Yi Ja-chun
Encyclopedia
Yi Ja-chun was a minor military officer of the Yuan Dynasty
(he later transferred allegiance to the Goryeo Dynasty) and the father of Yi Seong-gye
, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty
. He was given the temple name
Hwanjo (환조; 桓祖) by Taejong.
Yi Ja-chun was a mingghan (chief of one thousand) of the Yuan Dynasty in Shuangcheng (雙城; Ssangseong in Korean, now Yŏnghŭng, Hamgyŏngnamdo, North Korea
- territory which was then administered by the Mongol Empire
as part of the terms of the vassaldom of Goryeo
to that empire), but his ethnicity was Korean. After Shuangcheng was annexed by Goryeo under King Gongmin, he migrated to Hamju, Hamgyŏngnamdo and got promoted to manho (the equivalent of the Mongolian tümen, lit. ten thousand or chief of ten thousand). He died there in 1360.
Since he was glamorized by his descendants, descriptions of Yi Ja-chun's life tend to be contradictory to each other. For example, he is said to have risen to the rank of scholar-official. However, when he died, the king at the time expressed condolences for Jachun as if for scholar-officials, implying that Yi Ja-chun was not a scholar-official.
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
(he later transferred allegiance to the Goryeo Dynasty) and the father of Yi Seong-gye
Taejo of Joseon
Taejo of Joseon , born Yi Seong-gye, whose changed name is Yi Dan, was the founder and the first king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, and the main figure in overthrowing the Goryeo Dynasty...
, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
. He was given the temple name
Temple name
Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive...
Hwanjo (환조; 桓祖) by Taejong.
Yi Ja-chun was a mingghan (chief of one thousand) of the Yuan Dynasty in Shuangcheng (雙城; Ssangseong in Korean, now Yŏnghŭng, Hamgyŏngnamdo, 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...
- territory which was then administered by the Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
as part of the terms of the vassaldom of Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
to that empire), but his ethnicity was Korean. After Shuangcheng was annexed by Goryeo under King Gongmin, he migrated to Hamju, Hamgyŏngnamdo and got promoted to manho (the equivalent of the Mongolian tümen, lit. ten thousand or chief of ten thousand). He died there in 1360.
Since he was glamorized by his descendants, descriptions of Yi Ja-chun's life tend to be contradictory to each other. For example, he is said to have risen to the rank of scholar-official. However, when he died, the king at the time expressed condolences for Jachun as if for scholar-officials, implying that Yi Ja-chun was not a scholar-official.
See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- List of Goryeo people
- 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...