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Onjo of Baekje

 

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Onjo of Baekje



 
 
Onjo (?-28, r. 18 BC–AD 28) was the founding monarch of Baekje
Baekje

Baekje , 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 Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea

The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean empire of Goguryeo, and kingdom of Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE....
. 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 King Injong and undertaken by the government official and historian Kim Busik and a team of junior scholars....
, he was the ancestor of all Baekje kings.

as the third son of King Dongmyeong (Jumong), the founder of the northern Korean kingdom Goguryeo
Goguryeo

Goguryeo or Koguryo was an ancient Koreans Empire located in the northern and central parts of the Korean peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Primorsky Krai....
. He was the younger half-brother of Yuri
Yuri of Goguryeo

King Yuri was the second ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the kingdom's founder Dongmyeongseong of Goguryeo....
, who became Goguryeo's second king, and younger brother of Biryu
Biryu

Biryu was the second son of Jumong and So Seo-no, and older brother of Onjo of Baekje, the traditionally recognized founder of Baekje . Baekje was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea....
, described in some records as the founder of Baekje.

myeong had three sons: Yuri
Yuri of Goguryeo

King Yuri was the second ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the kingdom's founder Dongmyeongseong of Goguryeo....
, Biryu
Biryu

Biryu was the second son of Jumong and So Seo-no, and older brother of Onjo of Baekje, the traditionally recognized founder of Baekje . Baekje was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea....
, and Onjo.






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Onjo (?-28, r. 18 BC–AD 28) was the founding monarch of Baekje
Baekje

Baekje , 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 Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea

The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean empire of Goguryeo, and kingdom of Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE....
. 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 King Injong and undertaken by the government official and historian Kim Busik and a team of junior scholars....
, he was the ancestor of all Baekje kings.

Background

He was the third son of King Dongmyeong (Jumong), the founder of the northern Korean kingdom Goguryeo
Goguryeo

Goguryeo or Koguryo was an ancient Koreans Empire located in the northern and central parts of the Korean peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Primorsky Krai....
. He was the younger half-brother of Yuri
Yuri of Goguryeo

King Yuri was the second ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the kingdom's founder Dongmyeongseong of Goguryeo....
, who became Goguryeo's second king, and younger brother of Biryu
Biryu

Biryu was the second son of Jumong and So Seo-no, and older brother of Onjo of Baekje, the traditionally recognized founder of Baekje . Baekje was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea....
, described in some records as the founder of Baekje.

Founding and Expansion of Baekje

Dongmyeong had three sons: Yuri
Yuri of Goguryeo

King Yuri was the second ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the kingdom's founder Dongmyeongseong of Goguryeo....
, Biryu
Biryu

Biryu was the second son of Jumong and So Seo-no, and older brother of Onjo of Baekje, the traditionally recognized founder of Baekje . Baekje was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea....
, and Onjo. When Yuri, born from Dongmyeong's previous wife in Dongbuyeo
Dongbuyeo

Dongbuyeo was an ancient Korean kingdom that developed from Bukbuyeo, until conquered by the early Goguryeo, which then grew into one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea....
, came to Goguryeo and became the heir to the throne, Biryu and Onjo moved south to found their own kingdoms.

According to the Samguk Yusa
Samguk Yusa

Samguk 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....
, Biryu founded his kingdom in Michuhol (???
Hangul

Hangul is the native alphabet of the Korean language, as distinguished from the logogram Sino-Korean vocabulary hanja system. It was created in the mid-fifteenth century, and is now the official writing system of both North Korea and South Korea, being co-official in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of China....
/???
Hanja

Hanja is the Korean language name for Chinese characters. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese language and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation....
), but his didn't last long. The modern-day location of Michuhol is in debate—it has been identified as Incheon
Incheon

Incheon is a Special cities of Korea and a major seaport on the west coast of South Korea, near Seoul.Human settlement at the location goes back to the Neolithic....
 for a long time, but recently it is suggested as Asan
Asan

Asan is a Administrative divisions of South Korea in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at , bordering the Seoul Metropolitan Area to the north....
, South Chungcheong. Onjo found his kingdom in Wiryeseong
Wiryeseong

Wiryeseong was the name of two early capitals of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Both are believed to have been in the modern-day Seoul area....
, and named it Sipje (??
Hangul

Hangul is the native alphabet of the Korean language, as distinguished from the logogram Sino-Korean vocabulary hanja system. It was created in the mid-fifteenth century, and is now the official writing system of both North Korea and South Korea, being co-official in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of China....
/??
Hanja

Hanja is the Korean language name for Chinese characters. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese language and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation....
).

Biryu's people joined Sipje after Biryu's death and Onjo renamed it to Baekje. After that, the capital city of Baekje was moved southward from Hanam Wiryeseong because the Malgal were located at the North and Nangnang was located to the East. The newly moved capital city corresponds to current Seoul. In 3 BC and 8 BC, the Malgal tribes attacked from the north, and both times, Onjo directly led his armies and won victories over the invaders. In 5 BC, Onjo moved the capital city to Ung-Chun(??) and sent a messenger to the Mahan confederacy
Mahan confederacy

Mahan was a loose confederacy of statelets that existed from around the 100BCE-300CE in the southern Korean peninsula in the Chungcheong Province....
 telling him of the recent action.

At this time, Onjo already had plans of conquering Mahan and Jinhan
Jinhan confederacy

Jinhan was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the 1st century BC to the 4th century CE in the southern Korean peninsula, to the east of the Nakdong River valley, Gyeongsang Province....
. By 7 AD, he was already preparing his armies for war and finally attacked during 8 AD. In 8 AD, he secretly took his armies across the border, laying the deceit that he was going to hunt in the forests. Soon, all of Mahan except for two fortresses were conquered. The citizens of the last two Mahan fortresses surrendered to Onjo and were given mercy. The Mahan King, however, committed suicide and left a letter for Onjo, asking him to take in Mahan's people with kindness and mercy. Onjo respected the Mahan King's last request and took his people in.

Baekje had expanded greatly, and several fortresses were being built every year. Peace lasted for 8 years until 16 AD, when a former Mahan general caused a rebellion. Onjo directly led an army of 5,000 and successfully destroyed the rebellion. Soon after this, the Malgal tribes invaded again during 22 AD, but were once again defeated by Onjo and his army.

Death and succession

Onjo died of natural causes in 28 AD, during the 46th year of his reign. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Daru
Daru of Baekje

Daru of Baekje was the second king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea....
. Onjo laid the foundations for a powerful dynasty that would last for 678 years and 31 rulers.

See also

  • List of Korea-related topics
    List of Korea-related topics

    This is a list of articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. For help on how to use this list, see the #Introduction below....
  • History of Korea
    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