Taejo of Joseon
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| Taejo of Joseon | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: | 태조 |
| Hanja: | 太祖 |
| Revised Romanization: | Taejo |
| McCune-Reischauer: | T'aejo |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul: | 이성계 |
| Hanja: | 李成桂 |
| Revised Romanization: | I Seonggye |
| McCune-Reischauer: | I Sŏnggye |
Taejo of Joseon (1335-1408; r. 1392-1398), born Yi Seonggye, was the founder and the first king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korean antiquity, and the main figure in overthrowing the Goryeo Dynasty. He was posthumously raised to the rank of Emperor in 1899 by Gojong, the Gwangmu Emperor, who had proclaimed the Empire of Korea in 1897.
Taejo's father Yi Ja-chun was a former Mongol official, but his ethnicity was Korean. Yi 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.
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[edit] 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. 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 China's Yuan Dynasty Mongol imperial family and by rivalry amongst the various Joseon 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 conducted by Japanese pirates (wakō) 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), Mongol forces became more vulnerable. By the 1350s Goryeo regained its independence, although Mongol remnants effectively occupied northeastern territories with large garrisons of troops.
[edit] 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 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 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 (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 (Goryeo claimed to be the successor of the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo; as such, restoring Manchuria 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 Yalu 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, he decided to revolt and swept back to the capital, Gaesong, to secure control of the government.
[edit] Revolution
General Yi swept his army from the Talu 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 but did not ascend to the throne right away. Instead, he placed on the throne King U's son, King Chang, 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 (공양왕; 恭讓王), coronated 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), threw a party for the renowned scholar, poet and statesman Jeong Mong-ju, 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 (선죽교; 善竹橋) in Gaeseong. This bridge has now become a national monument of North Korea, and a brown spot on one of the stones is said to be a bloodstain of his which turns red when it rains.
[edit] Family
- Father: Yi Ja-chun (이 자춘)
- Mother: Lady Choi (최씨 부인)
- Consorts:
- Queen Sin-ui (신의왕후)
- Queen Sindeok (신덕왕후)
- Children:
- Grand Prince Jin-an (진안대군), 1st Son of Queen Sin-ui.
- Grand Prince Yeong-an(영안대군), 2nd Son of Queen Sin-ui, later King Jeongjong.
- Grand Prince Ik-an (익안대군), 3rd Son of Queen Sin-eui.
- Grand Prince Hwa-an (화안대군), 4th Son of Queen Sin-eui.
- Grand Prince Jeong-an (정안대군), 5th Son of Queen Sin-ui, later King Taejong.
- Grand Prince Deok-an (덕안대군), 6th Son of Queen Sin-ui.
- Princess Gyeongsin (경신공주), 1st daughter of Queen Sin-ui.
- Princess Gyeongseon (경선공주), 2nd daughter of Queen Sin-ui.
- Grand Prince Mu-an (무안대군), 1st Son of Queen Sindeok.
- Grand Prince Ui-an (의안대군), 2nd Son of Queen Sindeok.
- Princess Gyeongsun (경순공주), Only daughter of Queen Sindeok.
[edit] Legacy
The tomb of his Umbilical cord is in Man-In-san, Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Province in the Republic of Korea.
[edit] See also
- Goryeo
- Choi Yong
- Joseon Dynasty
- Korean Imperial Household
- List of Korean monarchs
- List of Korea-related topics
| Preceded by — |
Korean monarchs (Joseon Dynasty) 1392–1398 |
Succeeded by Jeongjong |
