Daemusin of Goguryeo
Encyclopedia
King Daemusin of Goguryeo (4-44, r. 18-44) was the third ruler 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....

, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The 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...

. King Daemusin led early Goguryeo through a period of massive territorial expansion, conquering several smaller nations and the powerful kingdom of Dongbuyeo
Dongbuyeo
Dongbuyeo was an ancient Korean kingdom that developed from Bukbuyeo, until conquered by the early Goguryeo, which then grew into one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea...

.

Background

Prince Muhyul was the third son of King Yuri
Yuri of Goguryeo
King Yuri was the second ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the kingdom's founder King Dongmyeongseong. As with many other early Korean rulers, the events of his life are known largely from the Samguk Sagi.- Background :Yuri was the son...

, and grandson of Jumong. He was made crown prince in the year 14, at the age of 11, and became king upon his father's death four years later. He was buried in Daesuchonwon.

Daemusin strengthened central rule of Goguryeo and expanded its territory. He annexed Dongbuyeo
Dongbuyeo
Dongbuyeo was an ancient Korean kingdom that developed from Bukbuyeo, until conquered by the early Goguryeo, which then grew into one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea...

 and killed its king Daeso
Daeso
King Daeso was the third ruler of the ancient Korean kingdom of Dongbuyeo.- Background :King Daeso was the first son of the previous King Geumwa, and the grandson of Dongbuyeo’s founder and first ruler, Hae Buru....

 in 22. Along the Amnok River, he conquered Gaema-guk in 26, and later conquered Guda-guk.

After fending off China's attack in 28, he sent his son, Prince Hodong, who was about 16 at the time, to attack the Nangnang Commandery in northwestern Korea in 32. He destroyed Nangnang in 37. The legendary love story of Prince Hodong and Princess Nangnang, recorded in the Samguk Sagi
Samguk Sagi
Samguk Sagi is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The Samguk Sagi is written in Classical Chinese and its compilation was ordered by Goryeo's King Injong Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of...

, is well known in Korea to this day. The princess is said to have torn the war drums of her castle, so that Goguryeo could attack without warning.

Modern Depiction

In recent times, Daemusin served as a model for the famous Manhwa
Manhwa
Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons . Outside of Korea, the term usually refers specifically to South Korean comics. The term, along with manga, is a cognate of the Chinese manhua...

and video game Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds
Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds
NEXUS: The Kingdom of the Winds , alternately known as Nexus TK or simply Nexus, is a Pay to Play MMORPG, currently run in the US by Kru Interactive. Nexus began as a U.S. version of the Korean game 바람의 나라 developed by NEXON Inc...

. The Korean historical drama, "The Kingdom of The Winds
The Kingdom of The Winds
Kingdom of The Winds / The Land of The Wind 바람의 나라*Director : Kang Il Soo 강일수*Scriptwriters : Choi Wan Gyu 최완규, Jung Jin Ok 정진옥, Park Jin Woo 박진우*Author : Kim Jin-Synopsis:...

", began airing on September 2008. The drama is based on the manhwa mentioned above and depicts Muhyul, a prince of Goguryeo, who is born with a prophecy stating that he would destroy Goguryeo.

Significance of title

King Muhyul was given the title "Dae-musin wang", which literally means "Great Holy Warrior King". As with most Goguryeo kings, little is known about King Muhyul except for what is stated in some ancient Korean sources, such as Samguk Sagi. Some historians have inferred that the giving of such an extreme title to this man must mean that he led Goguryeo through many outstanding military accomplishment, possibly more than he is given credit for in historical text. Another school of thought declares that the destruction of East Buyeo, in itself, was an almost unthinkable feat at the time, meaning East Buyeo was a powerful kingdom according to these select scholars.

Not all Goguryeo rulers were given special titles posthumously or in their lifetime. Most Goguryeo rulers were posthumously given titles based on the place of their burial. Only a select few, such as King Gwanggaeto the Great and King Dongmyeongseong, were given such "significant" posthumous names.

See also

  • List of Korea-related topics
  • History of Korea
    History of Korea
    The 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...

  • Three Kingdoms of Korea
    Three Kingdoms of Korea
    The 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...

  • List of Korean monarchs
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