Sambyeolcho Rebellion
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The Sambyeolcho Rebellion (1270-1273) was a Korean rebellion against the Goryeo Dynasty that happened at the last stage of the Mongol invasions of Korea.
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[edit] Background
From 1231, Goryeo was intermittently invaded by the Mongols. Unusually for Korean history, Goryeo was controlled by a military government led by the Choe family. In 1232 the government under the nominal king fled to Ganghwa Island, which Mongol horse riders were unable to land on, and resisted the Mongol invasion. Unfortunately because of its fragile foundation, Goryeo faced frequent rebellions. Some of them were crushed by the government, but the rebels in the northern area defected to the Mongols and their areas were annexed to the Mongol Empire. The 1258 rebellion in the northeastern frontier result in the establishment of Shuangcheng zongguan-fu of the Mongol Empire and the northwestern region became Dongning-fu because of a rebellion in 1269.
Unlike these rebels, the Sambyeolcho (Three Patrols) were an organ of the military government. They were organized by the Choe family to maintain security. However, they enjoyed the patronage of powerful politicians and were used as tools for political strifes.
In 1258, Choe Ui, the fourth of the Choe family, was overthrown by Kim Jun (Kim Injun) using the Sambyeolcho. Kim Jun took a pro-Mongol policy and sent Crown Prince Wang Jeon to the Mongol Empire. At the same time, King Gojong and the crown prince approached the Mongols to restore power from Kim Jun. In 1268, however, Kim Jun was annihilated by the Sambyeolcho under the order of Im Yeon. The next year, Im Yeon's attempt to replace King Wonjong was reversed by the crown prince (Chungnyeol) with the help from the Mongol force. In 1270, Im Yeon's successor Im Yumu was killed by the pro-Mongol faction using the Sambyeolcho. It marked the end of the military regime.
[edit] Rebellion
By the order of the Mongol Court, Wonjong moved the capital from Ganghwa Island to Kaesŏng. Regaining power from military officials with the support of the Mongols, the king decided to abolish the Sambyeolcho (삼별초, 三別抄). However the Sambyeolcho, led by Bae Jungson (배중손, 裴仲孫), revolted against the government setting up their own king. They gave up Ganghwa Island and fled to Jin Island in the southwest.
Although the Sambyeolcho raided the coastlines of Jeolla Province, the southwestern province, Jin Island started to face food shortages in January 1271. In February the Mongol Court called for the Sambyeolcho's surrender. In response, its leader, Bae Jungson, asked Khubilai Khan to secure Jeolla Province and put it under the direct rule of the empire, just as preceding rebels had. But his request was never fulfilled.
In April, the Mongol Court decided to crush the rebels. It only took a month until Jin Island fell to a combined Goryeo and Mongol army. The puppet king was killed and the survivors, led by Kim Tongjeong (김통정, 金通精), fled to Jeju Island. The rebels captured the island and banished the king of Tamna in November 1270.
The Sambyeolcho lay low until the end of 1271. During that time, they sought help from Japan (from the Kamakura Shogunate 鎌倉幕府). They regained their strength to some degree the following year. They repeatedly looted the Korean coast. An army comprised of Mongol, Chinese, and Korean troops was dispatched in February 1272 and crushed the rebels in April. Thereafter, the Mongols directly controlled Tamna until 1294.
[edit] Political exploitation
Based on the nationalist view of history (minjok sagwan), the Sambyeolcho insurgents are praised as national heroes who made stubborn resistance to foreign invasions in South Korea today. In 1978, during Park Chung Hee's regime, a monument to honor the "disobedience to the Mongols" was built on Jeju without formal research. Other relics such as the Yongjang fortress on Jindo island are also maintained as tourist attractions [1].
There are, however, unfavorable factors for this view. First of all, the Sambyeolcho rebelled against and was crushed by Goryeo government. The Sambyeolcho's actions were not consistently anti-Mongol before and during the rebellion. They overthrew Choe Ui and Im Yumu, both of which took anti-Mongol policies. In addition, Bae Jungson attempted to make Jeolla-do a province of the Mongol Empire.
[edit] References
- Ikeuchi Hiroshi 池内宏: Kōrai no Sanbetsushō ni tsuite 高麗の三別抄について, Mansenshi kenkyū Chūsei No. 3 満鮮史研究 中世 第3冊, pp. 67-101, 1963.
- Murai Shōsuke 村井章介: Kōrai, Sanbetsushō no hanran to Mōko shūrai zen'ya no Nihon 高麗・三別抄の叛乱と蒙古襲来前夜の日本, Ajia no naka no chūsei Nihon アジアのなかの中世日本, pp. 144-188, 1988.
