Taejo of Goguryeo

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Taejo of Goguryeo
Hangul 태조(대)왕, 국조왕
Hanja 太祖(大)王, 國祖王
Revised Romanization Taejo-(dae)wang, Gukjo-wang
McCune-Reischauer T'aejo-(tae)wang, Kukcho-wang
Birth name
Hangul 고궁 or 어수
Hanja 高宮 or 於漱
Revised Romanization Go Gung or Eosu
McCune-Reischauer Ko Kung or Ǒsu
Monarchs of Korea
Goguryeo
  1. Dongmyeong 37-19 BCE
  2. Yuri 19 BCE-18 CE
  3. Daemusin 18-44
  4. Minjung 44-48
  5. Mobon 48-53
  6. Taejo 53-146
  7. Chadae 146-165
  8. Sindae 165-179
  9. Gogukcheon 179-197
  10. Sansang 197-227
  11. Dongcheon 227-248
  12. Jungcheon 248-270
  13. Seocheon 270-292
  14. Bongsang 292-300
  15. Micheon 300-331
  16. Gogug-won 331-371
  17. Sosurim 371-384
  18. Gogug-yang 384-391
  19. Gwanggaeto the Great 391-413
  20. Jangsu 413-490
  21. Munja-myeong 491-519
  22. Anjang 519-531
  23. An-won 531-545
  24. Yang-won 545-559
  25. Pyeong-won 559-590
  26. Yeong-yang 590-618
  27. Yeong-nyu 618-642
  28. Bojang 642-668

King Taejo of Goguryeo (47 - 165, r. 53 - 146) was the sixth monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is sometimes called Taejo the Great. He rose to the throne following the assassination of King Mobon. Under his reign, the young state expanded its territory and developed into a centrally ruled kingdom. His 93 year reign is thought to be the second longest of any monarch in the world.

Contents

[edit] Background

Taejo was the grandson of Goguryeo's second king, Yuri, and the son of Jaesa (재사, 再思), the head of the Go house of the Kyeru lineage, one of the five powerful houses of the royal court. His mother was from Buyeo.

Although the unpopular Mobon had named his son Ik as the crown prince, after Mobon's death in 53, the Goguryeo court nominated Jaesa to be the next king. Citing his advanced age, Jaesa declined, and his seven-year old son Gung became king. The queen dowager acted as regent for the young king.

[edit] Expansion and centralization

During the first year of his reign, he centralized the kingdom by turning the five clans into five provinces ruled by a governor from that clan, who were under the direct control of the king. He thereby firmly established royal control of the military, economy, and politics.

He conquered the states of East Okjeo in 56, Galsa in 68, Jona in 72, and Juna in 74. He absorbed regional forces into the central bureaucracy, and traveled throughout his territories to strengthen royal control.

He fought on various occasions with China's Han Dynasty and disrupted trade between Lelang and Han. In 55, he ordered the construction of a fortress in the Liaodong area. He attacked Chinese border regions in 105, 111, and 118. In 122, Taejo allied with the Mahan confederacy of central Korea and the neighboring Yemaek tribe to attack Liaodong, greatly expanding the realm of Goguryeo. He launched another major attack in 146.

[edit] Death

In the 94th year of his reign, Taejo's younger brother Suseong took the throne to become King Chadae. Although not found in the more orthodox Samguk Sagi, the Samguk Yusa says that Chadae soon killed both of Taejo's sons, and that the subsequent king Sindae, younger half-brother to Taejo and Chadae, killed both of his brothers in 165.

According to Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, Taejo died at the age of 119, after ruling for 93 years, making him the longest living and reigning king in Korean history.

[edit] See also

[edit] References