Goryeo
North Korea, 918 CE–1392. Draft, not yet reviewed
Goryeo was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. The name Korea is derived from the name of Goryeo. Throughout its existence, Goryeo, alongside Unified Silla, was known to be the Golden Age of Buddhism in Korea. A final proposed attack against the Ming dynasty resulted in a coup d'état led by General Yi Sŏnggye that ended the Goryeo dynasty.
Seat of power: Kaesong
Rulers
Chungnyeol
monarch, 1274–1308
Chungnyeol was the 25th king of Korea's Goryeo dynasty from 1274 to 1308. King Chungnyeol was the first Goryeo ruler to be remembered by the title wang, meaning king. Before becoming king, Chungnyeol proposed to marry a daughter of Kublai Khan in 1271, and Kublai Khan agreed.
Gongmin
wang, 1351–1374
Gongmin was the 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. His first act was to remove all pro-Mongol aristocrats and military officers from their positions. However, King Gongmin's attempt at land reform was met with opposition and subterfuge from officials who were supposed to implement his reforms, as they were landowners themselves.
Portrait of Gongmin: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
U of Goryeo
wang, 1374–1389
U ruled Goryeo (Korea) as the 32nd king from 1374 until 1388. In 1374, a high official named Yi In-im led a small but powerful, anti-Ming faction that assassinated King Gongmin. King U's reign was characterised by the political fallout of the demise of the Yuan dynasty and rise of the Ming, with his court divided into pro- and anti-Ming groups.
Culture
- As the state religion, Buddhism achieved its highest level of influence in Korean history, with 70 temples in the capital alone in the 11th century.
- Commerce flourished in Goryeo, with merchants coming from as far as the Middle East.
- Goryeo was a period of great achievements in Korean art and culture.
Picture
Sŏnjuk Bridge, built in 1290, is a Koryo-dynasty stone bridge located in Kaesong, North Korea.
Image: David Clayton Ellsworth, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.