Gwangjong of Goryeo
Encyclopedia
Gwangjong was the fourth emperor 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...

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Goryeo met the time of change by ascending of Gwangjong. At his early stage as ruler, he maintained a passive attitude to nobles. However, he became more and more drastic. Choi Seung-Ro said that his regime can be divided into three parts. First is the period of groping. Second is the period of strengthening power, and the last is the period of purge.

First Period - The Period of Groping (949–955)

At the early stage of Goryeo, it was a syndicate of powerful clans. Furthermore, many clans of them were the supporting powers of him. It was not easy to reinforce his power and he started to find the way to reinforce his power. He studed how to consolidate his power by reading zhenguanzhengyao. He get the support of the public by supporting Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

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Second Period - The Period of Strengthening power (955–959)

The focus of his reform was strengthening the power of emperor. He started to drive out powerful clans from the 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...

 court. He brought Ssang Gi and naturalized people from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 into his court and started aggressive reforms. He made the law of emancipating slaves (노비안검법, 奴婢按檢法) in 958, and the national civil service examination
Gwageo
The gwageo were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' knowledge of the Chinese classics, and sometimes also of technical subjects...

in 958. The national civil service examination
Gwageo
The gwageo were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' knowledge of the Chinese classics, and sometimes also of technical subjects...

 helped the 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...

 court furnish new faces and expel people of powerful clans.

Third Period - The Period of Purge (959–975)

Powerful clans were unhappy because of his aggressive attitude and reforms. They perceived that they would be purged by him intuitively. Finally, some of them had the intention to revolt. However, they were killed by him before the revolt. Typical examples of the executed were Prince Heunghwa and Prince Gyeongchunwon.

Family

  • Father: Emperor Taejo
    Taejo of Goryeo
    Taejo of Goryeo was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943.-Background:...

     (태조)
  • Mother: Empress Sinmyeongsunseong (신명순성왕후)
  • Consorts:
  1. Empress Daemok (대목왕후), half-sister of Gwangjong
  2. Lady Gyeonghwagung (경화궁부인), niece of Gwangjong
    • Children:
  3. Emperor Gyeongjong
    Gyeongjong of Goryeo
    Gyeongjong of Goryeo was the fifth ruler of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. He was the eldest son of Gwangjong, and was confirmed as Crown Prince in the year of his birth....

     (경종), 1st Son of Empress Daemok
  4. Crown Prince Hyohwa (효화태자), 2nd Son of Empress Daemok
  5. Lady Chenchujeon (천추전부인), 1st daughter of Empress Daemok
  6. Lady Bohwagung (보화궁부인), 2nd daughter of Empress Daemok
  7. Empress Mundeok (문덕왕후), 3rd daughter of Empress Daemok

See also

  • List of Korean monarchs
  • History of Korea
    History of Korea
    The 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...

  • List of Goryeo people



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