Yi Jeonggi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yi Jeonggi (732 - 781) was the founder and first emperor of the State of Je, which was a successor-state of Goguryeo, which was the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Yi Jeonggi was the son of a Goguryeo captive of the Tang Empire, and was born in the city of Yeongju, in 732 CE, forty-four years after the fall of Goguryeo in 688.
[edit] Rise to Power
Yi Jeonggi entered the Tang Army around the time of the An Lushan Rebellion, in 755. He killed the sons of a Yeongju government official after the official's death and developed an army of 20,000 by 761. General Yi led his 20,000-man army and headed for Shandong Fortress. Though his army was small in size, he knew that Shandong was home to numerous Goguryeo people who were living their lives like slaves. With this advantage, Yi took control of Shandong Fortress. Soon, his many victories earned him the entire Shandong Peninsula.
[edit] The Establishment of the State of Je
In 765, Yi established the State of Je, proclaiming that his kingdom was to carry on the legacy of the mighty empire of Goguryeo . By 777, Yi had amassed an army of 100,000. He chose not to attack Liaodong because it was a territory of Balhae, which was another successor-state of Goguryeo. Instead, he expanded his kingdom's territories further into Tang territory and conquered a total of 15 Tang provinces by 781. By this time, Yi's State of Je had a massive army of 20,000, which was he preparing to attack Changan, the capital of the crumbling Tang Empire. With all preparations complete, Yi was ready to attack the major cities of Changan and Luoyang, but died suddenly during that year, in 781, at the age of 49.
[edit] Succession
With his death in 781, the throne of Je was given to Yi Nab, who was the eldest son of Yi Jeonggi. Yi Jeonggi's descendants ruled Je for 58 years before the state fell in 818 to the Tang-Silla alliance.
