Bongsang of Goguryeo
Encyclopedia
King Bongsang of Goguryeo (died 300, r. 292–300) was the 14th ruler of Goguryeo
, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
. He was the eldest son of King Seocheon
.
From his youth, he is said to have been arrogant and dissolute, full of mistrust and envy. As soon as he was crowned, Bongsang charged his popular uncle Go Dal-ga (Prince An-guk) with treason and had him slain. According to the Samguk Sagi
, his violence upset the people.
In the eighth lunar month of 293 the Xianbei
chieftain Murong Hui
invaded. Bongsang fled to the mountain of Sinseong. The sohyeong of the north, Go No-ja, led five hundred cavalry out to meet the king, and went on to defeat the Xianbei forces. King Bongsang promoted Go No-ja to daehyeong, a position of the 5th rank, giving him Gongnim as stipend land.
The following month, the king feared that his younger brother Go Dol-go was plotting against him, and forced him to commit suicide. Dol-go's son, the subsequent king Micheon
fled and preserved his own life. In the eighth month of 296, Murong Hui invaded once more, but was repelled.
The following month, a heavy frost and hail fell and destroyed the crops, but the king carried on with reconstructing the palace, and the people complained greatly. King Bongsang did not listen to the counsel of his ministers, and did not look after the people.
In the end, his ministers carried out a coup
in the eighth lunar month of 300. Bongsang and his two sons committed suicide. He was buried in Bongsan-won. The ministers found the escaped prince, and set him on the throne as King Micheon.
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 was the eldest son of King Seocheon
Seocheon of Goguryeo
King Seocheon of Goguryeo was the 13th ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the second son of King Jungcheon, and was confirmed as Crown Prince in 255. He ascended the throne upon his father's death in 270...
.
From his youth, he is said to have been arrogant and dissolute, full of mistrust and envy. As soon as he was crowned, Bongsang charged his popular uncle Go Dal-ga (Prince An-guk) with treason and had him slain. According to the 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...
, his violence upset the people.
In the eighth lunar month of 293 the Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
chieftain Murong Hui
Murong Hui
Murong Hui , Xianbei chief and Duke Xiang of Liaodong, posthumously honored as Prince Wuxuan of Yan.Murong Hui had initially been a Xianbei chief who fought Jin forces during the late reign of Emperor Wu of Jin, Jin's founding emperor, but he submitted as a Jin vassal in 289...
invaded. Bongsang fled to the mountain of Sinseong. The sohyeong of the north, Go No-ja, led five hundred cavalry out to meet the king, and went on to defeat the Xianbei forces. King Bongsang promoted Go No-ja to daehyeong, a position of the 5th rank, giving him Gongnim as stipend land.
The following month, the king feared that his younger brother Go Dol-go was plotting against him, and forced him to commit suicide. Dol-go's son, the subsequent king Micheon
Micheon of Goguryeo
King Micheon of Goguryeo was the 15th ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.- Background and Rise to the throne :...
fled and preserved his own life. In the eighth month of 296, Murong Hui invaded once more, but was repelled.
The following month, a heavy frost and hail fell and destroyed the crops, but the king carried on with reconstructing the palace, and the people complained greatly. King Bongsang did not listen to the counsel of his ministers, and did not look after the people.
In the end, his ministers carried out a coup
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
in the eighth lunar month of 300. Bongsang and his two sons committed suicide. He was buried in Bongsan-won. The ministers found the escaped prince, and set him on the throne as King Micheon.
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