Yeon Ja-yu
Encyclopedia
Yeon Ja-yu was the Magniji (Prime Minister) of Goguryeo
during its waning days, and was the grandfather of Yeon Gaesomun
, who was Dae Magniji and dictator of Goguryeo before its fall. Yeon Ja-yu was the father of Yeon Taejo
, the father of Yeon Gaesomun, and Magniji after Ja-yu. Historical records do not provide his life dates or his actions as Magniji.
, having led the Eastern province of Goguryeo kingdom for an unknown number of generations.
was refused his rightful positions by the other nobles of Goguryeo, and had to stage a coup that overthrew the King Yeongnyu at the time. Gaesomun became the first Dae Magniji in the history of Goguryeo
. After Yeon Gaesomun's death, his sons ravaged the kingdom apart with their struggles amongst themselves. With this, Goguryeo
eventually fell to the Tang Dynasty
and the southern Korea
n kingdom Silla
in 668
. Yeon Ja-yu was later mentioned in on the Steles of his great-grandsons Yeon Namsaeng
and Yeon Namgeon
.
and Yeon Namgeon
record Yeon Ja-yu's last name as "Cheon." This has been known to be the work of Tang historians who changed the last name "Yeon" to "Cheon" because Tang Gaozu's name was Yuan, which had the same pronunciation as the last name "Yeon".
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....
during its waning days, and was the grandfather of Yeon Gaesomun
Yeon Gaesomun
Yeon Gaesomun was a powerful and controversial military dictator and Generalissimo in the waning days of Goguryeo, which was one of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea. Yeon is also remembered for a number of successful resistance in military conflicts with Tang Dynasty under Emperor Li Shimin and...
, who was Dae Magniji and dictator of Goguryeo before its fall. Yeon Ja-yu was the father of Yeon Taejo
Yeon Taejo
Yeon Taejo was the Magniji of Goguryeo during the reigns of King Pyeongwon and King Yeongyang. He was the father of Yeon Gaesomun, and was known to have taken an aggressive stance against the Sui Dynasty alongside Field Marshal Eulji Mundeok.- Background :Yeon Taejo was the son of the previous...
, the father of Yeon Gaesomun, and Magniji after Ja-yu. Historical records do not provide his life dates or his actions as Magniji.
Background
Not much is known about Yeon Ja-yu's background except that his ancestor was said to have been "born in the water." Historians have tried to translate this text, and have established that the Yeon ancestor may have been born at sea or near a river. It is apparent that his family was a very powerful one in 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....
, having led the Eastern province of Goguryeo kingdom for an unknown number of generations.
Legacy
After the death of Yeon Ja-yu, his eldest son Yeon Taejo succeeds him to the positions of Magniji and Daedaero of the Eastern province of Goguryeo kingdom. After the death of Yeon Taejo, his eldest son Yeon GaesomunYeon Gaesomun
Yeon Gaesomun was a powerful and controversial military dictator and Generalissimo in the waning days of Goguryeo, which was one of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea. Yeon is also remembered for a number of successful resistance in military conflicts with Tang Dynasty under Emperor Li Shimin and...
was refused his rightful positions by the other nobles of Goguryeo, and had to stage a coup that overthrew the King Yeongnyu at the time. Gaesomun became the first Dae Magniji in the history of Goguryeo
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....
. After Yeon Gaesomun's death, his sons ravaged the kingdom apart with their struggles amongst themselves. With this, Goguryeo
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....
eventually fell to the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
and the southern Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n kingdom Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
in 668
668
Year 668 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 668 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Childeric II succeeds Clotaire III as King...
. Yeon Ja-yu was later mentioned in on the Steles of his great-grandsons Yeon Namsaeng
Yeon Namsaeng
Yeon Namsaeng was the eldest son of the Goguryeo Dae Mangniji Yeon Gaesomun . In 665, Yeon Namsaeng succeeded his father and became the 2nd Dae Magniji of Goguryeo.- Background :...
and Yeon Namgeon
Yeon Namgeon
Yeon Namgeon was the second son of the Goguryeo military leader and dictator Yeon Gaesomun , and third Dae Magniji of Goguryeo during the reign of Goguryeo's last ruler, King Bojang-The Fall of Goguryeo:...
.
Last Name
The Steles of Yeon NamsaengYeon Namsaeng
Yeon Namsaeng was the eldest son of the Goguryeo Dae Mangniji Yeon Gaesomun . In 665, Yeon Namsaeng succeeded his father and became the 2nd Dae Magniji of Goguryeo.- Background :...
and Yeon Namgeon
Yeon Namgeon
Yeon Namgeon was the second son of the Goguryeo military leader and dictator Yeon Gaesomun , and third Dae Magniji of Goguryeo during the reign of Goguryeo's last ruler, King Bojang-The Fall of Goguryeo:...
record Yeon Ja-yu's last name as "Cheon." This has been known to be the work of Tang historians who changed the last name "Yeon" to "Cheon" because Tang Gaozu's name was Yuan, which had the same pronunciation as the last name "Yeon".
See also
- 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...
- GoguryeoGoguryeoGoguryeo 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....
- Yeon TaejoYeon TaejoYeon Taejo was the Magniji of Goguryeo during the reigns of King Pyeongwon and King Yeongyang. He was the father of Yeon Gaesomun, and was known to have taken an aggressive stance against the Sui Dynasty alongside Field Marshal Eulji Mundeok.- Background :Yeon Taejo was the son of the previous...
- Yeon GaesomunYeon GaesomunYeon Gaesomun was a powerful and controversial military dictator and Generalissimo in the waning days of Goguryeo, which was one of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea. Yeon is also remembered for a number of successful resistance in military conflicts with Tang Dynasty under Emperor Li Shimin and...