-Silla started out as a small state in the Jinhan Confederacy.
-37 BC- King Hyeokgeose built Geumseong, a palace complex.
-28 BC- The Chinese commanderies began to become very suspicious of Silla's growing power, but were impressed by their prosperity and let them be (which seems very unlikely).
-20 BC- Mahan begins to try and dominate Silla by demanding tribute, maybe the beginning of Silla's beef with Baekje?
-King Hyeokgeose dies in 4 BC, replaced by his son, King Namhae.
-Silla was immediately invaded by Lelang, but were successful in repelling them.
-14 AD- the Japanese enter the picture! Japanese from Kyushu (at this point, Japan was called "Wa") attacked Silla.
-24 AD- King Namhae dies, replaced by his son, King Yuri.
-King Yuri divides the kingdom into administrative districts based on the six tribal villages, and gave the clans who ruled them official names- Yi (Lee/Ee/I), Choi, Son, Jeong, Bae, and Seol.
-Chuseok is also said to have originated during this time.
-Meanwhile, Baekje was continuing to rise in strength, as was the Gaya Confederacy.
-Yuri died in 57 AD, and was replaced by King Talhae, his uncle by marriage.
-King Talhae was allegedly Japanese (or, at least, not Korean) from a small kingdom NE of Wa (?).
-64 AD- King Daru of Baekje attacked Silla (or Jinhan still, whatever), but were repelled. They tried again later, but to no avail.
-77 AD- Gaya begins attacking Silla too.
-Around this time, Silla was going by "Gyerim", due to a folktale involving the Gyerim Forest near Gyeongju.
-When King Talhae died in 80 AD, King Pasa took over.
-Unclear as to whom King Pasa is descended from, either King Yuri's second son or nephew.
-If he was a son of King Yuri, he was a Park.
-If he was a nephew, he was a Seok.
-87 AD- King Pasa began to expand Silla's territory outside of Gyeongju.
-94 AD- Gaya attacks Silla, but over a few years Silla not only drove off these invaders, but also began to dominate Gaya politically.
-101 AD- Built Wolseong Fortress, ruins still stand to this day in Gyeongju.
-102 AD- Rapidly began to expand, annexing a bunch of petty states along the way.
-105 AD- Silla and Baekje grew tired of fighting, and Silla signed a peace treaty with King Giru.
-110 AD- Silla is now a powerful kingdom!
-112 AD- King Pasa dies, replaced by his eldest son, King Jima.
-King Jima waited a couple years before launching attacks against Gaya.
-It was hard to attack Gaya due to its natural barrier of the Nakdong River.
-Finally, Jima just set up a peace treaty with Gaya.
-Around 123, set up relations with Wa.
-125- Malgal tribes begin to attack! Silla was overwhelmed and requested aid from Baekje.
-134- King Jima dies, but has no heir!
-Replaced by King Ilseong (either King Yuri's grandson or a relative in the royal family). He was a Park, and took a Park for his wife (it's unclear as to if this was taboo or not back then).
-It seems like he was fairly conservative, as he banned jewelry and other luxury goods in 144, as he believed that these things corrupted society.
-He also had to deal with further Malgal attacks, as well as a rebellion near Daegu.
-King Ilseong died in 154, replaced by King Adalla, eldest son of King Ilseong.
-Expanded Silla north of the Sobaek Mountains, establishing roads through the mountain passes.
-160- failed coup attempt, and the conspirators fled to Baekje. For whatever reason, Baekje didn't give up the conspirators, so Silla sent a huge force to go fuck up Baekje in 167.
-Unclear as to what happened with that.
-184-King Adalla died without an heir!
-Replaced by King Beolhyu, officially recorded as King Talhae's grandson, but this is questionable.
-King Beolhyu was from the Seok clan, the first time a Silla king wasn't a Park.
-King Beolhyu continued to fight with Baekje.
-196-King Beolhyu dies, replaced by his grandson, King Naehae.
-Maintained peace with Gaya, continues to fight with Baekje.
-230- King Naehae dies, replaced by King Jobun, another grandson of King Beolhyu.
-Other kings followed, and we can see that clearly power had shifted from the Park clan to the Seok clan.
-Began to fight with Gogoryeo and Wa as well (due to the likeliness that Wa was in the southern Korean peninsula and/or Gaya).
-247- King Jobun dies, replaced by his younger brother, King Cheomhae.
-Established peace with Gogoryeo, but continued to fight with Baekje.
250- Lost a big battle against Wa.
266- King Cheomhae dies, replaced by King Michu, the son of a Silla general a member of the Kim clan (who were the dominant clan at this point).
-Tomb is still in Gyeongju.
-Seems like a compassionate guy, didn't want people to work hard on unnecessary shit (like palaces built in honor of the king or whatever), and would personally visit peasants.
-284- King Yurye of the Seok clan takes over.
-298- King Yurye dies, replaced by King Girim.
-He renamed the kingdom from "Saro" or "Seorabul" or whatever to "Silla".
-310- King Yurye dies, replavcd by King Heulhae, grandson of King Namhae.
-Formed an alliance with Wa in 313.
-Wa and Silla were allies until 346, when the alliance was dissolved for whatever reason and the Wa invaded Silla and besieged Gyeongju. Luckily, Silla were able to ultimately repel them.
-69 BC- Refugees flee from the collapse of Gojoseon. Some flee to the SE part of the Korean peninsula, forming a loose confederation of tribal villages dominated by 3 clans- Park, Kim, and Seok.
-According to Korean records, the kingdom of Silla was officially founded by King Park Hyeokgeose in 57 BC- complete with a wacky origin story of being born out of an egg that was shaped like a gourd (or "bak", hence the family name "Bak/Park").
-Obviously, a lot of the history of all this shit is messed up since it was written a thousand years after it allegedly happened, plus it was written by biased sources most likely and had all sorts of fantastical shit going on.
-Silla started out as a small state in the Jinhan Confederacy.
-37 BC- King Hyeokgeose built Geumseong, a palace complex.
-28 BC- The Chinese commanderies began to become very suspicious of Silla's growing power, but were impressed by their prosperity and let them be (which seems very unlikely).
-20 BC- Mahan begins to try and dominate Silla by demanding tribute, maybe the beginning of Silla's beef with Baekje?
-King Hyeokgeose dies in 4 BC, replaced by his son, King Namhae.
-Silla was immediately invaded by Lelang, but were successful in repelling them.
-14 AD- the Japanese enter the picture! Japanese from Kyushu (at this point, Japan was called "Wa") attacked Silla.
-24 AD- King Namhae dies, replaced by his son, King Yuri.
-King Yuri divides the kingdom into administrative districts based on the six tribal villages, and gave the clans who ruled them official names- Yi (Lee/Ee/I), Choi, Son, Jeong, Bae, and Seol.
-Chuseok is also said to have originated during this time.
-Meanwhile, Baekje was continuing to rise in strength, as was the Gaya Confederacy.
-Yuri died in 57 AD, and was replaced by King Talhae, his uncle by marriage.
-King Talhae was allegedly Japanese (or, at least, not Korean) from a small kingdom NE of Wa (?).
-64 AD- King Daru of Baekje attacked Silla (or Jinhan still, whatever), but were repelled. They tried again later, but to no avail.
-77 AD- Gaya begins attacking Silla too.
-Around this time, Silla was going by "Gyerim", due to a folktale involving the Gyerim Forest near Gyeongju.
-When King Talhae died in 80 AD, King Pasa took over.
-Unclear as to whom King Pasa is descended from, either King Yuri's second son or nephew.
-If he was a son of King Yuri, he was a Park.
-If he was a nephew, he was a Seok.
-87 AD- King Pasa began to expand Silla's territory outside of Gyeongju.
-94 AD- Gaya attacks Silla, but over a few years Silla not only drove off these invaders, but also began to dominate Gaya politically.
-101 AD- Built Wolseong Fortress, ruins still stand to this day in Gyeongju.
-102 AD- Rapidly began to expand, annexing a bunch of petty states along the way.
-105 AD- Silla and Baekje grew tired of fighting, and Silla signed a peace treaty with King Giru.
-110 AD- Silla is now a powerful kingdom!
-112 AD- King Pasa dies, replaced by his eldest son, King Jima.
-King Jima waited a couple years before launching attacks against Gaya.
-It was hard to attack Gaya due to its natural barrier of the Nakdong River.
-Finally, Jima just set up a peace treaty with Gaya.
-Around 123, set up relations with Wa.
-125- Malgal tribes begin to attack! Silla was overwhelmed and requested aid from Baekje.
-134- King Jima dies, but has no heir!
-Replaced by King Ilseong (either King Yuri's grandson or a relative in the royal family). He was a Park, and took a Park for his wife (it's unclear as to if this was taboo or not back then).
-It seems like he was fairly conservative, as he banned jewelry and other luxury goods in 144, as he believed that these things corrupted society.
-He also had to deal with further Malgal attacks, as well as a rebellion near Daegu.
-King Ilseong died in 154, replaced by King Adalla, eldest son of King Ilseong.
-Expanded Silla north of the Sobaek Mountains, establishing roads through the mountain passes.
-160- failed coup attempt, and the conspirators fled to Baekje. For whatever reason, Baekje didn't give up the conspirators, so Silla sent a huge force to go fuck up Baekje in 167.
-Unclear as to what happened with that.
-184-King Adalla died without an heir!
-Replaced by King Beolhyu, officially recorded as King Talhae's grandson, but this is questionable.
-King Beolhyu was from the Seok clan, the first time a Silla king wasn't a Park.
-King Beolhyu continued to fight with Baekje.
-196-King Beolhyu dies, replaced by his grandson, King Naehae.
-Maintained peace with Gaya, continues to fight with Baekje.
-230- King Naehae dies, replaced by King Jobun, another grandson of King Beolhyu.
-Other kings followed, and we can see that clearly power had shifted from the Park clan to the Seok clan.
-Began to fight with Gogoryeo and Wa as well (due to the likeliness that Wa was in the southern Korean peninsula and/or Gaya).
-247- King Jobun dies, replaced by his younger brother, King Cheomhae.
-Established peace with Gogoryeo, but continued to fight with Baekje.
250- Lost a big battle against Wa.
266- King Cheomhae dies, replaced by King Michu, the son of a Silla general a member of the Kim clan (who were the dominant clan at this point).
-Tomb is still in Gyeongju.
-Seems like a compassionate guy, didn't want people to work hard on unnecessary shit (like palaces built in honor of the king or whatever), and would personally visit peasants.
-284- King Yurye of the Seok clan takes over.
-298- King Yurye dies, replaced by King Girim.
-He renamed the kingdom from "Saro" or "Seorabul" or whatever to "Silla".
-310- King Yurye dies, replavcd by King Heulhae, grandson of King Namhae.
-Formed an alliance with Wa in 313.
-Wa and Silla were allies until 346, when the alliance was dissolved for whatever reason and the Wa invaded Silla and besieged Gyeongju. Luckily, Silla were able to ultimately repel them.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
The Three Kingdoms - Part 2 - Baekje
-According to the Samguk Sagi, around 18 BC, 2 princes (Onjo and Biryu, sons of King Dongmyeong (Jumong!)) left Gogoryeo and formed the kingdom of Baekje.
-They felt stiffed because King Dongmyeong named another prince as heir.
-They left Gogoryeo with their mom, and a crew of nobles and their servants and warriors.
-Settled in Sipji, around modern-day Seoul, chosen by Prince Onjo.
-Biryu wanted to settle present-day Incheon (debated), but it was too humid and the salt flats sucked so he returned to Sipji. Then he died, either from disease, or suicide (!).
-Prince Onjo then re-named Sipji to Baekje.
-Baekje immediately began to experience invasions from Malgal hordes from the north. The Malgal (Mohe) were a proto-Jurchen barbarian horde who used to inhabit Manchuria.
-It is actually unclear who exactly these "Malgal" were, as the Malgal didn't live this far south in the Korean peninsula.
-Onjo fought them in 8 BC, and won, but found that it was a dangerous place to live so he moved south of the Han River.
-However, he now had to worry about the nearby Mahan and Jinhan confederacies, as well as the looming presence of both the "Malgal" and the Chinese commanderies!
-A few years later, somehow Onjo was able to move an army into Mahan and take it over, but it's still unclear as to how exactly this went down. Perhaps Mahan was just too fragmented to get its shit together? It was a loose confederacy of about 50 petty states.
-Baekje was now dangerously sandwiched between Jinhan and the Malgal.
-Onjo then appointed his son Daru as crown prince.
-Baekje continued to be attacked by the Malgal. It's possible also that the Malgal were also being manipulated by the Chinese commanderies in an effort to destabilize the peninsula.
-Onjo died in 28 AD, succeeded by King Daru.
-Baekje quickly began to fill out their newly conquered lands for farmland, since the new lands were located in the south and the north was susceptible to Malgal attacks.
-There was an especially large attack in 30 AD.
-Daru appointed his son Giru as crown prince in 33 AD.
-55 AD- the Malgal attack again, so Daru built a fortress in the north to try and stave off future invasions.
-Meanwhile, shit was starting to happen between Baekje and Silla (technically not known as Silla yet at this time, still going by Jinhan).
-King Daru began leading attacks in 64 AD, 66 AD, and 75 AD, before finally dying in 77 AD.
-King Giru had had to wait for so long to finally be king that this gave people a lot of suspicion around his rule, believing that the divine powers disliked him because of this and other ill omens.
-King Giru continued attacing Silla, but finally signed a peace treaty in 105 AD.
-King Giru died in 128, replaced by King Gaeru.
-Built Bukhansanseong (in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do), a powerful fortress, in 132 AD (and still stands today! but has been rebuilt and modified).
-This fortress will be very important in repelling future invasions.
-During King Gaeru's reign, relations with Silla were mostly peaceful, but trouble broke out in 165 AD, and war was fought over the Sobaek Mountains.
-King Gaeru died during this time, replaced by King Chogo in 166 AD.
-King Chogo continued the war with Silla.
-He successfully acquired new territory from Silla, and fortified it and populated it with Baekje folk.
-214 AD- King Chogo decided to finally take on the Malgal raiders, but they counterattacked after fleeing so it was kind of a failure for Baekje.
-Silla also invaded some of Baekje's territory.
-King Chogo died, replaced by King Gusu.
-King Gusu kicked out the Malgal from the Korean peninsula, and in 220 also pushed out Silla from former Baekje territory, before dying in 234 AD, replaced by King Saban.
-Many thought King Saban was too young to be king. So, his power was usurped by a dude named Goi, who claimed to be a secret son of King Gaeru and brother of King Chogo. It is unclear as to if this shit is actually true or not.
-So, King Saban was sent into exile, and the Korean records don't say anything about what happened to him after this, BUT he shows up in the Japanese chronicles (Shinsen Shōjiroku) as the ancestor of certain Japanese Yamato clans. So I guess he went to Japan?
-Chinese records claim that King Goi is the true founder of Baekje, meaning that before him the kingdom wasn't quite powerful enough to be an international player or legit kingdom.
-King Goi also created a centralized royal bureaucracy with its own ranks and corresponding dress codes- also a central military command and harsh penalties against corruption.
-Baekje was now a legit, undisputed ruler of SW Korea after finally swallowing up the last of the Mahan Confederacy.
-Finally strong enough to actually rival the Chinese commanderies as well!
-Began to attack Daifang in 246, and actually killed the governor there.
-This is also documented in the Chinese Wei Zhi records.
-A peace treaty was finally settled, and Daifang sent a noblewoman to Baekje to marry King Goi's eldest son, Chaekgye.
-286- King Goi dies, replaced by King Chaekgye.
-King Chaekgye was now allied with Daifang due to his marriage.
-This made Baekje an enemy of Gogoryeo, since during this time Gogoryeo was fighting with the commanderies.
-Before this, Gogoryeo has always considered Baekje as a little brother, since according to legend, King Onjo was a son of King Dongmyeong.
-286- Gogoryeo attacks Daifang, and Baekje sends troops to help defend Daifang, and begins to fortify Baekje's northern border in anticipation of a Gogoryeo retaliation.
-For whatever reason, in 298 Baekje was attacked by barbarian tribes (maybe Dongye?) and Lelang.
-King Chaekgye was killed!
-Unclear as to why this happened, since Baekje was allied with Daifang. Possibly due to the chaos happening in China due to the collapse of the Jin Dynasty and the ensuing civil war?
-King Bunseo, son of King Chaekgye, was now king in 298 AD, and continued to wage war against Lelang, but died from poisoning in 304.
-King Bunseo's sons were too young to rule, so a descendent of King Onjo took power- King Biryu.
-King Biryu was able to ease tensions and warfare, and made peace with Silla in 337, dying in 344.
-They felt stiffed because King Dongmyeong named another prince as heir.
-They left Gogoryeo with their mom, and a crew of nobles and their servants and warriors.
-Settled in Sipji, around modern-day Seoul, chosen by Prince Onjo.
-Biryu wanted to settle present-day Incheon (debated), but it was too humid and the salt flats sucked so he returned to Sipji. Then he died, either from disease, or suicide (!).
-Prince Onjo then re-named Sipji to Baekje.
-Baekje immediately began to experience invasions from Malgal hordes from the north. The Malgal (Mohe) were a proto-Jurchen barbarian horde who used to inhabit Manchuria.
-It is actually unclear who exactly these "Malgal" were, as the Malgal didn't live this far south in the Korean peninsula.
-Onjo fought them in 8 BC, and won, but found that it was a dangerous place to live so he moved south of the Han River.
-However, he now had to worry about the nearby Mahan and Jinhan confederacies, as well as the looming presence of both the "Malgal" and the Chinese commanderies!
-A few years later, somehow Onjo was able to move an army into Mahan and take it over, but it's still unclear as to how exactly this went down. Perhaps Mahan was just too fragmented to get its shit together? It was a loose confederacy of about 50 petty states.
-Baekje was now dangerously sandwiched between Jinhan and the Malgal.
-Onjo then appointed his son Daru as crown prince.
-Baekje continued to be attacked by the Malgal. It's possible also that the Malgal were also being manipulated by the Chinese commanderies in an effort to destabilize the peninsula.
-Onjo died in 28 AD, succeeded by King Daru.
-Baekje quickly began to fill out their newly conquered lands for farmland, since the new lands were located in the south and the north was susceptible to Malgal attacks.
-There was an especially large attack in 30 AD.
-Daru appointed his son Giru as crown prince in 33 AD.
-55 AD- the Malgal attack again, so Daru built a fortress in the north to try and stave off future invasions.
-Meanwhile, shit was starting to happen between Baekje and Silla (technically not known as Silla yet at this time, still going by Jinhan).
-King Daru began leading attacks in 64 AD, 66 AD, and 75 AD, before finally dying in 77 AD.
-King Giru had had to wait for so long to finally be king that this gave people a lot of suspicion around his rule, believing that the divine powers disliked him because of this and other ill omens.
-King Giru continued attacing Silla, but finally signed a peace treaty in 105 AD.
-King Giru died in 128, replaced by King Gaeru.
-Built Bukhansanseong (in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do), a powerful fortress, in 132 AD (and still stands today! but has been rebuilt and modified).
-This fortress will be very important in repelling future invasions.
-During King Gaeru's reign, relations with Silla were mostly peaceful, but trouble broke out in 165 AD, and war was fought over the Sobaek Mountains.
-King Gaeru died during this time, replaced by King Chogo in 166 AD.
-King Chogo continued the war with Silla.
-He successfully acquired new territory from Silla, and fortified it and populated it with Baekje folk.
-214 AD- King Chogo decided to finally take on the Malgal raiders, but they counterattacked after fleeing so it was kind of a failure for Baekje.
-Silla also invaded some of Baekje's territory.
-King Chogo died, replaced by King Gusu.
-King Gusu kicked out the Malgal from the Korean peninsula, and in 220 also pushed out Silla from former Baekje territory, before dying in 234 AD, replaced by King Saban.
-Many thought King Saban was too young to be king. So, his power was usurped by a dude named Goi, who claimed to be a secret son of King Gaeru and brother of King Chogo. It is unclear as to if this shit is actually true or not.
-So, King Saban was sent into exile, and the Korean records don't say anything about what happened to him after this, BUT he shows up in the Japanese chronicles (Shinsen Shōjiroku) as the ancestor of certain Japanese Yamato clans. So I guess he went to Japan?
-Chinese records claim that King Goi is the true founder of Baekje, meaning that before him the kingdom wasn't quite powerful enough to be an international player or legit kingdom.
-King Goi also created a centralized royal bureaucracy with its own ranks and corresponding dress codes- also a central military command and harsh penalties against corruption.
-Baekje was now a legit, undisputed ruler of SW Korea after finally swallowing up the last of the Mahan Confederacy.
-Finally strong enough to actually rival the Chinese commanderies as well!
-Began to attack Daifang in 246, and actually killed the governor there.
-This is also documented in the Chinese Wei Zhi records.
-A peace treaty was finally settled, and Daifang sent a noblewoman to Baekje to marry King Goi's eldest son, Chaekgye.
-286- King Goi dies, replaced by King Chaekgye.
-King Chaekgye was now allied with Daifang due to his marriage.
-This made Baekje an enemy of Gogoryeo, since during this time Gogoryeo was fighting with the commanderies.
-Before this, Gogoryeo has always considered Baekje as a little brother, since according to legend, King Onjo was a son of King Dongmyeong.
-286- Gogoryeo attacks Daifang, and Baekje sends troops to help defend Daifang, and begins to fortify Baekje's northern border in anticipation of a Gogoryeo retaliation.
-For whatever reason, in 298 Baekje was attacked by barbarian tribes (maybe Dongye?) and Lelang.
-King Chaekgye was killed!
-Unclear as to why this happened, since Baekje was allied with Daifang. Possibly due to the chaos happening in China due to the collapse of the Jin Dynasty and the ensuing civil war?
-King Bunseo, son of King Chaekgye, was now king in 298 AD, and continued to wage war against Lelang, but died from poisoning in 304.
-King Bunseo's sons were too young to rule, so a descendent of King Onjo took power- King Biryu.
-King Biryu was able to ease tensions and warfare, and made peace with Silla in 337, dying in 344.
The Three Kingdoms - Part 1 - Gogoryeo
-Three Kingdoms Period! Lasts until the 7th century AD.
-Gogoryeo
-Baekje
-Silla
-Gogoryeo- we learn about Gogoryeo from the Samguk Sagi (written in the 12th century) and the Samguk Yusa (written by a Buddhist monk in the 13th century).
-King Taejo ruled Gogoryeo until 146 AD. He was then replaced by his brother, King Chadae.
-For some reason, King Chadae started off his reign by killing King Taejo's sons and then exiling one of his other brothers, and then making another brother commit suicide. Whoa.
-In one version (the Samguk Sagi), he was a shitty king because Myeongnim Dap-bu, his minister, killed him and there was also lots of civil unrest during his reign.
-So, King Chadae was replaced by King Sindae, who was either King Chadae's exiled brother or (one of) his son(s), it's unclear.
-According to the Samguk Yusa, King Simdae had both King Chadae and King Taejo killed. Therefore, because of these conflicting accounts, it's unclear which (or if any of it) is true.
-Meanwhile, the Han Chinese began to attack Gogoryeo between 169-172 AD.
-172 AD- Gogoryeo fought the Han Chinese at the Battle of Jwa-won.
-Gogoryeo forces were led by Myeongnim Dap-bu.
-Gogoryeo only had about several thousand troops, but the Han had like 100,000 (yeah right).
-Somehow, Gogoryeo won, but these numbers definitely seemed questionable since it wasn't even recorded in the Chinese history records.
-Chinese forces were led by Geng Lin, and they were from Han China's Xuantu commanderie.
-Before the battle, the Han had besieged Gogoryeo at a fortress in their capital, Guknae. However, they couldnt' take the city, so they retreated and then Gogoryeo attacked them at Jwa-won.
-To retaliate against the Chinese, Gogoryeo had formed an alliance with some Mongolian hordes, and began to attack!
-King Sindae died in 179 AD, replaced by his son King Gogukcheon.
- 182 AD- China attacks again! This time from the Liaodong Peninsula.
-Fought back and forth over some territory with Gogoryeo for a few years.
-Many would argue that either the Koreans were extreme badasses for repelling the Chinese. Others would say that the Chinese just really sucked. Most accurate theory would probably be that Han China probably just didn't care that much about Korea at that time enough to truly make an effort.
-The Han had a huge territory to manage and defend, and invading Korea probably just wasn't a big enough priority for them.
-King Gogukcheon was nice and a wise ruler according to the Samguk Yusa.
-He cared about poor people by implementing the Jindaebup system, which allowed for the peasantry to borrow grain to eat in the spring-summer, and then pay it back to the government in October during the harvest.
-He successfully managed to fight off the Chinese.
-He implemented a meritocratic system for selecting government officials, which did away with corruption and incompetence (or at least attempted to).
-King Gogukcheon died in 197 AD, and his little brother, King Sansang, replaced him. This pissed off King Gogukcheon's older brother, Balgi, who led a rebellion against King Sansang and had the backing of Chinese troops.
-However, King Sansang was able to crush the rebellion, and poor ol' Balgi committed suicide.
-Unfortunately, all was still not well. Gogoryeo was under attack again by the Chinese commanderies!
-Luckily for Gogoryeo, by 220 the Han Dynasty was collapsing and thousands of Chinese were fleeing to Gogoryeo to escape turmoil. King Sansang welcomed them.
-The four commanderies were left to their own devices and soon overrun by Chinese warlords (belonging to the powerful Gongsun family).
-Lelang was too big, so it was split into the Lelang and Daifang commanderies, respectively.
-The collapse of the Han Dynasty resulted in the classic Chinese historical period known as the "Three Kingdoms Period", not to be confused with the Korean "Three Kingdoms Period".
-Wei (North)
-Shu (Southwest)
-Wu (Southeast)
-The Gongsun warlords allied themselves with Wei.
-Wu tried to persuade the Gongsun warlords to join with them instead, but the warlords decided to play it safe and stay loyal to Wei, executing the ambassadors from Wu.
-Some of the Wu ambassadors escaped, however, and fled to Gogoryeo!
-Meanwhile, in Gogoryeo, King Sansang died in 227 AD and was replaced by his son, King Dongcheon.
-King Dongcheon decided to imprison the Wu ambassadors just in case Wei got pissed off that they were harboring potential political refugees.
-Apparently though, King Dongcheon wasn't too worried about a Wu invasion because they were far across the Yellow Sea, which was notorious for being a pain in the ass to cross.
-King Dongcheon then decided to execute the Wu ambassador as a sign of good faith towards the Wei and Gongsun warlords.
-237- For whatever reason, Wei and the Gongsun warlords broke their alliance, and Wei invaded Gongsun territory.
-Gogoryeo actually allied itself with Wei to help with their invasion .
-Wei managed to take over the former commanderies of Lelang and Daifang.
-All of a sudden, Gogoryeo realized that the petty Gongsun family had now been replaced by Wei, and that Wei was now greedily eyeing Gogoryeo territory.
-242- Gogoreyo decided to strike first!
-244- Wei managed to crush Gogoryeo, but according to legend, Yu Yu the Patriot saved the day!
-Yu Yu was a Gogoryeo commander who used trickery to assassinate the Wei commander before dying himself.
-This suicide mission caused the Wei army to be confused and easily attacked by Gogoryeo forces, driving them off, and recovering the lost territory.
-After this, King Dongcheon attacked Silla for some reason in 245, but then made peace with them before dying in 248.
-King Jungcheon, his son, was appointed king.
-259- Wei attacked Gogoryeo again, but were driven off.
-270- King Jungcheon died, and his second son, King Seocheon, took over.
-280- Barbarian hordes from the north, known as the Sushen people (ancestors of the Jurchen/Manchu), invade Gogoryeo. However, Gogoryeo was able to repel them and captured many of them as slaves.
-Meanwhile, Buyeo was still chilling to the north of Gogoryeo.
-Considered an ally and sister kingdom of Gogoryeo, composed of mainly Yemaek people.
-However, Buyeo was also friendly towards the Chinese.
-285- Buyeo is ravaged by the Xianbei (proto-Mongol) hordes!
-The King of Buyeo killed himself for some reason.
-The Jin Dynasty, a new Chinese empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Chinese Three Kingdoms Period, was friendly with Buyeo and helped drive off the Xianbei hordes.
-However, both Jin and Gogoryeo began to dominate Buyeo.
-290- Jin Dynasty plunges into civil war, lost control of the commanderies.
-292- King Seocheon dies. Replaced by his eldest son, King Bongsang.
-King Bongsang was a noob- arrogant, paranoid, and jealous.
-293- The Xianbei invade Gogoryeo!
-They were driven off, but invaded again in 296, driven off again.
-However, due to King Bongsang's incompetence, he executed many perceived political enemies and the Gogoryeo people hated him.
-There was a famine during this time, and King Bongsang continued to just build additional crap to his palace and be a cunt.
-300- King Bongsang was finally killed by his ministers in a coup, replaced by his exiled son, King Micheon.
-King Micheon was a badass, one of Gorgoryeo's best kings.
-Decided to invade the Chinese commanderies, restoring the old territory that belonged to Gojoseon.
-302- King Micheon invades and conquers the Xuantu commandery.
-313- King Micheon invades and conquers the Lelang commandery, and soon after that invades and conquers the Daifang commandery.
-316- China- The War of the 8 Princes- the nation was weakened, so they completely retreated from the Northern frontier.
-Among other things, they weren't able to help protect Buyeo, and Buyeo was invaded by Xianbei hordes.
-Gorgoryeo conquering the Chinese commanderies would have a huge influence on Gogoryeo (and the other Korean kingdoms)- Chinese art, culture, spirituality, and political theory would soon infiltrate the three kingdoms and Korean cultural consciousness.
-Meanwhile, the Xianbei hordes fought Gogoryeo in the west, and Baekje and Silla began to eye Gogoryeo's territory hungrily.
-Gogoryeo
-Baekje
-Silla
-Gogoryeo- we learn about Gogoryeo from the Samguk Sagi (written in the 12th century) and the Samguk Yusa (written by a Buddhist monk in the 13th century).
-King Taejo ruled Gogoryeo until 146 AD. He was then replaced by his brother, King Chadae.
-For some reason, King Chadae started off his reign by killing King Taejo's sons and then exiling one of his other brothers, and then making another brother commit suicide. Whoa.
-In one version (the Samguk Sagi), he was a shitty king because Myeongnim Dap-bu, his minister, killed him and there was also lots of civil unrest during his reign.
-So, King Chadae was replaced by King Sindae, who was either King Chadae's exiled brother or (one of) his son(s), it's unclear.
-According to the Samguk Yusa, King Simdae had both King Chadae and King Taejo killed. Therefore, because of these conflicting accounts, it's unclear which (or if any of it) is true.
-Meanwhile, the Han Chinese began to attack Gogoryeo between 169-172 AD.
-172 AD- Gogoryeo fought the Han Chinese at the Battle of Jwa-won.
-Gogoryeo forces were led by Myeongnim Dap-bu.
-Gogoryeo only had about several thousand troops, but the Han had like 100,000 (yeah right).
-Somehow, Gogoryeo won, but these numbers definitely seemed questionable since it wasn't even recorded in the Chinese history records.
-Chinese forces were led by Geng Lin, and they were from Han China's Xuantu commanderie.
-Before the battle, the Han had besieged Gogoryeo at a fortress in their capital, Guknae. However, they couldnt' take the city, so they retreated and then Gogoryeo attacked them at Jwa-won.
-To retaliate against the Chinese, Gogoryeo had formed an alliance with some Mongolian hordes, and began to attack!
-King Sindae died in 179 AD, replaced by his son King Gogukcheon.
- 182 AD- China attacks again! This time from the Liaodong Peninsula.
-Fought back and forth over some territory with Gogoryeo for a few years.
-Many would argue that either the Koreans were extreme badasses for repelling the Chinese. Others would say that the Chinese just really sucked. Most accurate theory would probably be that Han China probably just didn't care that much about Korea at that time enough to truly make an effort.
-The Han had a huge territory to manage and defend, and invading Korea probably just wasn't a big enough priority for them.
-King Gogukcheon was nice and a wise ruler according to the Samguk Yusa.
-He cared about poor people by implementing the Jindaebup system, which allowed for the peasantry to borrow grain to eat in the spring-summer, and then pay it back to the government in October during the harvest.
-He successfully managed to fight off the Chinese.
-He implemented a meritocratic system for selecting government officials, which did away with corruption and incompetence (or at least attempted to).
-King Gogukcheon died in 197 AD, and his little brother, King Sansang, replaced him. This pissed off King Gogukcheon's older brother, Balgi, who led a rebellion against King Sansang and had the backing of Chinese troops.
-However, King Sansang was able to crush the rebellion, and poor ol' Balgi committed suicide.
-Unfortunately, all was still not well. Gogoryeo was under attack again by the Chinese commanderies!
-Luckily for Gogoryeo, by 220 the Han Dynasty was collapsing and thousands of Chinese were fleeing to Gogoryeo to escape turmoil. King Sansang welcomed them.
-The four commanderies were left to their own devices and soon overrun by Chinese warlords (belonging to the powerful Gongsun family).
-Lelang was too big, so it was split into the Lelang and Daifang commanderies, respectively.
-The collapse of the Han Dynasty resulted in the classic Chinese historical period known as the "Three Kingdoms Period", not to be confused with the Korean "Three Kingdoms Period".
-Wei (North)
-Shu (Southwest)
-Wu (Southeast)
-The Gongsun warlords allied themselves with Wei.
-Wu tried to persuade the Gongsun warlords to join with them instead, but the warlords decided to play it safe and stay loyal to Wei, executing the ambassadors from Wu.
-Some of the Wu ambassadors escaped, however, and fled to Gogoryeo!
-Meanwhile, in Gogoryeo, King Sansang died in 227 AD and was replaced by his son, King Dongcheon.
-King Dongcheon decided to imprison the Wu ambassadors just in case Wei got pissed off that they were harboring potential political refugees.
-Apparently though, King Dongcheon wasn't too worried about a Wu invasion because they were far across the Yellow Sea, which was notorious for being a pain in the ass to cross.
-King Dongcheon then decided to execute the Wu ambassador as a sign of good faith towards the Wei and Gongsun warlords.
-237- For whatever reason, Wei and the Gongsun warlords broke their alliance, and Wei invaded Gongsun territory.
-Gogoryeo actually allied itself with Wei to help with their invasion .
-Wei managed to take over the former commanderies of Lelang and Daifang.
-All of a sudden, Gogoryeo realized that the petty Gongsun family had now been replaced by Wei, and that Wei was now greedily eyeing Gogoryeo territory.
-242- Gogoreyo decided to strike first!
-244- Wei managed to crush Gogoryeo, but according to legend, Yu Yu the Patriot saved the day!
-Yu Yu was a Gogoryeo commander who used trickery to assassinate the Wei commander before dying himself.
-This suicide mission caused the Wei army to be confused and easily attacked by Gogoryeo forces, driving them off, and recovering the lost territory.
-After this, King Dongcheon attacked Silla for some reason in 245, but then made peace with them before dying in 248.
-King Jungcheon, his son, was appointed king.
-259- Wei attacked Gogoryeo again, but were driven off.
-270- King Jungcheon died, and his second son, King Seocheon, took over.
-280- Barbarian hordes from the north, known as the Sushen people (ancestors of the Jurchen/Manchu), invade Gogoryeo. However, Gogoryeo was able to repel them and captured many of them as slaves.
-Meanwhile, Buyeo was still chilling to the north of Gogoryeo.
-Considered an ally and sister kingdom of Gogoryeo, composed of mainly Yemaek people.
-However, Buyeo was also friendly towards the Chinese.
-285- Buyeo is ravaged by the Xianbei (proto-Mongol) hordes!
-The King of Buyeo killed himself for some reason.
-The Jin Dynasty, a new Chinese empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Chinese Three Kingdoms Period, was friendly with Buyeo and helped drive off the Xianbei hordes.
-However, both Jin and Gogoryeo began to dominate Buyeo.
-290- Jin Dynasty plunges into civil war, lost control of the commanderies.
-292- King Seocheon dies. Replaced by his eldest son, King Bongsang.
-King Bongsang was a noob- arrogant, paranoid, and jealous.
-293- The Xianbei invade Gogoryeo!
-They were driven off, but invaded again in 296, driven off again.
-However, due to King Bongsang's incompetence, he executed many perceived political enemies and the Gogoryeo people hated him.
-There was a famine during this time, and King Bongsang continued to just build additional crap to his palace and be a cunt.
-300- King Bongsang was finally killed by his ministers in a coup, replaced by his exiled son, King Micheon.
-King Micheon was a badass, one of Gorgoryeo's best kings.
-Decided to invade the Chinese commanderies, restoring the old territory that belonged to Gojoseon.
-302- King Micheon invades and conquers the Xuantu commandery.
-313- King Micheon invades and conquers the Lelang commandery, and soon after that invades and conquers the Daifang commandery.
-316- China- The War of the 8 Princes- the nation was weakened, so they completely retreated from the Northern frontier.
-Among other things, they weren't able to help protect Buyeo, and Buyeo was invaded by Xianbei hordes.
-Gorgoryeo conquering the Chinese commanderies would have a huge influence on Gogoryeo (and the other Korean kingdoms)- Chinese art, culture, spirituality, and political theory would soon infiltrate the three kingdoms and Korean cultural consciousness.
-Meanwhile, the Xianbei hordes fought Gogoryeo in the west, and Baekje and Silla began to eye Gogoryeo's territory hungrily.
Monday, October 10, 2016
The Period of Confederated Kingdoms
-108 BC- Gojoseon falls to the Han dynasty, and the region is divided up into commanderies. Overall, Manchuria is still overrun with barbarian Yemaek tribes, though.
-According to legend (the Samguk Sagi, written in the 12th century), Gogoryeo was founded in 37 BC.
-The first great king was King Taejo, allegedly reigning for over 90 years, from 53 - 146 AD!
-Dominated the tribal state of Okjeo to the south by making them a tribute state.
-Also fought against the Chinese commanderies, and future kings were able to actually re-conquer some territory in the Liaodong Peninsula.
-Divided into 5 provinces, ruled by tribal leaders as aristocrats and united under the king.
-Law codes remained relatively simple- serious crimes included murder, assault, thievery, adultery, and jealous (!)- only adultery and jealousy applied to women (!).
-Polygamy was widespread- top officials had multiple wives and concubines.
- The people were shamanistic and worshiped the sun.
-Had religious ceremonies, traditional music and dancing, and even sports competitions, including wrestling, hunting, archery, and horseback riding- music included more than 36 instruments from China and Central Asia.
-Badass horse archers as well- masters of the "Parthian shot".
- Pyongyang (Gogoryeo's third capital, before that it had been Jolbon and then Gungnae) was the center of culture, most imported from China in terms of style and fashion.
-People wore different color hoods and hats depending on their social status.
-Govt. ministers wore blue hats, the king wore a white hat.
-Married women wore their hair up with a pin that had a color designated by their social class, unmarried chicks had ponytails.
-Everyone wore pointy up-turned shoes, but in combat the men wore spikes on the toe!
-Bulgogi became a popular dish during this time.
-People were buried with supplies to help them in the afterlife.
-Gogoryeo was a cool mix of Yemaek horse archers mixed with Chinese culture.
-Meanwhile, Jin in the south had finally obtained its iron technology from Chinese immigrants who had migrated from China during the previous wars and had spread into Manchuria and the Korean peninsula.
-Some sources even say the pre-Wiman Gojoseon royal dynasty had fled to Jin when Wiman usurped the throne.
-However, Jin collapsed c. 108 BC, so during the time of Gogoryeo it was no longer the Jin kingdom, but actually a loose confederation of 3 city-states known as the Samhan ("three Hans").
-Byeonhan- short-lived kingdom in southern part of the peninsula, soon to be gobbled up by the Gaya Confederacy (and, later, Silla). Byeonhan was a great strategic area because it was in a nice region to grow rice and has rich iron deposits. Also had the port city of Busan! Great place for trade, especially with the Japanese.
-Because of all the iron, Byeonhan enjoyed iron tools to make them prolific farmers and fishermen.
-For some unknown reason, the towns nearby decided to rebel against Byeonhan's dominance in the area, and this resulted in the formation of the Gaya Confederacy.
-Some sources say that the Gaya Confederacy was centered around a Japanese military and trading post. Japanese sources say there was a Yamato outpost called Kara in the SE of the peninsula from 300-700 AD.
-Other Korean sources back up this Japanese presence around the 4th century due to a Gogoryeo king sending a bunch of of troops to the south to defend the peninsula against the Japanese.
-Gaya archaeology provides further evidence that there was strong trade between the Korean peninsula and the rest of the ancient world during this time, due to certain art and fashion designs similar to those found in places such as Persia and the Scythians of Central Asia.
-Jinhan - later absorbed by Silla. Occupied the east side of South Korea. Claimed to be the true, legit heirs to the old Jin state. They were screwed because their territory was almost completely mountainous, so they couldn't grow much rice. They also lacked an abundance of iron deposits. The capital was Gyeongju, a city that would eventually become the capital of Silla. By the 5th century, Gyeongju had developed into a strong commercial hub for Jinhan. The city would eventually change its name to Silla, hence where we get the name of the ancient Korean kingdom.
-Mahan - largest of the Han states, located in the Seoul/Gyeonggi-do area. According to the Samguk Sagi, it was founded by refugees fleeing the collapse of Gojoseon. Friendly with the Chinese commanderies. Capital moved around a bit, too. Soon to be Baekje.
-Gaya archaeology provides further evidence that there was strong trade between the Korean peninsula and the rest of the ancient world during this time due to certain art and fashion designs similar to those found in cultures such as the ancient Persians or Scythians of Central Asia.
-According to legend (the Samguk Sagi, written in the 12th century), Gogoryeo was founded in 37 BC.
-The first great king was King Taejo, allegedly reigning for over 90 years, from 53 - 146 AD!
-Dominated the tribal state of Okjeo to the south by making them a tribute state.
-Also fought against the Chinese commanderies, and future kings were able to actually re-conquer some territory in the Liaodong Peninsula.
-Divided into 5 provinces, ruled by tribal leaders as aristocrats and united under the king.
-Law codes remained relatively simple- serious crimes included murder, assault, thievery, adultery, and jealous (!)- only adultery and jealousy applied to women (!).
-Polygamy was widespread- top officials had multiple wives and concubines.
- The people were shamanistic and worshiped the sun.
-Had religious ceremonies, traditional music and dancing, and even sports competitions, including wrestling, hunting, archery, and horseback riding- music included more than 36 instruments from China and Central Asia.
-Badass horse archers as well- masters of the "Parthian shot".
- Pyongyang (Gogoryeo's third capital, before that it had been Jolbon and then Gungnae) was the center of culture, most imported from China in terms of style and fashion.
-People wore different color hoods and hats depending on their social status.
-Govt. ministers wore blue hats, the king wore a white hat.
-Married women wore their hair up with a pin that had a color designated by their social class, unmarried chicks had ponytails.
-Everyone wore pointy up-turned shoes, but in combat the men wore spikes on the toe!
-Bulgogi became a popular dish during this time.
-People were buried with supplies to help them in the afterlife.
-Gogoryeo was a cool mix of Yemaek horse archers mixed with Chinese culture.
-Meanwhile, Jin in the south had finally obtained its iron technology from Chinese immigrants who had migrated from China during the previous wars and had spread into Manchuria and the Korean peninsula.
-Some sources even say the pre-Wiman Gojoseon royal dynasty had fled to Jin when Wiman usurped the throne.
-However, Jin collapsed c. 108 BC, so during the time of Gogoryeo it was no longer the Jin kingdom, but actually a loose confederation of 3 city-states known as the Samhan ("three Hans").
-Byeonhan- short-lived kingdom in southern part of the peninsula, soon to be gobbled up by the Gaya Confederacy (and, later, Silla). Byeonhan was a great strategic area because it was in a nice region to grow rice and has rich iron deposits. Also had the port city of Busan! Great place for trade, especially with the Japanese.
-Because of all the iron, Byeonhan enjoyed iron tools to make them prolific farmers and fishermen.
-For some unknown reason, the towns nearby decided to rebel against Byeonhan's dominance in the area, and this resulted in the formation of the Gaya Confederacy.
-Some sources say that the Gaya Confederacy was centered around a Japanese military and trading post. Japanese sources say there was a Yamato outpost called Kara in the SE of the peninsula from 300-700 AD.
-Other Korean sources back up this Japanese presence around the 4th century due to a Gogoryeo king sending a bunch of of troops to the south to defend the peninsula against the Japanese.
-Gaya archaeology provides further evidence that there was strong trade between the Korean peninsula and the rest of the ancient world during this time, due to certain art and fashion designs similar to those found in places such as Persia and the Scythians of Central Asia.
-Jinhan - later absorbed by Silla. Occupied the east side of South Korea. Claimed to be the true, legit heirs to the old Jin state. They were screwed because their territory was almost completely mountainous, so they couldn't grow much rice. They also lacked an abundance of iron deposits. The capital was Gyeongju, a city that would eventually become the capital of Silla. By the 5th century, Gyeongju had developed into a strong commercial hub for Jinhan. The city would eventually change its name to Silla, hence where we get the name of the ancient Korean kingdom.
-Mahan - largest of the Han states, located in the Seoul/Gyeonggi-do area. According to the Samguk Sagi, it was founded by refugees fleeing the collapse of Gojoseon. Friendly with the Chinese commanderies. Capital moved around a bit, too. Soon to be Baekje.
-Gaya archaeology provides further evidence that there was strong trade between the Korean peninsula and the rest of the ancient world during this time due to certain art and fashion designs similar to those found in cultures such as the ancient Persians or Scythians of Central Asia.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
The Early Tribal Kingdoms
-2000 BC - Chinese historians record coming into contact with "eastern barbarians" (likely referring to a bunch of different tribes, at least one of whom (possibly the Yemaek people) are a direct ancestor of modern-day Koreans!).
-The Yemaeks were also badass horsemen and horse archers, eventually consolidating their power in North Korea and Manchuria.
-Most of the historical records that we have about what was going on around the Korean peninsula comes from Chinese records up until like the beginning of Gojoseon & Co. (see below).
-Around this time the pottery culture that had sprung up around the time of the Xia dynasty on the banks of the Yellow River was spreading into Manchuria.
-The eastern barbarians were wild, raging hordes, and were a giant pain in the ass for the Chinese.
-Some of these hordes would eventually form the first proto-Korean kingdoms in Manchuria and North Korea (Gojoseon, Buyeo, Okjeo, and other minor states) since they would eventually have a Bronze Age advantage technologically over the stone age barbarians who also happened to be living there at that time, kicking off Korea's Bronze Age (1000-800 BC).
-Gojoseon (literally "Old Joseon"; "Joseon" could possibly mean "morning calm" (hence, "Land of the Morning Calm") but this is unclear; in the Chinese "Records of the Grand Historian", Gojoseon is referred to as "Yemaek Joseon") was formed by a Yemaek Bronze Age tribe from Manchuria who worshiped bear totems (maybe all Yemaek worshipped bear totems or maybe it was just this one tribe in particular; I'm not sure).
-The Chinese referred to the Gojoseon people as "bears".
-Mythological founding of Gojoseon (according to the Samgukyusa) was c. 2333 BC by the demigod king Dangun.
-Archaeological evidence, however, suggests 1500 BC, but also as far as an actual "legit" government or kingdom this was likely to be around 1000 BC.
-Additionally, Gojoseon only appears in Chinese records around the 7th century BC.
-Buyeo was founded to the north of Gojoseon in as early as the 5th century BC. Founded after the Xiongnu left the area.
-Okjeo was located southeast of Gojoseon and formed c. 5th century BC.
-Worshiped various totem animal spirits such as dogs, horses, cows, etc.
-Government was tribal chieftains ruled by a supreme chieftain.
-Chiefs wore fox and sable furs and decorated them with red gemstones
-Justice system was harsh - most crimes were capital offenses and the family of the perpetrator would be enslaved.
-400 BC - The Yemaek kingdoms obtain iron age technology from China.
-Began to fortify towns with walls.
-The capital of Gojoseon moved from modern-day Liaoning Province in China to Pyongyang in North Korea.
-Iron Age technology allowed for Gojoseon to grow more food and thus have a rising population.
-Early Korean warfare was all about capturing people for slaves and raiding, as opposed to crushing enemies completely and conquering them.
-Yemaek overlords built their houses on hills to overlook their fields and defend themselves from raiders.
-So WTF was going on south of Gojoseon on the southern Korean peninsula? Why did Gojoseon never expand south and conquer the whole peninsula?
-Barbarians occupied the area, and among these people two kingdoms (or confederacies) eventually emerged- Ye/Dongye (emerged around the 3rd century BC) and Jin (both emerged around the 3rd century BC).
-Organization and ethnic makeup is murky.
-Tried to negotiate with the Han Chinese to obtain iron technology, but failed.
-This is probably because the Chinese liked having Gojoseon to the northeast as a buffer state between China and the Siberian barbarian hordes, and had nothing to gain from Gojoseon power being challenged by Jin and Ye.
-Eventually, however, Gojoseon began to grow more powerful, and began to fight with Yan (or Yen), a northern Chinese kingdom.
-Yen decided to ally itself with Buyeo, a kingdom north of Gojoseon.
-Chinese sources described Gojoseon as "arrogant" and "cruel".
-Around the 300s BC, Yan was able to successfully invade and conquer the Liaodong peninsula, which was Gojoseon territory.
-Unfortunately, Yan was also fighting with Han China, who soon invaded the Liaodong peninsula and took it from Yan.
-The Han Chinese then set up a commandery (or prefecture) in the region and appointed a warlord to rule over it.
-Manchuria was in chaos at this time due to all the wars, and the common folk were constantly fleeing from violence due to the battles and invading armies, not to mention raids by the Xiongnu.
-People began to migrate into Gojoseon, bringing with them Chinese culture.
-Wiman - possibly a Chinese leader of thousands of refugees.
-Led them to Pyongyang.
-Immediately adopted Gojoseon fashion and hairstyles.
-Went to the court of Gojoseon's ruler, King Jun. King Jun accepted Wiman and his followers as people of Gojoseon, but sent them west to go defend the border. Wiman knew that this was probably suicide.
-Sometime between 194-180 BC, Wiman marched back to the capital and revolted!
-He pretended that he was there to defend the king from a Chinese assassination plot. When he got there, though, he seized the throne!
-The "Wiman Joseon" period of Gojoseon history implemented many Chinese economic, political, and cultural traditions and norms into mainstream society.
-However, it is important to remember that Wiman was not a puppet of China, and that Gojoseon was an independent state. Many of his public officials were still from the previous king's administration.
-King Wiman had goals of expanding Gojoseon's power, and he began to accumulate more and more territory. Soon he took over parts of trade routes, which unfortunately pissed off China.
-The throne is eventually handed off to Ugeo, Wiman's grandson.
-108 BC - King Ugeo is assassinated and Han China invades Gojoseon, conquering it (this also coincides with the beginning of Korea's Iron Age).
-Emperor Wu of Han China then sets up 4 commanderies in the former Gojoseon territories- Lelang, Lintun, Xuantu, and Zhenfan.
-The most important one concerning Korean history was Lelang, in North Korea.
-Archaeological evidence suggests that the elite enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in Lelang, and Chinese rule probably wasn't that much different than rule under the Gojoseon kings.
-The peasants probably could do whatever they wanted as long as they gave up a portion of their crops to the state and didn't cause problems.
-Society began to grow more complex in Lelang during this time.
-Evidence of this because the laws grew from 8 to 60!
-Also, large-scale projects were developed to clear forests and develop farmland.
-The southern kingdoms began to eye Lelang greedily, but instead of attacking they submitted to the Han dynasty as tributary states in exchange for Chinese trade, culture, technology, etc.
-The Yemaeks were also badass horsemen and horse archers, eventually consolidating their power in North Korea and Manchuria.
-Most of the historical records that we have about what was going on around the Korean peninsula comes from Chinese records up until like the beginning of Gojoseon & Co. (see below).
-Around this time the pottery culture that had sprung up around the time of the Xia dynasty on the banks of the Yellow River was spreading into Manchuria.
-The eastern barbarians were wild, raging hordes, and were a giant pain in the ass for the Chinese.
-Some of these hordes would eventually form the first proto-Korean kingdoms in Manchuria and North Korea (Gojoseon, Buyeo, Okjeo, and other minor states) since they would eventually have a Bronze Age advantage technologically over the stone age barbarians who also happened to be living there at that time, kicking off Korea's Bronze Age (1000-800 BC).
-Gojoseon (literally "Old Joseon"; "Joseon" could possibly mean "morning calm" (hence, "Land of the Morning Calm") but this is unclear; in the Chinese "Records of the Grand Historian", Gojoseon is referred to as "Yemaek Joseon") was formed by a Yemaek Bronze Age tribe from Manchuria who worshiped bear totems (maybe all Yemaek worshipped bear totems or maybe it was just this one tribe in particular; I'm not sure).
-The Chinese referred to the Gojoseon people as "bears".
-Mythological founding of Gojoseon (according to the Samgukyusa) was c. 2333 BC by the demigod king Dangun.
-Archaeological evidence, however, suggests 1500 BC, but also as far as an actual "legit" government or kingdom this was likely to be around 1000 BC.
-Additionally, Gojoseon only appears in Chinese records around the 7th century BC.
-Buyeo was founded to the north of Gojoseon in as early as the 5th century BC. Founded after the Xiongnu left the area.
-Okjeo was located southeast of Gojoseon and formed c. 5th century BC.
-Worshiped various totem animal spirits such as dogs, horses, cows, etc.
-Government was tribal chieftains ruled by a supreme chieftain.
-Chiefs wore fox and sable furs and decorated them with red gemstones
-Justice system was harsh - most crimes were capital offenses and the family of the perpetrator would be enslaved.
-400 BC - The Yemaek kingdoms obtain iron age technology from China.
-Began to fortify towns with walls.
-The capital of Gojoseon moved from modern-day Liaoning Province in China to Pyongyang in North Korea.
-Iron Age technology allowed for Gojoseon to grow more food and thus have a rising population.
-Early Korean warfare was all about capturing people for slaves and raiding, as opposed to crushing enemies completely and conquering them.
-Yemaek overlords built their houses on hills to overlook their fields and defend themselves from raiders.
-So WTF was going on south of Gojoseon on the southern Korean peninsula? Why did Gojoseon never expand south and conquer the whole peninsula?
-Barbarians occupied the area, and among these people two kingdoms (or confederacies) eventually emerged- Ye/Dongye (emerged around the 3rd century BC) and Jin (both emerged around the 3rd century BC).
-Organization and ethnic makeup is murky.
-Tried to negotiate with the Han Chinese to obtain iron technology, but failed.
-This is probably because the Chinese liked having Gojoseon to the northeast as a buffer state between China and the Siberian barbarian hordes, and had nothing to gain from Gojoseon power being challenged by Jin and Ye.
-Eventually, however, Gojoseon began to grow more powerful, and began to fight with Yan (or Yen), a northern Chinese kingdom.
-Yen decided to ally itself with Buyeo, a kingdom north of Gojoseon.
-Chinese sources described Gojoseon as "arrogant" and "cruel".
-Around the 300s BC, Yan was able to successfully invade and conquer the Liaodong peninsula, which was Gojoseon territory.
-Unfortunately, Yan was also fighting with Han China, who soon invaded the Liaodong peninsula and took it from Yan.
-The Han Chinese then set up a commandery (or prefecture) in the region and appointed a warlord to rule over it.
-Manchuria was in chaos at this time due to all the wars, and the common folk were constantly fleeing from violence due to the battles and invading armies, not to mention raids by the Xiongnu.
-People began to migrate into Gojoseon, bringing with them Chinese culture.
-Wiman - possibly a Chinese leader of thousands of refugees.
-Led them to Pyongyang.
-Immediately adopted Gojoseon fashion and hairstyles.
-Went to the court of Gojoseon's ruler, King Jun. King Jun accepted Wiman and his followers as people of Gojoseon, but sent them west to go defend the border. Wiman knew that this was probably suicide.
-Sometime between 194-180 BC, Wiman marched back to the capital and revolted!
-He pretended that he was there to defend the king from a Chinese assassination plot. When he got there, though, he seized the throne!
-The "Wiman Joseon" period of Gojoseon history implemented many Chinese economic, political, and cultural traditions and norms into mainstream society.
-However, it is important to remember that Wiman was not a puppet of China, and that Gojoseon was an independent state. Many of his public officials were still from the previous king's administration.
-King Wiman had goals of expanding Gojoseon's power, and he began to accumulate more and more territory. Soon he took over parts of trade routes, which unfortunately pissed off China.
-The throne is eventually handed off to Ugeo, Wiman's grandson.
-108 BC - King Ugeo is assassinated and Han China invades Gojoseon, conquering it (this also coincides with the beginning of Korea's Iron Age).
-Emperor Wu of Han China then sets up 4 commanderies in the former Gojoseon territories- Lelang, Lintun, Xuantu, and Zhenfan.
-The most important one concerning Korean history was Lelang, in North Korea.
-Archaeological evidence suggests that the elite enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in Lelang, and Chinese rule probably wasn't that much different than rule under the Gojoseon kings.
-The peasants probably could do whatever they wanted as long as they gave up a portion of their crops to the state and didn't cause problems.
-Society began to grow more complex in Lelang during this time.
-Evidence of this because the laws grew from 8 to 60!
-Also, large-scale projects were developed to clear forests and develop farmland.
-The southern kingdoms began to eye Lelang greedily, but instead of attacking they submitted to the Han dynasty as tributary states in exchange for Chinese trade, culture, technology, etc.
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