Jangsu of Goguryeo
Encyclopedia
Emperor Jangsu of Goguryeo (394–491) (r. 413–491) was the 20th monarch
of Goguryeo
, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
. He was born in 394, the eldest son of King Gwanggaeto the Great
. He became crown prince in 408, and upon his father's death in 413, became emperor at the age of 19.
He reigned over the peak of Goguryeo's power, building on his father's territorial expansion. He is also noted for the Gwanggaeto Stele
. His posthumous name means "long life."
). Of such imposing dimensions was the tomb and its grounds it needed 330 people to tend it at all times. Jangsu called for 330 men from different regions and tribal backgrounds to guard and clean the tomb in perpetuity, demonstrating the effective consolidation of the Goguryeo kingdom and monarch's power at the time of Jangsu's succession.
In 427, he transferred the Goguryeo capital to Pyeongyang from Gungnae Fortress (modern Ji'an
on the China-Korean border) Many modern Chinese historians argue that since the early Goguryeo capital was located in what is now China, the history of that kingdom prior to 427 should be regarded as Chinese history. This claim is oft stated, but uncited on Wikipedia and assumes that it is possible for political geography to conquer history. There were various reasons for this shift: to prepare for the offensive against Baekje
and Silla
in the south and to create a greater and more magnificent capital befitting a kingdom that had experienced large-scale expansion. After moving the capital southward, King Jangsu decided to continue the conquests of his father.
and divided into Sixteen Kingdoms
. Later Yan
Dynasty, which was based on present-day Liaoning Province, was defeated so heavily by Gwanggaeto the Great's forces and finally came to an end in 408. After the fall of Later Yan, Han Chinese
drove Murong
clan of Xianbei
northward and established Northern Yan
Kingdom in the area. However, Northern Yan was no match for Xianbei Northern Wei
Dynasty, which unified most of northern China. Then Northern Yan began to seek alliances with Goguryeo, which had greater power than itself and which also can fight equally against Northern Wei. In 436 Goguryeo cavalry arrived in Northern Yan and eventually drove Xianbeis away.
Song Dynasty
during the era, which was in the feud against Northern Wei, encouraged both Northern Yan and Goguryeo as rivaling nations of Northern Wei. However, the plan did not work out all right as Jangsu turned against them and destroyed Northern Yan in 438. He conquered the entire region and held its ex-king as captive. Song court was outraged and warned King Jangsu that the death of Yan king means the war between two nations; However Jangsu ignored the warning and executed the king. Song troops then attacked Goguryeo but were easily defeated. The peace resumed in the following year when Jangsu sent 800 horses as gift to the Song Emperor, to prepare for the war against Northern Wei, so Goguryeo can concentrate its forces against Baekje and Silla while two Chinese powers were in war against each other. Jangsu again encouraged Song to invade Wei in 459 when he sent loads of crossbow
s and provided gold and silver. Wei government was upset by his actions but had to keep peace with Goguryeo to continue war against Song and Rouran
. Jangsu also seek relationship with Wei to wage war against Baekje, so the two empires established formal relationship in 435.
sent a letter to the emperor of Northern Wei. He stated that he was having trouble interacting with Wei because of frequent Goguryeo intervention, thus calling for military action against Goguryeo.
Emperor Jangsu sought for the chance to invade the southern kingdoms of Korea, Baekje and Silla, while the Chinese kingdoms of Northern Wei and the Song Dynasty were fighting each other. As a result, King Jangsu secretly planned to attack Baekje, which despite its losses against Gwanggaeto the Great's invasions, still held a significant powerbase in the peninsula. To disarm Baekje, he sent a Buddhist monk named Dorim. Dorim went to King Gaero
's court, with the secret objective of corrupting the country before the invasion of Goguryeo. King Gaero began to favor Dorim, and played Baduk
(the board game) with him every day, and the was able to talk Gaero into spending large sums of money on construction projects, which weakened the national treasury.
In 475, Emperor Jangsu launched a full-scale invasion from both land and sea against the now politically unstable kingdom of Baekje. Dorim was successful in gaining information about Baekje and consequently King Gaero was not at all prepared for the assault formulated by Goguryeo and Emperor Jangsu. With momentum now in his favor, Jangsu then proceeded toward the capital and easily captured the city of Wiryesong, and slew King Gaero while Dorim safely escaped from the city. Soon after, Emperor Jangsu burnt the capital to the ground, along with several cities that he conquered from Baekje (Baekje moved its capital to Ungjin
(present day Gongju
) to keep the kingdom alive). The war gave Goguryeo more or less total control of the Han River
valley, the region essential to commercial and military power in the Korean Peninsula; Baekje was able to be a superior nation on the peninsula because it had the control of the region for almost 500 years, but since the ruler of the area changed, it lost the control of the peninsula.
After successfully concluding his campaign in Baekje, the Goguryeo emperor then turned his attention toward the second peninsular kingdom of Silla and with its addition, erected a stone monument in present-day Chungju
, praising the accomplishments of his father and himself. This monument marked the border between the southern kingdoms and Goguryeo and remains in the same site.
gave up the large territory which were spread in present-day Mongolia
. After settling peace with Rourans, Jangsu attacked the Khitans, then a branch of Xianbei confederacy at the time.
After Khitans surrendered to Goguryeo, Jangsu sent gifts to both Northern Wei and Southern Qi
, which took over southern half of China after overthrowing Song in 479. Both Qi and Wei tried to tighten Goguryeo's relationship with them; Wei emperors treated Goguryeo delegates equal to Chinese delegates. However, Emperor Jangsu continued to keep good relationship with Qi; the attitude further outraged Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei again, and at last he gave order to kidnap the Goguryeo delegate before he gets to Qi capital. However Jangsu sent delegates again to Qi, and Northern Wei could not block Jangsu from causing Southern Dynasties to attack it.
While communicating with both nations, he also plundered gifts from Japanese to the Southern Dynasties. As well as King Gaero, who sent letter to Wei court asking for troops, rulers of Silla, Gaya
, and Japan
also grieved for Goguryeo's power in East Asia, which actually controlled entire foreign relations of the region.
means "long life" in hanja
. During his reign, Goguryeo was at its golden age, stretching from Mongolia to Chungju.
Together with his father King Gwanggaeto the Great
, he is also sometimes referred to as Emperor Jangsu the Great.
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
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...
. He was born in 394, the eldest son of King Gwanggaeto the Great
Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo
Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo was the nineteenth monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. His full posthumous name roughly means "Very Greatest King, Broad Expander of Territory, buried in Gukgangsang.", sometimes abbreviated to Hotaewang or Taewang...
. He became crown prince in 408, and upon his father's death in 413, became emperor at the age of 19.
He reigned over the peak of Goguryeo's power, building on his father's territorial expansion. He is also noted for the Gwanggaeto Stele
Gwanggaeto Stele
The stele of King Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo was erected in 414 by King Jangsu as a memorial to his deceased father. It is one of the major primary sources extant for the history of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and supplies invaluable historical detail on his reign as well as insights...
. His posthumous name means "long life."
Early reign
At first, Jangsu dedicated much of his efforts towards stabilizing a kingdom that had experienced great and sudden growth, a direct result of his father's conquests. Jangsu had built a magnificent tomb for his father, and along with it an imposing 4 meter tall tombstone engraved with his father's accomplishments (now known as the Gwanggaeto SteleGwanggaeto Stele
The stele of King Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo was erected in 414 by King Jangsu as a memorial to his deceased father. It is one of the major primary sources extant for the history of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and supplies invaluable historical detail on his reign as well as insights...
). Of such imposing dimensions was the tomb and its grounds it needed 330 people to tend it at all times. Jangsu called for 330 men from different regions and tribal backgrounds to guard and clean the tomb in perpetuity, demonstrating the effective consolidation of the Goguryeo kingdom and monarch's power at the time of Jangsu's succession.
In 427, he transferred the Goguryeo capital to Pyeongyang from Gungnae Fortress (modern Ji'an
Ji'an, Jilin
Ji'an is a county-level city in southwestern Jilin province, Northeast China. It belongs to the prefecture-level city of Tonghua. Ji'an has an area of and a population of approximately 230,000. The city was established as a city in 1988....
on the China-Korean border) Many modern Chinese historians argue that since the early Goguryeo capital was located in what is now China, the history of that kingdom prior to 427 should be regarded as Chinese history. This claim is oft stated, but uncited on Wikipedia and assumes that it is possible for political geography to conquer history. There were various reasons for this shift: to prepare for the offensive against Baekje
Baekje
Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
and Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
in the south and to create a greater and more magnificent capital befitting a kingdom that had experienced large-scale expansion. After moving the capital southward, King Jangsu decided to continue the conquests of his father.
Northwestern campaign
At the time China was invaded by five foreign racesWu Hu
Wu Hu was a Chinese term for the northern non-Chinese nomadic tribes which caused the Wu Hu uprising, and established the Sixteen Kingdoms from 304 to 439 AD.-Definition:...
and divided into Sixteen Kingdoms
Sixteen Kingdoms
The Sixteen Kingdoms, or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 AD after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties...
. Later Yan
Later Yan
The Later Yan was a Murong-Xianbei state, located in modern day northeast China, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.All rulers of the Later Yan declared themselves "emperors". Later Yan fell to the Goguryeo dynasty.-Rulers of the Later Yan:...
Dynasty, which was based on present-day Liaoning Province, was defeated so heavily by Gwanggaeto the Great's forces and finally came to an end in 408. After the fall of Later Yan, Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
drove Murong
Murong
Murong refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are a Mongolic people attested from the time of Tanshihuai . Different strands of evidence exist linking the Murong to the language family of Mongols. Murong is also a Chinese surname...
clan of Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
northward and established Northern Yan
Northern Yan
The Northern Yan was a state of Han Chinese during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.The second Emperor of Northern Yan, Feng Ba, was Han chinese.All rulers of the Northern Yan declared themselves "emperors".-Rulers of the Northern Yan:...
Kingdom in the area. However, Northern Yan was no match for Xianbei Northern Wei
Northern Wei
The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was a dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 . It has been described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change"...
Dynasty, which unified most of northern China. Then Northern Yan began to seek alliances with Goguryeo, which had greater power than itself and which also can fight equally against Northern Wei. In 436 Goguryeo cavalry arrived in Northern Yan and eventually drove Xianbeis away.
Song Dynasty
Liu Song Dynasty
The Liu Song Dynasty , also known as Song Dynasty , Former Song , or Southern Song , was first of the four Southern Dynasties in China, succeeding the Eastern Jin Dynasty and followed by the Southern Qi Dynasty....
during the era, which was in the feud against Northern Wei, encouraged both Northern Yan and Goguryeo as rivaling nations of Northern Wei. However, the plan did not work out all right as Jangsu turned against them and destroyed Northern Yan in 438. He conquered the entire region and held its ex-king as captive. Song court was outraged and warned King Jangsu that the death of Yan king means the war between two nations; However Jangsu ignored the warning and executed the king. Song troops then attacked Goguryeo but were easily defeated. The peace resumed in the following year when Jangsu sent 800 horses as gift to the Song Emperor, to prepare for the war against Northern Wei, so Goguryeo can concentrate its forces against Baekje and Silla while two Chinese powers were in war against each other. Jangsu again encouraged Song to invade Wei in 459 when he sent loads of crossbow
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
s and provided gold and silver. Wei government was upset by his actions but had to keep peace with Goguryeo to continue war against Song and Rouran
Rouran
Rouran , Mongolia name Jujan or Nirun Ruanruan/Ruru , Tan Tan , Juan-Juan or Zhu-Zhuwas the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the northern borders of Inner China from the late 4th century until the middle 6th century...
. Jangsu also seek relationship with Wei to wage war against Baekje, so the two empires established formal relationship in 435.
Southern expansion
In 472, King Gaero of BaekjeGaero of Baekje
Gaero of Baekje was the 21st king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the 20th king Biyu...
sent a letter to the emperor of Northern Wei. He stated that he was having trouble interacting with Wei because of frequent Goguryeo intervention, thus calling for military action against Goguryeo.
Emperor Jangsu sought for the chance to invade the southern kingdoms of Korea, Baekje and Silla, while the Chinese kingdoms of Northern Wei and the Song Dynasty were fighting each other. As a result, King Jangsu secretly planned to attack Baekje, which despite its losses against Gwanggaeto the Great's invasions, still held a significant powerbase in the peninsula. To disarm Baekje, he sent a Buddhist monk named Dorim. Dorim went to King Gaero
Gaero of Baekje
Gaero of Baekje was the 21st king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the 20th king Biyu...
's court, with the secret objective of corrupting the country before the invasion of Goguryeo. King Gaero began to favor Dorim, and played Baduk
Baduk
Baduk may refer to:* Baduk , a 1992 film by director Majid Majidi.* Baduk , the Korean name for the board game Go....
(the board game) with him every day, and the was able to talk Gaero into spending large sums of money on construction projects, which weakened the national treasury.
In 475, Emperor Jangsu launched a full-scale invasion from both land and sea against the now politically unstable kingdom of Baekje. Dorim was successful in gaining information about Baekje and consequently King Gaero was not at all prepared for the assault formulated by Goguryeo and Emperor Jangsu. With momentum now in his favor, Jangsu then proceeded toward the capital and easily captured the city of Wiryesong, and slew King Gaero while Dorim safely escaped from the city. Soon after, Emperor Jangsu burnt the capital to the ground, along with several cities that he conquered from Baekje (Baekje moved its capital to Ungjin
Ungjin
Ungjin, also known as Gomnaru is a former city on the Korean Peninsula. It was located in modern-day Gongju, South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538, during a period when Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo, the previous capital of Wiryeseong ...
(present day Gongju
Gongju
Gongju , also spelt Kongju, is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It is located at .- History :Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo...
) to keep the kingdom alive). The war gave Goguryeo more or less total control of the Han River
Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...
valley, the region essential to commercial and military power in the Korean Peninsula; Baekje was able to be a superior nation on the peninsula because it had the control of the region for almost 500 years, but since the ruler of the area changed, it lost the control of the peninsula.
After successfully concluding his campaign in Baekje, the Goguryeo emperor then turned his attention toward the second peninsular kingdom of Silla and with its addition, erected a stone monument in present-day Chungju
Chungju
Chungju is a city in North Chungcheong province, South Korea. Namsan is a mountain located on the outskirts of the city.The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Also of note, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon grew up here....
, praising the accomplishments of his father and himself. This monument marked the border between the southern kingdoms and Goguryeo and remains in the same site.
Relations with China and Rourans
In 479, Jangsu sent delegate to Rouran to establish friendly relationship. As a resuit, Rouran KhaganKhagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
gave up the large territory which were spread in present-day Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. After settling peace with Rourans, Jangsu attacked the Khitans, then a branch of Xianbei confederacy at the time.
After Khitans surrendered to Goguryeo, Jangsu sent gifts to both Northern Wei and Southern Qi
Southern Qi
The Southern Qi Dynasty was the second of the Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Liang Dynasty. During its 23-year history, the dynasty was largely filled with instability, as after the death of the capable Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye was assassinated...
, which took over southern half of China after overthrowing Song in 479. Both Qi and Wei tried to tighten Goguryeo's relationship with them; Wei emperors treated Goguryeo delegates equal to Chinese delegates. However, Emperor Jangsu continued to keep good relationship with Qi; the attitude further outraged Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei again, and at last he gave order to kidnap the Goguryeo delegate before he gets to Qi capital. However Jangsu sent delegates again to Qi, and Northern Wei could not block Jangsu from causing Southern Dynasties to attack it.
While communicating with both nations, he also plundered gifts from Japanese to the Southern Dynasties. As well as King Gaero, who sent letter to Wei court asking for troops, rulers of Silla, Gaya
Gaya confederacy
Gaya was a confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period.The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is 42–532 CE...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
also grieved for Goguryeo's power in East Asia, which actually controlled entire foreign relations of the region.
Death and legacy
King Jangsu died in 491, at the age of 97. His temple nameTemple name
Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive...
means "long life" in hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
. During his reign, Goguryeo was at its golden age, stretching from Mongolia to Chungju.
Together with his father King Gwanggaeto the Great
Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo
Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo was the nineteenth monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. His full posthumous name roughly means "Very Greatest King, Broad Expander of Territory, buried in Gukgangsang.", sometimes abbreviated to Hotaewang or Taewang...
, he is also sometimes referred to as Emperor Jangsu the Great.
See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- 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...
- 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...
- List of Korean monarchs