Anseung
Encyclopedia
Anseung (fl.
668-683), alternately Ansun (안순, 安舜), was thought to be either the nephew or illegitimate grandson of king Bojang of Goguryeo
, the last King of Goguryeo
. He was named the new King of Goguryeo by general Geom Mojam
, but later he murdered Geom and submitted to the Korean kingdom of Silla
, taking up residence in the Silla capital of Gyeongju
.
, and a prince of Goguryeo
before its fall. In some Chinese sources, Go Anseung is recorded as the grandson of Bojang
, the last king of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.
, also in flight. Together they forged an alliance to revive the Goguryeo kingdom. Anseung was crowned ruler of the new Goguryeo, centered in the city of Hansung, in today's South Hwanghae province, North Korea. Envoys were soon dispatched to Silla seeking a restitution of some territory for a revived Goguryeo kingdom as well as a defensive alliance with "the Great State" (i.e. Silla). Silla, eager to break its ties with Tang, which following the defeat of Goguryeo and Baekje now threatened to impose its hegemony over the former Baekje and Goguryeo territories, agreed to reestablish, and ally with, a revived Goguryeo under king Anseung. In the eighth month of 670, King Munmu
of Silla sent a royal decree to Anseung, reading in part:
"Now people cannot be without a ruler and august heaven must have one to entrust with the mandate. You and you alone are true descendant of your former king [Bojang]; who but you can lead the ancestral sacrifices?...Reverently my emissary...and others have been dispatched to quickly unroll this decree of enfiefment which orders you to be King of Goguryeo. You must gather together and calm your refugee peoples, continue old ties and give them new life, be as a neighbor state for all times and conduct affairs as brothers."
King Munmu then bestowed upon him the title of King of Bodeok (보덕국왕, 報德國王), and bequeathed him a small piece of territory in the vicinity of what is today the city of Iksan
near the former Baekje capital at Buyeo
, ostensibly to serve as a roadblock to the expected Tang attempts to control that region.
In the third year of the reign of Silla’s King Sinmun
(683), in the wake of rebellious plots by Silla aristocrats against King Sinmun (plots that also involved the general Daemun (대문, 大文), a relative of Anseung), Silla abolished the small kingdom of Bodeok and Anseung was made to reside in the Silla capital of Gyeongju
, where he was granted the official title of sopan (소판, 蘇判), bestowed with the clan name of Kim
(金), and given a generous piece of land and magnificent dwelling. The Kingdom of Bodeok came to an end and the remnant Goguryeo populace there was repopulated in various locales in the south.
The date and circumstances of Anseung's death are unknown.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
668-683), alternately Ansun (안순, 安舜), was thought to be either the nephew or illegitimate grandson of king Bojang of Goguryeo
Bojang of Goguryeo
Bojang of Goguryeo was the 28th and last king of Goguryeo the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was placed on the throne by the military leader Yeon Gaesomun...
, the last King of Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
. He was named the new King of Goguryeo by general Geom Mojam
Geom Mojam
Geom Mojam was the military leader of a short-lived movement to restore Goguryeo after its fall to Silla in the later 7th century CE. After the kingdom fell to Tang and Silla in 668, he kindled an opposition movement in the Taedong River valley and in 670 established Anseung as the new King of...
, but later he murdered Geom and submitted to the Korean kingdom of Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
, taking up residence in the Silla capital of Gyeongju
Gyeongju
Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of the...
.
Background
Go Anseung was the nephew of King Bojang of GoguryeoBojang of Goguryeo
Bojang of Goguryeo was the 28th and last king of Goguryeo the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was placed on the throne by the military leader Yeon Gaesomun...
, and a prince of Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
before its fall. In some Chinese sources, Go Anseung is recorded as the grandson of Bojang
Bojang of Goguryeo
Bojang of Goguryeo was the 28th and last king of Goguryeo the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was placed on the throne by the military leader Yeon Gaesomun...
, the last king of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.
Ruler of a rump Goguryeo
In 668, Prince Anseung was in Silla, where he had been held as hostage for many years. Upon hearing of his kingdom's defeat and downfall, he searched for survivors and first sought permission to revive his kingdom. Anseung encountered the high Goguryeo official Geom MojamGeom Mojam
Geom Mojam was the military leader of a short-lived movement to restore Goguryeo after its fall to Silla in the later 7th century CE. After the kingdom fell to Tang and Silla in 668, he kindled an opposition movement in the Taedong River valley and in 670 established Anseung as the new King of...
, also in flight. Together they forged an alliance to revive the Goguryeo kingdom. Anseung was crowned ruler of the new Goguryeo, centered in the city of Hansung, in today's South Hwanghae province, North Korea. Envoys were soon dispatched to Silla seeking a restitution of some territory for a revived Goguryeo kingdom as well as a defensive alliance with "the Great State" (i.e. Silla). Silla, eager to break its ties with Tang, which following the defeat of Goguryeo and Baekje now threatened to impose its hegemony over the former Baekje and Goguryeo territories, agreed to reestablish, and ally with, a revived Goguryeo under king Anseung. In the eighth month of 670, King Munmu
Munmu of Silla
Munmu of Silla was the thirtieth king of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He is usually considered to have been the first ruler of the Unified Silla period. Munmu was the son of King Muyeol and Munmyeong, who was the younger sister of Kim Yu-shin...
of Silla sent a royal decree to Anseung, reading in part:
"Now people cannot be without a ruler and august heaven must have one to entrust with the mandate. You and you alone are true descendant of your former king [Bojang]; who but you can lead the ancestral sacrifices?...Reverently my emissary...and others have been dispatched to quickly unroll this decree of enfiefment which orders you to be King of Goguryeo. You must gather together and calm your refugee peoples, continue old ties and give them new life, be as a neighbor state for all times and conduct affairs as brothers."
King Munmu then bestowed upon him the title of King of Bodeok (보덕국왕, 報德國王), and bequeathed him a small piece of territory in the vicinity of what is today the city of Iksan
Iksan
Iksan is a city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, South Korea.The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" , but merged with Iksan County in 1995....
near the former Baekje capital at Buyeo
Buyeo
Buyeo can mean:*Buyeo kingdom, a kingdom located in today's North Korea and southern Manchuria from around the 2nd century BC to 494 AD*Buyeo County, a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, and one-time capital of the ancient kingdom of Baekje...
, ostensibly to serve as a roadblock to the expected Tang attempts to control that region.
The end of the Kingdom of Bodeok
The revived Goguryeo territory of Bodeok soon became a haven for remnants of the Goguryeo population. Shortly thereafter in 672, and under circumstances unknown but evidence of internal turmoil within the new kingdom, Geom was killed under Anseung's orders.In the third year of the reign of Silla’s King Sinmun
Sinmun of Silla
Sinmun of Silla was the thirty-first king of Silla, a Korean state that originated in the southwestern Korean peninsula and went on to unify most of the peninsula under its rule in the mid 7th century. He was the eldest son of Silla's unifier-king, Munmu and Queen Jaeui...
(683), in the wake of rebellious plots by Silla aristocrats against King Sinmun (plots that also involved the general Daemun (대문, 大文), a relative of Anseung), Silla abolished the small kingdom of Bodeok and Anseung was made to reside in the Silla capital of Gyeongju
Gyeongju
Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of the...
, where he was granted the official title of sopan (소판, 蘇判), bestowed with the clan name of Kim
Kim
-Names:* Kim * Kim * Kim * Kim, Vietnamese form of Jin -Places:* KIM, IATA code for Kimberley Airport in South Africa* Kim, Colorado, United States* Kim, a town near Surat, Gujarat, India...
(金), and given a generous piece of land and magnificent dwelling. The Kingdom of Bodeok came to an end and the remnant Goguryeo populace there was repopulated in various locales in the south.
The date and circumstances of Anseung's death are unknown.
See also
- History of KoreaHistory of KoreaThe Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
- List of Korea-related topics
- Three Kingdoms of KoreaThree Kingdoms of KoreaThe Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...
- Geom MojamGeom MojamGeom Mojam was the military leader of a short-lived movement to restore Goguryeo after its fall to Silla in the later 7th century CE. After the kingdom fell to Tang and Silla in 668, he kindled an opposition movement in the Taedong River valley and in 670 established Anseung as the new King of...