King Gongmin (1330 – 1374) ruled Goryeo Dynasty
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
from 1351 until 1374.
He was the second son of
King ChungsukKing Chungsuk was king of the Goryeo kingdom, now part of Korea, from 1313–1330 and again from 1332–1339.In 1314 King Chungseon passed the throne to his son Chungsuk. In 1321 Chungsuk fathered his son Buddhashri. This prompted the previous crown prince of Goryeo, Öljeitü, to establish an alliance...
. In addition to his various Korean names (see right), he bore the
MongolianThe Mongolian language is the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. It has about 5.7 million speakers, including over 90% of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China...
name Bayàn Temür (伯顔帖木兒).
Background
Goryeo had been a dependency of the Mongol
Yuan DynastyThe Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was both the continuation of the Mongol Empire and the Mongol founded historical state in Mongolia and China, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. Although the dynasty was established by Kublai Khan, he had his grandfather Genghis Khan placed on the...
since Mongol invasion of Korea. Starting with King
ChungnyeolChungnyeol of Goryeo was the 25th ruler of the medieval Korean kingdom of Goryeo. He was the son of Wonjong, his predecessor on the throne....
, prospective rulers of Korea married Mongol princesses and were customarily sent to the Yuan Court, in effect, as hostages. As per this custom, King Gongmin spent many years in the Yuan court, being sent there in 1341, before ascending the Korean throne. He married the Mongol princess Queen Noguk (노국대장공주, 魯國大長公主). But in the mid-14th century Yuan was beginning to crumble, soon to be replaced by the
Ming dynastyThe Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history," was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
in 1368.
Personal and political life
With the disintegration of Yuan, which had dominated 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...
since the
Mongol invasions of KoreaThe Mongol invasions of Korea consisted of a series of campaigns by the Mongol Empire against Korea, then known as Goryeo, from 1231 to 1270...
of 1238, Gongmin began efforts to reform Goryeo government. His first act was to remove all pro-Mongol aristocrats and military officers from their positions. These deposed people formed a dissident faction which plotted an unsuccessful coup against the king. High official Jo Il-sin even tried to take over the government, but this rebellion was put down by general
Choe YeongChoe Yong was a Korean general born in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, in Goryeo .-Early years:Despite being born into a relatively wealthy family, his beginnings were humble, and his lifestyle would best be described as spartan...
.
During their invasions, between the 1250s and the 1270s, Mongols had annexed northern provinces of Korea and incorporated them into their empire as
SsangseongSouth Hamgyŏng is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Hamgyŏng Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea...
(쌍성총관부, 雙城摠管府) and
DongnyeongNorth P'yŏngan is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏngan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its capital is Sinŭiju...
(동녕부, 東寧府). In 1356, Goryeo army retook these provinces partly thanks to defection from
Yi Ja-chunYi Ja-chun was a minor officer of the Yuan Dynasty and the father of Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty...
, a minor Korean official in service of Mongols in Ssangseong, and his son Yi Seonggye. In addition, Generals Yi Seonggye and Ji Yongsu led a campaign into
LiaoyangLiaoyang is a city in China, Liaoning province, located in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula. The city is situated on the T'ai-tzu River with a current population of 1,820,000....
.
A second internal problem was the question of land holdings. The land-grant system had broken down, and Mongol-favoured officials, along with a handful of landed gentry, owned the vast majority of agricultural land, which was worked by tenant farmers and bondsmen. However, King Gongmin's attempt at land reform was met with opposition and subterfuge from those officials who were supposed to implement his reforms, as they were landowners themselves.
The third problem was that the
WokouWokou or Japanese pirates were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the thirteenth century onwards...
who had been troubling the peninsula for some time were no longer hit-and-run bandits, but had become well-organised military marauders raiding deep into the country. Generals Choe Yeong and Yi Seonggye were called upon by Gongmin to combat them.
The fourth problem were the
Red TurbanThe Red Turbans invasions of Korea occurred in the 14th century between Goryeo Dynasty and Chinese Red Turbans army.-Background:Goryeo had been a dependency of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty since Mongol invasion of Korea. However, mid-14th century, King Gongmin began efforts to reform Goryeo government...
troops, which invaded Goryeo two times in the years(1359 and 1361). In 1361, the Red Turban troops occupied Kaesong for a short period, but escaped with bare life by general Choe Yeong, Yi Seonggye, Jeong Seun, Yi Bang-sil.
It was during the reign of Gongmin that a Goryeo diplomat stationed in China named Mun Ik-jeom managed to smuggle
cottonCotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft,...
seeds back into Goryeo, introducing them to the Korean peninsula for the first time.
Although the relationship between Queen Noguk and the king were very close, they failed to conceive an heir for many years. Despite suggestions of receiving a second wife, the king ignored these requests. Queen Noguk became pregnant in 1365 but died during the child birth which led to the King's depression and mental instability. He became indifferent to politics and entrusted a great task to monk Shin Don (신돈, 辛旽). However, after six years, Shin Don lost his position.
Goryeo's entrenched bureaucracy never forgave King Gongmin for his reform efforts. They interpreted his policy of cutting all ties with the
YuanThe Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was both the continuation of the Mongol Empire and the Mongol founded historical state in Mongolia and China, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. Although the dynasty was established by Kublai Khan, he had his grandfather Genghis Khan placed on the...
and establishing relations with
MingThe Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history," was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
as a direct threat to their status and feared that further attempts at reform might yet be made.
KaesongKaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
's deposed pro-Mongol faction battled to protect its position and hoped to renew ties with the Mongols who had helped them gain and hold their wealth in the first place.
After death of Queen Noguk, King indulged pederastic affairs. He appointed at least five youths to serve as "little brother attendants" (Jajewi). Of the ones that are known, their names were Hong Ryun, Han An, Gwon Jin, Hong Gwan, and No Son. Same sex relations in the Goreyo dynasty were known by the euphemism of
yongyang-chi-chong, "the dragon and the sun," both symbols of male energy.
In 1374, he was killed by his young men, Choe Man-saeng (최만생) and some young men he was recently having relations with. One of the young men, Hong Ryun (홍륜) had relations with one of Gongmin's concubines, which led to Gongmin's anger. So before Gongmin could kill him, Hong Ryun and Choe Man-saeng killed Gongmin in his sleep.
After his death, a high official Yi In-im was assume the helm of government. and Yi enthrone the eleven-year-old
King UU of Goryeo ruled Goryeo from 1374 until 1388.-Cultural background:In the thirteenth century, Mongol forces had advanced into China, and established the Yuan Dynasty in 1271. After a series of Mongol invasions, Goryeo eventually capitulated and became a vassal of the Yuan Dynasty, and would...
.
Although he did not receive a temple name of an emperor, because the political situation of the time following his death did not recognize him as such, he proclaimed himself an emperor as a part of reformations he undertook in order to reinstate Goryeo's position as an independent nation.
The
Korean TV dramaKorean drama refers to televised dramas, similar to Western miniseries, produced in the Korean language for Korean audiences. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave or Drama Fever. Most popular Korean dramas have...
Shin Don features a depiction of King Gongmin.
As An Artist
King Gongmin was well known for his artistic skills and are referred to as one of the best artists of the Goryeo period. He was also well-known for his calligraphy works. Example of his works are 《천산대렵도(天山大獵圖)》, 《노국대장공주진(眞)》, 《석가출산상(釋迦出山像)》, 《아방궁도(阿房宮圖)》,《현릉산수도(玄陵山水圖)》, 《동자보현육아백상도(童子普賢六牙白象圖)》.
See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- History of Korea
The history of Korea stretches from Lower Paleolithic times to the present. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began before 6000 BC, followed by the Bronze Age around 2500 BC...
- List of Korean monarchs