Gogukcheon of Goguryeo

Gogukcheon of Goguryeo
Hangul 고국천왕, 국양왕
Hanja 故國川王, 國襄王
Revised Romanization Gogukcheon-wang, Gugyang-wang
McCune–Reischauer Kogukch'ŏn-wang, Kugyang-wang
Birth name
Hangul 고남무
Hanja 高男武
Revised Romanization Go Nammu
McCune–Reischauer Ko Nammu
Monarchs of Korea
Goguryeo
  1. King Chumo 37-19 BCE
  2. King Yuri 19 BCE-18 CE
  3. King Daemusin 18-44
  4. King Minjung 44-48
  5. King Mobon 48-53
  6. King Taejodae 53-146
  7. King Chadae 146-165
  8. King Sindae 165-179
  9. King Gogukcheon 179-197
  10. King Sansang 197-227
  11. King Dongcheon 227-248
  12. King Jungcheon 248-270
  13. King Seocheon 270-292
  14. King Bongsang 292-300
  15. King Micheon 300-331
  16. King Gogug-won 331-371
  17. King Sosurim 371-384
  18. King Gogug-yang 384-391
  19. King Gwanggaeto 391-413
  20. King Jangsu 413-490
  21. King Munja 491-519
  22. King Anjang 519-531
  23. King An-won 531-545
  24. King Yang-won 545-559
  25. King Pyeong-won 559-590
  26. King Yeong-yang 590-618
  27. King Yeong-nyu 618-642
  28. King Bojang 642-668

King Gogukcheon of Goguryeo (died 197, r. 179–197)[1] was the ninth monarch of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Background and reign

Gogukcheon was the second son of Goguryeo's eighth king, Sindae.[2] Though his older brother, Go Balgi (고발기), was originally the crown prince, the court officials supported Gogukcheon, who was made crown prince in 176.

In 180, Gogukcheon married Lady U, the daughter of U So of the Jena-bu, further consolidating central power.[3] Lady U remained queen after her husband's death due to her marriage with Gogukcheon's brother and subsequent king Sansang.[3] During his reign, the names of five 'bu', or powerful regional clans, become names of districts of the central kingdom, and rebellions by the aristocracy were suppressed, notably in 191.[2]

In 184, Gogukcheon sent his younger brother, Prince Gye-su to fight Chinese Han Dynasty invasion force of the governor of Liaodong.[4] Though Prince Gye-Su was able to block the army, the king later directly led his armies to repel Han forces in 184. In 191, King Gogukcheon adopted a meritocratic system for selecting government officials.[2] As a result, he discovered many talented people from all over Goguryeo, the greatest of them being Eul Pa-So, who was given the position of Prime Minister.[2][5]

The ancient text Samguk Sagi says that Gogukcheon went hunting one day in 194 and encountered a starving village. He gave some of his clothes and food to one of the villagers, and felt that the starvation of his people was his responsibility.[6] Gogukcheon worked to improve the lives of farmers and peasants in his kingdom. Jindae law is a grain loan system enacted by Gogukcheon in 194.[2][7] This system allowed people to borrow grain from March to July and pay back in October. This system was maintained by the age of Joseon dynasty as "Hwangok", which indicates the law was highly preserved more than a thousand years.[2]

Death and Succession

Though Gogukcheon ascension signaled a change from fraternal succession to father-son succession by primogeniture,[8] he was succeeded by his brother Sansang. Gogukcheon's posthumous name was derived from his burial area, Gogukcheon-won (고국천원).[9]

See also

References

  1. "Samguk Sagi". Korean History Data Base. Kim Bu-sik. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "King Gogukcheon". KBS Radio. KBS. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 Pae-yong Yi, 《Women in Korean History 한국 역사 속의 여성들》, Ewha Womans University Press, 2008. ISBN 8973007726, pp.122-123
  4. "계수" (in Korean). Doopedia. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
  5. Kim Bu-sik, 《Samguk Sagi》, 〈髙句麗本紀 第四〉: 十三年, 夏四月, 聚衆攻王都. 王徴幾校勘 013内兵馬平之, 遂下令日校勘 014, “近者官以寵授, 位非徳進, 毒流百姓, 動我王家. 此寡人不明所致也. 今汝四部, 各舉賢良在下者.” 於是, 四部共舉東部晏留. 王徴之, 委以國政, 晏留言於王曰, “微臣庸愚, 固不足以叅大政. 西鴨渌谷左勿村乙巴素者, 琉璃王大臣乙素之孫也, 性質剛毅, 智慮淵深, 不見用於丗校勘 015, 力田自給. 大王若欲理國, 非此人則不可.” 王遣使, 以卑辭重禮聘之, 拜中畏大夫, 加爵爲于台, 謂曰, “孤叨承先業, 處臣民之上, 德薄材短, 未濟於理. 先生藏用晦明, 窮處草澤者久矣. 今不我棄, 幡然而來, 非獨孤之喜幸, 社㮨校勘 016生民之福也. 請安承教, 公其盡心.” 巴素意雖許國, 謂所受職不足以濟事, 乃對曰, “臣之駑蹇, 不敢當嚴命. 願大王選賢良, 授髙官以成大業.” 王知其意, 乃除爲國相, 令知政事. 於是, 朝臣國戚, 謂素以新閒舊, 疾之. 王有教曰, “無貴賤, 苟不從國相者, 族之.” 素退而告人曰, “不逢時則隱, 逢時則仕, 士之常也. 今上待我以厚意, 其可復念舊隠乎.” 乃以至誠奉國, 明政教, 慎賞罰, 人民以安, 内外無事.
  6. Jeon ho-tae, 〈Koguryo, the origin of Korean power & pride〉, Dongbuka History Foundation, 2007. ISBN 8991448836 p.13
  7. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (2015). World Clothing and Fashion: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Social Influence. Routledge. ISBN 131745166X. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  8. Yang, S. C. The South and North Korean political systems: A comparative analysis. Seoul: Hollym. p. 15. ISBN 1-56591-105-9.
  9. Kim Bu-sik, 《Samguk Sagi》, 〈髙句麗本紀 第四〉: 夏五月, 王薨. 葬于故國川原, 號爲故國川王.
Gogukcheon of Goguryeo
Died: 197
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Sindae
King of Goguryeo
179–197
Succeeded by
Sansang
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, March 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.