Goguryeo

Goguryeo (also known as Koguryŏ or Gāogōulì) (37 BC-668) was an empire in Manchuria and northern Korea. It is referred to as one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Baekje and Silla.

History

According to the Samguk Sagi, a 12th century Korean history, King Jumong (posthumously called King Dongmyeongseong) founded the empire in 37 BC around what is now the border between China and North Korea. The paucity of records make this date somewhat speculative: some archaeological and more contemporary Chinese sources indicate a later date for a centralized state, while other archaeological evidence and written records imply a much earlier date.

Related Topics:
Samguk Sagi - King Dongmyeongseong - 37 BC - China - North Korea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Goguryeo expanded its power while China was fragmented following the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 CE. The maximum territorial extent of the kingdom was reached during the reigns of King Gwanggaeto the Great and his son King Jangsu around the year 400. During this period Goguryeo dominion included three fourths of the Korean peninsula and most of Manchuria. It was also during this time that Goguryeo shifted its capital southward to what is now Pyongyang in North Korea, evidence of the intensifying rivalries between it and the other two Korean kingdoms of Baekje and Silla to its south.

Related Topics:
King Gwanggaeto the Great - King Jangsu - Manchuria

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Around the year 600, the Sui Dynasty of China began costly military campaigns, and attacked Goguryeo four times. Each time they were defeated by Goguryeo. These costly and disastrous military campaigns against Goguryeo contributed to the fall of the Sui Dynasty.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Goguryeo was overthrown by an alliance of Silla and Tang Dynasty, in 668. Tang initially attempted to set up a military occupational government in Goguryeo's stead, but this did not last. The southern portion of the ertwhile Goguryeo territory was claimed by Silla, while the rest was succeeded by the kingdom of Balhae.

Related Topics:
Silla - Tang Dynasty - 668 - Balhae

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Balhae, established in 698 claimed itself a successor of Goguryeo in her diplomatic negotiations with Japan. Taebong, another name for the short-lived polity of Hu-Goguryeo ("Later Goguryeo") which rose in rebellion against Silla in the early 10th century, also claimed to be a successor to Goguryeo as did Goryeo, the state that succeeded Silla in the early 10th century to rule a unified Korean peninsula.

Related Topics:
Balhae - 698 - Goguryeo - Taebong - Goryeo

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~