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Taejo of Joseon (October 11,1335 – May 24,1408; r. 1392-1398), born Yi Seong-gye, whose changed name is Yi Dan, was the founder and the first king of the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a sovereign state founded by Taejo Taejo of Joseon, and lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong....
 of Korean antiquity, and the main figure in overthrowing the Goryeo
Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. 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....
 Dynasty. He was posthumously raised to the rank of Emperor in 1899 by Gojong
Gojong of Korea

Gojong , the Gwangmu Emperor was the twenty-sixth king of the Korean Joseon Dynasty and the first emperor of the Korean Empire....
, the Gwangmu Emperor, who had proclaimed the Empire of Korea
Korean Empire

The Greater Korean Empire was a former empire of Korea that succeded the Joseon Dynasty that ruled the nation over the past 500 years.In 1897, Emperor Gojong of Korea proclaimed the new entity at Deoksugung Palace and oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, real property laws, education system, and various...
 in 1897.

Taejo's father Yi Ja-chun
Yi Ja-chun

Yi Ja-chun was a minor officer of the Yuan Dynasty and the father of Taejo of Joseon, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. He was given the temple name Hwanjo by Taejong....
 was a former minor Mongol official, but his ethnicity was Korean.






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Taejo of Joseon (October 11,1335 – May 24,1408; r. 1392-1398), born Yi Seong-gye, whose changed name is Yi Dan, was the founder and the first king of the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a sovereign state founded by Taejo Taejo of Joseon, and lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong....
 of Korean antiquity, and the main figure in overthrowing the Goryeo
Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. 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....
 Dynasty. He was posthumously raised to the rank of Emperor in 1899 by Gojong
Gojong of Korea

Gojong , the Gwangmu Emperor was the twenty-sixth king of the Korean Joseon Dynasty and the first emperor of the Korean Empire....
, the Gwangmu Emperor, who had proclaimed the Empire of Korea
Korean Empire

The Greater Korean Empire was a former empire of Korea that succeded the Joseon Dynasty that ruled the nation over the past 500 years.In 1897, Emperor Gojong of Korea proclaimed the new entity at Deoksugung Palace and oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, real property laws, education system, and various...
 in 1897.

Taejo's father Yi Ja-chun
Yi Ja-chun

Yi Ja-chun was a minor officer of the Yuan Dynasty and the father of Taejo of Joseon, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. He was given the temple name Hwanjo by Taejong....
 was a former minor Mongol official, but his ethnicity was Korean. Taejo joined the Goryeo army and rose through the ranks, seizing the throne in 1392. He abdicated in 1398 during the strife between his sons and died in 1408.

Historical Context for Rise

By the late 14th century, the 400 year-old Goryeo Dynasty established by Wang Geon in 918 was tottering, its foundations collapsing from years of war and de facto occupation by the disintegrating Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires#Contiguous Empires empire and the largest bar none. It emerged from the unification of Mongols and Turkic peoples tribes in modern day Mongolia, and grew through Mongol invasions, after Genghis Khan had been proclaimed ruler of all Mongols in 1206....
. The legitimacy of Goryeo itself was also becoming an increasingly disputed issue within the court, as the ruling house failed not only to govern the kingdom effectively, but was also tarnished by generations of forced intermarriage with members of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty

The 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....
  imperial family and by rivalry amongst the various Goryeo
Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. 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....
 royal family branches (even King U's mother was a known commoner, thus leading to rumors disputing his descent from King Gongmin). Within the kingdom, influential aristocrats, generals, and even prime ministers struggled for royal favor and vied for domination of the court, resulting in deep divisions among various factions. With the ever-increasing number of raids against Joseon
Joseon

Joseon, Choson, or Chosun are English spellings of the Korean word for North Korea, during various periods of its history :*Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom(legend period founded by Chinese Adherents or Displaced persons), from 2333 BC to 108 BC....
 conducted by Japanese pirates (wako
Wako

Wako can refer to:*Wako : Pirates who raided coastal areas of East Asia from the thirteenth into the seventeenth century.*Wako, Saitama : a city in Japan, part of the Greater Tokyo Area....
) and the invasions of the Chinese Red Turbans, those who came to dominate the royal court were the reformed-minded Sinjin aristocracy and the opposing Gweonmun aristocracy, as well as generals who could actually fight off the foreign threats--namely a talented general named Yi Seonggye and his rival Choi Yeong. With the rise of the Ming Dynasty under a former monk, Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor
Hongwu Emperor

The Hongwu Emperor , known variably by his given name Zhu Yuanzhang and by the temple name Taizu of the Ming Dynasty was the founder and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China....
), Mongol forces became more vulnerable. By the 1350s Goryeo regained its full independence from the waning Mongol Empire, although Mongol remnants effectively occupied northeastern territories with large garrisons of troops.

Military career

General Yi Seonggye had gained power and respect during the late 1370s and early 1380s by pushing Mongol remnants off the peninsula and also by repelling well-organized Japanese pirates
Wokou

Wokou or Japanese pirates were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the thirteenth century onwards. Originally, the Wokou were mainly soldiers, ronin, merchants and smugglers from Japan, but became predominantly from China two centuries later....
 in a series of successful engagements. He was also credited with routing the Red Turbans when they made their move into the Korean Peninsula as part of their rebellion against the Yuan Dynasty. Following in the wake of the rise of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling Dynasties in Chinese history of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty....
 under the Zhu Yuanzhang, the royal court in Goryeo split into two competing factions: the group led by General Yi (supporting the Ming Dynasty) and the camp led by his rival General Choi
Choe Yeong

Choe Yong was a Korean general born in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, in Goryeo ....
 (supporting the Yuan Dynasty). When a Ming messenger came to Goryeo in 1388 (the 14th year of King U) to demand the return of a significant portion of Goryeo’s northern territory, General Choi seized the opportunity and played upon the prevailing anti-Ming atmosphere to argue for the invasion of the Liaodong Peninsula
Liaodong Peninsula

The Li?odong Peninsula is a peninsula in the Liaoning province of northeastern China, historically known in the west as southern east-Manchuria....
 (Goryeo claimed to be the successor of the ancient kingdom of 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....
; as such, restoring Manchuria
Manchuria

Manchuria is a historical name given to a vast geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria either falls entirely within People's Republic of China, or is divided between China and Russia....
 as part of Korean territory was a tenet of its foreign policy throughout its history). A staunchly opposed Yi was chosen to lead the invasion; however, at Wuihwa Island on the Amrok River, he made a momentous decision that would alter the course of Korean history. Knowing of the support he enjoyed both from high-ranking government officials, the general populace, and the great deterrent of Ming Empire under the Hongwu Emperor
Hongwu Emperor

The Hongwu Emperor , known variably by his given name Zhu Yuanzhang and by the temple name Taizu of the Ming Dynasty was the founder and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China....
, he decided to revolt and swept back to the capital, Gaesong, to secure control of the government.

Revolution

General Yi swept his army from the Yalu River straight into the capital, defeated forces loyal to the king (led by General Choi, whom he proceeded to eliminate) and forcibly dethroned King U in a de facto coup d'état
Coup d'état

A coup d??tat , often simply called a coup, is the sudden unconstitutional overthrow of a government by a part of the state establishment – usually the military – to replace the branch of the stricken government, either with another civil government or with a military government....
 but did not ascend to the throne right away. Instead, he placed on the throne King U's son, King Chang
Chang of Goryeo

Chang of Goryeo was the 33rd and youngest ruler of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. He was the son of his predecessor, U of Goryeo. U was forced from power after Yi Seonggye mutinied in 1388, and Chang was put on the throne in his stead....
, and following a failed restoration of the former monarch, had both of them put to death. General Yi, now the undisputed power behind the throne, soon forcibly had a Goryeo royal named Yo, now King Gongyang
Gongyang of Goryeo

Gongyang of Goryeo was the 34th and final ruler of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. He was deposed by Yi Seonggye, who then established the Joseon Dynasty....
 (???; ???), crowned as king. After indirectly enforcing his grasp on the royal court through the puppet king, Yi then proceeded to ally himself with Sinjin aristocrats such as Jeong Do-jeon and Jo Jun. In 1392 (the 4th year of King Gongyang), Yi dethroned King Gongyang, exiled him to Weonju (where he and his family was secretly murdered), and ascended the throne. The Goryeo Dynasty had come to an end after 475 years of rule.

One of the most widely repeated episodes that occurred in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Goryeo was in 1392, when Taejo's fifth son, Yi Bang-weon (later King Taejong
Taejong of Joseon

Taejong was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea and the father of Sejong the Great of Joseon....
), threw a party for the renowned scholar, poet and statesman Jeong Mong-ju
Jeong Mong-ju

Jeong Mongju , often known by his pen name Po Eun, was a Korean scholar born during the Goryeo dynasty. He was born in Yeongcheon, to a family of the Yeongil Jeong clan....
, who refused to be won over by Yi despite their numerous correspondences in the form of archaic poems, and continued to be a faithful supporter the old dynasty, and a leading figure in the opposition to Yi's claim to the throne. Jeong was revered throughout Goryeo, even by Yi Bang-weon himself, but he was seen to be an obstacle and as such, in the eyes of supporter of the new dynasty, had to be removed. After the party, on his way home, Jeong was murdered by five men on the Seonjuk Bridge (???; ???) in Gaeseong. This bridge has now become a national monument of North Korea
North Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula....
, and a brown spot on one of the stones is said to be a bloodstain of his which turns red when it rains.

Views on Taejo Yi Songgye

Despite the fact that he deliberately overthrew the kingdom of Goryeo
Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. 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....
, and purged officials who remained loyal to the old regime, many regard him as a revolutionary and a decisive ruler who disposed the inept, obsolete and crippled governing system to save the nation from many foreign forces and conflicts. His solid foundation of the new monarchy allowed the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a sovereign state founded by Taejo Taejo of Joseon, and lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong....
 to enjoy six centuries of independence until the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty
Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty

The Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty was signed on August 22, 1910 by the representatives of the Korean Empire and Empire of Japans, and was proclaimed to the public on August 29, officially starting the Korea under Japanese rule in Korea....
 of 1910. His diplomatic success in securing Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
 in the midst of the rival Yuan
Yuan Dynasty

The 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....
 and Ming
Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling Dynasties in Chinese history of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty....
 Dynasties is also highly regarded, because safeguarding domestic security led the Koreans to rebuild and further discover their culture and national identity which once was threatened by the Mongols
Mongols

The name Mongol specifies one or several ethnic groups, now mainly located in Mongolia, China, and Russia....
. However, some scholars view him as a mere traitor to the old regime, paralleling him to a bourgeois apostate, and General Choe Yeong
Choe Yeong

Choe Yong was a Korean general born in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, in Goryeo ....
 as a military elite, who conservatively served the old regime of Goryeo to death.

Family

  • Father: Yi Ja-chun
  • Mother: Queen Uihye of the Yeongheung Choi clan (???? ??)
  • Consorts:
  1. Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan (???? ??, 1337-1391)
  2. Queen Sindeok of the Goksan Kang clan (???? ??)
  3. Anonymous Concubine
  4. Noble Consort Seongbi of the Wonju Won clan(?? ??)
  5. Princess Hwaui of the Kim clan (???? ??)
  6. Princess Jeonggyeong of the Ryu clan(???? ??)


  • Issue:
  1. Grand Prince Jinan (????, 1354-1393), 1st Son of Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan.
  2. Grand Prince Yeongan(????
    Jeongjong of Joseon

    King Jeongjong of Joseon , born Yi Bang-gwa, whose changed name is Yi Gyeong, was the second king of Joseon Dynasty . He was the second son of the founder and also the first king of the dynasty, King Taejo of Joseon....
    , 1357-1419), 2nd Son of Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan.
  3. Grand Prince Ikan (????, 1360-1404), 3rd Son of Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan.
  4. Grand Prince Hoean (????, 1364-1421), 4th Son of Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan
  5. Grand Prince Jeong-an (????
    Taejong of Joseon

    Taejong was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea and the father of Sejong the Great of Joseon....
    , 1367-1422), 5th Son of Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan.
  6. Grand Prince Deokan, 6th Son of Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan.
  7. Grand Prince Muan (????, 1381-1398), 1st Son of Queen Sindeok of the Goksan Kang clan.
  8. Grand Prince Uian (????, 1382-1398), 2nd Son of Queen Sindeok of the Goksan Kang clan.
  9. Princess Gyeongsin, 1st daughter of Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan.
  10. Princess Gyeongseon, 2nd daughter of Queen Sin-ui of the Anbyeon Han clan.
  11. Princess Gyeongsun, Only daughter of Queen Sindeok of the Goksan Kang clan.
  12. Princess Uinyeong, 1st daughter of the anonymous concubine.
  13. Princess Sookshin, 2nd daughter of the anonymous concubine.


His full posthumous name

  • Emperor Taejo Gangheon Jiin Gyeun Eungcheon Jotong Gwanghun Yeongmyeong Seongmun Sinmu Jeongeui Gwangdeok of Korea
  • ??????????????????????????
  • ?? ????????????????????????


Legacy

The tomb of his Umbilical cord
Umbilical cord tomb of Taejo of Joeseon Dynasty

Taejo of Joseon and his son JeongJong's Umbilical cords are buried in Maninsan, Geumsan, South Chungcheong province, Korea....
 is in Man-In-san, Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Province in the Republic of Korea.

See also

  • Goryeo
    Goryeo

    The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. 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....
  • Choi Yong
  • Joseon Dynasty
    Joseon Dynasty

    Joseon , was a sovereign state founded by Taejo Taejo of Joseon, and lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong....
  • Korean Imperial Household
    Korean Imperial Household

    The House of Yi consists of the descendants of the Joseon Dynasty and the imperial family of the Korean Empire. All are members of the Jeonju Lee clan, and trace their descent from Taejo of Joseon....
  • List of Korean monarchs
  • 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....