Taejo of Goguryeo
Encyclopedia
King Taejo of Goguryeo (AD 3 - 121, r. 53 - 146) (age 118 at death) was the sixth monarch of Goguryeo
, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
. He is sometimes called Taejo the Great. He rose to the throne following the assassination of King Mobon
. Under his reign, the young state expanded its territory and developed into a centrally ruled kingdom. His 93 year reign is thought to be the second longest of any monarch in the world. Note that this long of a reign would make him older than any verified men, as well as surpassing any currently alive humans.
, and the son of Go Jaesa (재사, 再思), the head of the Go house of the Gyeru lineage, one of the five powerful houses of the royal court. His mother was from Buyeo
.
Although the unpopular Mobon had named his son Ik as the crown prince, after Mobon's death in 53, the Goguryeo court nominated Jaesa to be the next king. Citing his advanced age, Jaesa declined, and his seven-year old son Gung became king. The queen dowager acted as regent for the young king.
He conquered the states of Eastern Okjeo
in 56, Galsa in 68, Jona in 72, and Juna in 74. He absorbed regional forces into the central bureaucracy, and traveled throughout his territories to strengthen royal control.
He fought on various occasions with China's Han Dynasty
and disrupted trade between Lelang
and Han. In 55, he ordered the construction of a fortress in the Liaodong commandery. He attacked Chinese border regions in 105, 111, and 118. In 122, Taejo allied with the Mahan confederacy
of central Korea and the neighboring Yemaek
tribe to attack Liaodong, greatly expanding the realm of Goguryeo. He launched another major attack in 146.
. Although not found in the more orthodox Samguk Sagi
, the Samguk Yusa
says that Chadae soon killed both of Taejo's sons, and that the subsequent king Sindae
, younger half-brother to Taejo and Chadae, killed both of his brothers in 165.
According to Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, Taejo died at the age of 118, after ruling for 93 years, making him the longest living and reigning king in Korean history. And also second in the world history.
According to the Chinese historical work Book of Later Han
(in volume 85), Taejo died in the year 121, and his son Chadae stepped up. After Emperor An of Han
decided not to initiate another battle with Goguryeo, Chadae settled peace with Han Dynasty in the following year. The imperial edict for this event was recorded as well.
, declared his surname to be Go. However, his son Yuri of Goguryeo
chose to use the surname Hae (해; 解). The three successors of Jumong and Yuri all utilized the surname Hae as well, instead of Go. After the last of these Hae rulers, a boy with the surname Go rose to the throne after deposing the last Hae ruler and his appointed successor. From viewing these historical facts, some scholars have come to the conclusion that the difference in surname was not a coincidence, but a clear indication that Jumong's immediate successors were not his descendants. The Hae rulers indicate the brief rule of the Sono-clan and the rise of King Taejo may indicate that the Go rulers of the Gyeru-clan regained power.
Another point of great interest among select scholars is the bestowing of the posthumous title of Taejo, which means "Grand Ancestor," on the sixth ruler of Goguryeo and not the first. Scholars have therefore stated that this fact is further proof that different families ruled early Goguryeo before the consolidation of power under King Taejo. These are highly controversial at present times among historians and scholars.
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...
. He is sometimes called Taejo the Great. He rose to the throne following the assassination of King Mobon
Mobon of Goguryeo
King Mobon of Goguryeo was the fifth king of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.-Background and reign:...
. Under his reign, the young state expanded its territory and developed into a centrally ruled kingdom. His 93 year reign is thought to be the second longest of any monarch in the world. Note that this long of a reign would make him older than any verified men, as well as surpassing any currently alive humans.
Background
Taejo was the grandson of Goguryeo's second king, YuriYuri of Goguryeo
King Yuri was the second ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the kingdom's founder King Dongmyeongseong. As with many other early Korean rulers, the events of his life are known largely from the Samguk Sagi.- Background :Yuri was the son...
, and the son of Go Jaesa (재사, 再思), the head of the Go house of the Gyeru lineage, one of the five powerful houses of the royal court. His mother was from Buyeo
Buyeo (state)
Buyeo or Puyŏ , Fuyu in Chinese, was an ancient Korean kingdom located from today's Manchuria to northern North Korea, from around the 2nd century BC to 494. Its remnants were absorbed by the neighboring and brotherhood kingdom of Goguryeo in 494...
.
Although the unpopular Mobon had named his son Ik as the crown prince, after Mobon's death in 53, the Goguryeo court nominated Jaesa to be the next king. Citing his advanced age, Jaesa declined, and his seven-year old son Gung became king. The queen dowager acted as regent for the young king.
Expansion and centralization
During the first year of his reign, he centralized the kingdom by turning the five clans into five provinces ruled by a governor from that clan, who were under the direct control of the king. He thereby firmly established royal control of the military, economy, and politics.He conquered the states of Eastern Okjeo
Okjeo
Okjeo was Korean tribal state which arose in the northern Korean peninsula from perhaps 2nd century BCE to 5th century CE.Dong-okjeo occupied roughly the area of the Hamgyŏng provinces of North Korea, and Buk-okjeo occupied the Duman River region.Dong-okjeo was often simply called Okjeo, while...
in 56, Galsa in 68, Jona in 72, and Juna in 74. He absorbed regional forces into the central bureaucracy, and traveled throughout his territories to strengthen royal control.
He fought on various occasions with China's Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
and disrupted trade between Lelang
Lelang Commandery
Lelang was one of the Chinese commanderies which was established after the fall of Gojoseon in 108 BC until Goguryeo conquered it in 313. Lelang Commandery was located in the northern Korean peninsula with the administrative center near modern P'yongyang....
and Han. In 55, he ordered the construction of a fortress in the Liaodong commandery. He attacked Chinese border regions in 105, 111, and 118. In 122, Taejo allied with the Mahan confederacy
Mahan confederacy
Mahan was a loose confederacy of statelets that existed from around the 1st century BCE to 3rd century CE in the southern Korean peninsula in the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces. Arising out of the confluence of Gojoseon migration and the Jin state federation, Mahan was one of the Samhan , along...
of central Korea and the neighboring Yemaek
Yemaek
Yemaek were an ethnic group who dwelt in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. They had ancestral ties to various Korean kingdoms including Gojoseon, Gori , Buyeo, Goguryeo, Baekje, Okjeo, Dongye, Yangmaek and Sosumaek , and is believed to be one of the ancient tribes that were formed into the...
tribe to attack Liaodong, greatly expanding the realm of Goguryeo. He launched another major attack in 146.
Death
In the 94th year of his reign, Taejo's younger brother Suseong took the throne to become King ChadaeChadae of Goguryeo
King Chadae of Goguryeo was the seventh ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.-Background and rise to the throne:...
. Although not found in the more orthodox Samguk Sagi
Samguk Sagi
Samguk Sagi is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The Samguk Sagi is written in Classical Chinese and its compilation was ordered by Goryeo's King Injong Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of...
, the Samguk Yusa
Samguk Yusa
Samguk Yusa, or Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms, is a collection of legends, folktales, and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea , as well as to other periods and states before, during, and after the Three Kingdoms period.The text was written in Classical Chinese, which was...
says that Chadae soon killed both of Taejo's sons, and that the subsequent king Sindae
Sindae 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...
, younger half-brother to Taejo and Chadae, killed both of his brothers in 165.
According to Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, Taejo died at the age of 118, after ruling for 93 years, making him the longest living and reigning king in Korean history. And also second in the world history.
According to the Chinese historical work Book of Later Han
Book of Later Han
The Book of the Later Han or the History of the Later Han is one of the official Chinese historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources...
(in volume 85), Taejo died in the year 121, and his son Chadae stepped up. After Emperor An of Han
Emperor An of Han
Emperor Ān of Hàn, ch. 漢安帝, py. hàn ān dì, wg. Han An-ti, was an emperor of the Chinese Hàn Dynasty and the sixth emperor of the Eastern Hàn period ruling from 106 to 125...
decided not to initiate another battle with Goguryeo, Chadae settled peace with Han Dynasty in the following year. The imperial edict for this event was recorded as well.
Controversy Surrounding Rise to Power
Jumong, the founder of GoguryeoGoguryeo
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....
, declared his surname to be Go. However, his son Yuri of Goguryeo
Yuri
Yuri is a common first name in several languages, with alternately masculine and feminine denotations depending on the specific culture. In Russia, for example, Юрий is a common male given name meaning 'George', while in Japan it is a traditional female name meaning 'lily', and in Korea, it is also...
chose to use the surname Hae (해; 解). The three successors of Jumong and Yuri all utilized the surname Hae as well, instead of Go. After the last of these Hae rulers, a boy with the surname Go rose to the throne after deposing the last Hae ruler and his appointed successor. From viewing these historical facts, some scholars have come to the conclusion that the difference in surname was not a coincidence, but a clear indication that Jumong's immediate successors were not his descendants. The Hae rulers indicate the brief rule of the Sono-clan and the rise of King Taejo may indicate that the Go rulers of the Gyeru-clan regained power.
Another point of great interest among select scholars is the bestowing of the posthumous title of Taejo, which means "Grand Ancestor," on the sixth ruler of Goguryeo and not the first. Scholars have therefore stated that this fact is further proof that different families ruled early Goguryeo before the consolidation of power under King Taejo. These are highly controversial at present times among historians and scholars.
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