Goi of Baekje (?-286, r. 234-286) was the 8th king of
BaekjeBaekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
, one of the
Three Kingdoms of KoreaThe Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE...
. He was the second son of the 4th king
GaeruGaeru of Baekje was the fourth king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to the history compilation Samguk Sagi, he was the son of the previous king Giru.-Reign:...
and younger brother of the 5th king
ChogoChogo of Baekje was the fifth king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.-Background:He was the son of King Gaeru....
.
Upon the death of the 6th king
GusuGusu of Baekje was the 6th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to the Samguk Sagi, he was descended from the founding king Onjo and the eldest son of the 5th king Chogo....
, Gusu's eldest son
SabanSaban of Baekje was the 7th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the 6th king Gusu.According to the Samguk Sagi, Saban was found too young to rule and quickly succeeded by King Goi, the younger brother of the 5th king Chogo...
became king, but proved to be too young to rule. Goi dethroned Saban and became king.
Some scholars interpret the Korean records
Samguk SagiSamguk 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...
and
Samguk YusaSamguk 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...
to mean that Goi was the younger brother of the mother of King Chogo, implying that he is of the Utae -
BiryuBiryu was the second son of Jumong and So Seo-no, and older brother of Onjo, the traditionally recognized founder of Baekje , which was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea...
lineage, rather than a direct descendent of the traditionally recognized founder
OnjoOnjo was the founding monarch of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to the Samguk Sagi, he was the ancestor of all Baekje kings.- Background :...
.
The Chinese records
Book of ZhouThe Book of Zhou was the official history of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou, and it ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was compiled by the Tang Dynasty historian Linghu Defen and was completed in 636...
(周書) and
Book of SuiThe Book of Sui was the official history of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty, and it ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was compiled by a team of historians led by the Tang Dynasty official Wei Zheng and was completed in 636.-External links:* of the Book of Sui,...
(隋書) refer to "Gutae" as the founder of Baekje, and some scholars believe that "Gutae" actually refers to Goi as the true founder of the kingdom.
Goi is generally credited with centralising the Baekje kingdom, concentrating royal power and laying the foundation of the state structure.
Immediately upon taking the throne, he established a central military office to restrain the independence of regional clans.
Goi of Baekje (?-286, r. 234-286) was the 8th king of
BaekjeBaekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
, one of the
Three Kingdoms of KoreaThe Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE...
. He was the second son of the 4th king
GaeruGaeru of Baekje was the fourth king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to the history compilation Samguk Sagi, he was the son of the previous king Giru.-Reign:...
and younger brother of the 5th king
ChogoChogo of Baekje was the fifth king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.-Background:He was the son of King Gaeru....
.
Background
Upon the death of the 6th king
GusuGusu of Baekje was the 6th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to the Samguk Sagi, he was descended from the founding king Onjo and the eldest son of the 5th king Chogo....
, Gusu's eldest son
SabanSaban of Baekje was the 7th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the 6th king Gusu.According to the Samguk Sagi, Saban was found too young to rule and quickly succeeded by King Goi, the younger brother of the 5th king Chogo...
became king, but proved to be too young to rule. Goi dethroned Saban and became king.
Some scholars interpret the Korean records
Samguk SagiSamguk 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...
and
Samguk YusaSamguk 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...
to mean that Goi was the younger brother of the mother of King Chogo, implying that he is of the Utae -
BiryuBiryu was the second son of Jumong and So Seo-no, and older brother of Onjo, the traditionally recognized founder of Baekje , which was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea...
lineage, rather than a direct descendent of the traditionally recognized founder
OnjoOnjo was the founding monarch of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to the Samguk Sagi, he was the ancestor of all Baekje kings.- Background :...
.
The Chinese records
Book of ZhouThe Book of Zhou was the official history of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou, and it ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was compiled by the Tang Dynasty historian Linghu Defen and was completed in 636...
(周書) and
Book of SuiThe Book of Sui was the official history of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty, and it ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was compiled by a team of historians led by the Tang Dynasty official Wei Zheng and was completed in 636.-External links:* of the Book of Sui,...
(隋書) refer to "Gutae" as the founder of Baekje, and some scholars believe that "Gutae" actually refers to Goi as the true founder of the kingdom.
Reign
Goi is generally credited with centralising the Baekje kingdom, concentrating royal power and laying the foundation of the state structure.
Immediately upon taking the throne, he established a central military office to restrain the independence of regional clans. The
Samguk Sagi also records that in 260, he established a central bureaucracy of six ministers, sixteen rank levels, and a code of dress, although the full system may have been completed after his reign (see, e.g., Best (2002)).
In 262, he is said to have established regulations against
briberyBribery, a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an...
, requiring corrupt officials to repay three times the amount of the bribe. He also ordered the cultivation of farmlands south of the capital.
Foreign relations
Under Goi's reign, Baekje expanded control of the
Han RiverThe Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Tumen, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...
region and gained permanent ascendancy over the remaining states of the
MahanMahan was a loose confederacy of statelets that existed from around the 100BCE-300CE in the southern Korean peninsula in the Chungcheong Province. Arising out of the confluence of Gojoseon migration and the Jin federation, Mahan was one of the Samhan , along with...
, a loose confederacy in the southwest of the
Korean PeninsulaThe Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan on the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two...
. He also attacked the borders of Baekje's eastern rival
SillaSilla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustained dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park , the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its...
.
Baekje also changed its defensive posture against the Chinese to an offensive one. Goi attacked the Chinese-controlled
Lelang commanderyLelang was one of the Chinese commanderies which was kept in the Korean Peninsula over 400 years until Goguryeo conquered it in 313 A.D.-History:...
and the
Daifang commanderyDaifang Commandery was one of the remnants of the Four Commanderies of Han China in the Korean peninsula.-History:Gongsun Kang, a warlord in Liaodong, separated the southern half from the Lelang commandery and established the Daifang commandery in 204 to make administration more efficient...
when the Chinese launched an attack against the Han River region to disrupt and prevent Baekje's emerging power. In 246, according to both the Korean
Samguk Sagi and the Chinese
Wei Zhi, Baekje went to war against Daifang commandery, and the commandery's governor Gong Zun was slain.