Goryeo

The Goryeo (also spelled Koryo) kingdom ruled Korea from the fall of Silla in 935 until the founding of Joseon in 1392. The name "Goryeo" is a shortened form of "Goguryeo," the name of a kingdom in northern Korea which was conquered by Silla in 668. The English name "Korea" comes from "Goryeo."

Related Topics:
Korea - Silla - 935 - Joseon - 1392 - Goguryeo - 668

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The Goryeo period was a culturally rich one in Korea's history. Two of the period's most notable products are Goryeo pottery — the famous Korean celadon pottery — and the Tripitaka Koreana — the Buddhist scriptures (Tripitaka) carved onto roughly 80,000 woodblocks.

Related Topics:
Celadon - Tripitaka Koreana - Buddhist - Tripitaka

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It is commonly known as a kingdom, but it functioned as an empire. All terminologies used in the court of Goryeo was that of an empire, not of a kingdom. Capital Gaeseong was called "Imperial Capital (??)" and palace as "Imperial Palace (??)." Other terms like Your Majesty (??), Prince (??), Empress (??), Imperial Ordiance (? or ?) also suggest Goryeo was an empire itself. After the Mongol invasion, Mongols forced Goryeo to give up on its status as an empire and it became a kingdom, to signify Mongolian influence.

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