Sansang of Goguryeo
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| Sansang of Goguryeo | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: | 산상왕 |
| Hanja: | 山上王 |
| Revised Romanization: | Sansang-wang |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Sansang-wang |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul: | 고연우 also 이이모 |
| Hanja: | 高延優 also 伊夷模 |
| Revised Romanization: | Go Yeon-u also I-imo |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Ko Yŏnu also Iimo |
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King Sansang of Goguryeo (? - 227, r. 197 - 227) was the 10th ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the third son of the eighth king Sindae and the younger brother of the ninth king Gogukcheon, who died without an heir.
[edit] Background and rise to the throne
Upon Gogukcheon's death, his queen Lady U supported Sansang's claim and had him placed on the throne. She then became Sansang's queen. This indicates that the custom of Levirate marriage was still practiced in Goguryeo, but also demonstrated Lady U's power in court.
Balgi, older brother to Sansang, led a rebel force attacking the capital. Sansang had his younger brother Gyesu repel the attack, and Balgi committed suicide. Sansang later attacked Han Dynasty China for assisting in the rebellion. In 209, he is said to have moved the capital to Jian, although some scholars question this date. In 217, he granted refuge to a thousand families from the Liaodong region.
[edit] Successor
In the eleventh lunar month of 208, the king chased a sacrificial boar to the village of Jutongchon, where he met a young woman and spent the day with her. The queen heard of this and tried unsuccessfully to have the woman slain. The woman gave birth to a son and was made the second queen. The son was made crown prince in 213 and later became King Dongcheon.
Sansang died during 227, the 31st year of his reign, and was buried in Sansang-neung.
