Dongcheon of Goguryeo
Encyclopedia
King Dongcheon of Goguryeo (209–248, r. 227–248) was the 11th monarch of Goguryeo
, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
.
and the son of the tenth ruler, Sansang
. His mother was Emperor Sansang's second queen, from the Jutong-chon of Gwanno-bu. He was made crown prince in 213, and rose to the throne upon Sansang's death.
, Eastern Wu
, and Cao Wei
. In 234, Dongcheon sent an envoy to Wei to make peace. In 236, an ambassador, Hao Wei, from Wu arrived at Goguryeo and asked for peace. Dongcheon imprisoned the ambassador for months before finally beheading him and sending the head to Wei.
In 238, Dongcheon was able to ally with the Wei in order to destroy the Gongsun family
and erase its influence over Liaodong Peninsula and other areas bordering Goguryeo. The war on the Gongsun was a victory, but Goguryeo's ally, Wei, eventually became a new threat.
Dongcheon sent an army to attack Wei's Yodong fortress in 242 to expand Goguryeo territory, but Wei retaliated in a most violent fashion two years later. In 244, Wei sent an invasion force
of 10,000 to Goguryeo and took the capital city of Hwando
, forcing Dongcheon to flee the capital.
Then, according to Sanguk Sagi, a Goguryeo general named Yu Yu (유유, 紐由) approached the Wei encampment and fooled the Wei commander into thinking that Goguryeo had come to surrender. Yu Yu took this chance to murder the commander and then committed suicide, causing great confusion and discord in the Wei army. King Dongcheon received news of Yu Yu's death and ordered that a memorial be made for Yu Yu the Patriot. Then, he led his armies in the attack to push the Wei forces out of Goguryeo territory. General Mil U (밀우, 密友) and Yu Okgu (유옥구, 劉屋句) also repulsed the Wei forces. The Goguryeo forces won this battle, and regained all of the territory that had been lost from defeats against the Wei. This passage was not paralleled in Chinese records, and Hiroshi Ikeuchi points out its errors: the author of this passage in Samguk Sagi regarded the region of South Okjeo and Lelang as identical, while in fact they are on opposite sides of the peninsula; also, the references to the "Eastern Department" for Yu Yu and Mil U are anachronistic, since Goguryeo did not divide the country into departments until the middle of the Goguryeo dynasty — that is, after Dongcheon's reign. As such, Ikeuchi considered the Samguk Sagi stories of the Wei invasion unreliable.
In 243, he named his son Yeonbul
the crown prince and successor to the throne. He attacked Silla
, another of the Three Kingdoms to its south, in 245 but made peace in 248.
, North Korea
. He is said to have been so loved that many people followed him in death. Crown Prince Yeon-Bul succeeded his father as King Jungcheon
immediately after his father's death.
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...
.
Background
He was the grandson of Goguryeo's eighth ruler, SindaeSindae of Goguryeo
King Sindae of Goguryeo was the eighth ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The Samguk Sagi records him as the half-brother of the sixth king Taejo and the seventh king Chadae. Other records indicate he may have been Taejo or Chaedae's son.He remained quiet under...
and the son of the tenth ruler, Sansang
Sansang of Goguryeo
King Sansang of Goguryeo was the 10th ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the third son of the eighth king Sindae and the younger brother of the ninth king Gogukcheon, who died without an heir....
. His mother was Emperor Sansang's second queen, from the Jutong-chon of Gwanno-bu. He was made crown prince in 213, and rose to the throne upon Sansang's death.
Reign
Dongcheon played off the rivalries among the Chinese powers Gongsun YuanGongsun Yuan
Gongsun Yuan , style name Wenyi , was a warlord and vassal of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.-Biography:...
, Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...
, and Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
. In 234, Dongcheon sent an envoy to Wei to make peace. In 236, an ambassador, Hao Wei, from Wu arrived at Goguryeo and asked for peace. Dongcheon imprisoned the ambassador for months before finally beheading him and sending the head to Wei.
In 238, Dongcheon was able to ally with the Wei in order to destroy the Gongsun family
Sima Yi's Liaodong campaign
Sima Yi's Liaodong campaign occurred in 238 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Sima Yi, a general of the state of Cao Wei, led a force of 40,000 troops to attack the warlord Gongsun Yuan, whose clan had ruled independently from the central government for three generations in the...
and erase its influence over Liaodong Peninsula and other areas bordering Goguryeo. The war on the Gongsun was a victory, but Goguryeo's ally, Wei, eventually became a new threat.
Dongcheon sent an army to attack Wei's Yodong fortress in 242 to expand Goguryeo territory, but Wei retaliated in a most violent fashion two years later. In 244, Wei sent an invasion force
Goguryeo–Wei Wars
The Goguryeo–Wei Wars were a series of invasions of the Chinese state of Cao Wei against the proto-Korean kingdom of Goguryeo from 244 to 245. The invasions, a retaliation of a Goguryeo raid in 242, destroyed the Goguryeo capital of Hwando, sent its king fleeing, and broke the tributary...
of 10,000 to Goguryeo and took the capital city of Hwando
Wandu Mountain City
Hwando Mountain Fortress, also known as Wandu Mountain City, along with Gungnae Fortress, served as the second capital of the Korean kingdom Goguryeo...
, forcing Dongcheon to flee the capital.
Then, according to Sanguk Sagi, a Goguryeo general named Yu Yu (유유, 紐由) approached the Wei encampment and fooled the Wei commander into thinking that Goguryeo had come to surrender. Yu Yu took this chance to murder the commander and then committed suicide, causing great confusion and discord in the Wei army. King Dongcheon received news of Yu Yu's death and ordered that a memorial be made for Yu Yu the Patriot. Then, he led his armies in the attack to push the Wei forces out of Goguryeo territory. General Mil U (밀우, 密友) and Yu Okgu (유옥구, 劉屋句) also repulsed the Wei forces. The Goguryeo forces won this battle, and regained all of the territory that had been lost from defeats against the Wei. This passage was not paralleled in Chinese records, and Hiroshi Ikeuchi points out its errors: the author of this passage in Samguk Sagi regarded the region of South Okjeo and Lelang as identical, while in fact they are on opposite sides of the peninsula; also, the references to the "Eastern Department" for Yu Yu and Mil U are anachronistic, since Goguryeo did not divide the country into departments until the middle of the Goguryeo dynasty — that is, after Dongcheon's reign. As such, Ikeuchi considered the Samguk Sagi stories of the Wei invasion unreliable.
In 243, he named his son Yeonbul
Jungcheon of Goguryeo
King Jungcheon of Goguryeo was the 12th ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.-Background and rise to the throne:...
the crown prince and successor to the throne. He attacked Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
, another of the Three Kingdoms to its south, in 245 but made peace in 248.
Death and succession
Dongcheon fell ill and died during the fall of 248 after 22 years of rule. His tomb is said to be in South Pyongan Province near PyongyangPyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. He is said to have been so loved that many people followed him in death. Crown Prince Yeon-Bul succeeded his father as King Jungcheon
Jungcheon of Goguryeo
King Jungcheon of Goguryeo was the 12th ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.-Background and rise to the throne:...
immediately after his father's death.
See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- History of KoreaHistory of KoreaThe Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
- Three Kingdoms of KoreaThree Kingdoms of KoreaThe Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...
- List of Korean monarchs
- Goguryeo–Wei WarsGoguryeo–Wei WarsThe Goguryeo–Wei Wars were a series of invasions of the Chinese state of Cao Wei against the proto-Korean kingdom of Goguryeo from 244 to 245. The invasions, a retaliation of a Goguryeo raid in 242, destroyed the Goguryeo capital of Hwando, sent its king fleeing, and broke the tributary...