Yeon Gaesomun - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the historical drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

, see Yeon Gaesomun (TV series)
Yeon Gaesomun (TV series)
Yeon Gaesomun is the title of a television historical drama.In the summer of 2006, the South Korean television station SBS began a 100-episode drama on the life of Yeon Gaesomun. Its production cost was very high, about 40 billion South Korean won....

.

Yeon Gaesomun (603–666) was a powerful and controversial military dictator and Generalissimo

Generalissimo

Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...

in the waning days 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....

, which was one of the Three Kingdoms

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...

of ancient Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

. Yeon is also remembered for a number of successful resistance in military conflicts with Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

under Emperor Li Shimin and his son Emperor Gaozong

Emperor Gaozong of Tang

Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...

. Their failure to Yeon was the only defeat that Emperor Li Shimin ever suffered on the battlefield.

Traditional Korean histories paint Yeon as a despotic leader, whose cruel policies and disobedience to his monarch led to the fall of Goguryeo. However, his achievements in defending Goguryeo against Chinese onslaughts have inspired Korean nationalist historians, most notably the 19th century Korean historian and intellectual Shin Chaeho, to term Yeon the greatest hero in Korean history. Many Korean scholars today echo Shin and praise Yeon as a soldier-statesman without equal in Korean history, though other scholars strongly disagree. Chinese and Japanese scholars continue to hold an unfavorable view of Yeon. However this might be the attempts of Tang

Tang Dynasty

to discredit the general's legacy.

Biography

Yeon Gaesomun was the first, and oldest son of Yeon Taejo

Yeon Taejo

Yeon Taejo was the Magniji of Goguryeo during the reigns of King Pyeongwon and King Yeongyang. He was the father of Yeon Gaesomun, and was known to have taken an aggressive stance against the Sui Dynasty alongside Field Marshal Eulji Mundeok.- Background :Yeon Taejo was the son of the previous...

, the Prime minister (막리지, 莫離支) of Goguryeo during the reigns of King Pyeongwon of Goguryeo and King Yeongyang of Goguryeo. It is known that the Yeon family was always of high rank and status in Goguryeo. Yeon's grandfather Yeon Ja-yu

Yeon Ja-yu

Yeon Ja-yu was the Magniji of Goguryeo during its waning days, and was the grandfather of Yeon Gaesomun, who was Dae Magniji and dictator of Goguryeo before its fall. Yeon Ja-yu was the father of Yeon Taejo, the father of Yeon Gaesomun, and Magniji after Ja-yu...

was also a prime minister of Goguryeo. Information about Yeon Gaesomun comes largely from 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...

's accounts of King Yeongnyu

Yeongnyu of Goguryeo

King Yeongnyu of Goguryeo was the 27th king of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.-Background:He was the younger half-brother of the 26th king Yeong-yang, and son of the 25th king Pyeongwon...

and King 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...

(Goguryeo vols. 8-10) and its biography of Yeon Gaesomun (vol. 49), surviving tomb engravings belonging to his sons Yeon Namsaeng

Yeon Namsaeng

Yeon Namsaeng was the eldest son of the Goguryeo Dae Mangniji Yeon Gaesomun . In 665, Yeon Namsaeng succeeded his father and became the 2nd Dae Magniji of Goguryeo.- Background :...

and Yeon Namsan

Yeon Namsan

Yeon Namsan was the third son of the Goguryeo military leader and dictator Yeon Gaesomun .The course of his career shadowed closely that of his elder brother Yeon Namsaeng...

, and the biographies of those same sons that appear in the New Book of Tang

New Book of Tang

The New Book of Tang , is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and other official scholars of the Song Dynasty. The emperor called for a revision of the former Book of Tang in 1044. The New Book was presented to the throne in 1060. It was given its...

.

Tang Chinese historical records give Yeon Gaesomun's surname as Cheon (泉, Quan in Chinese, meaning "spring"), because Yeon (淵, Yuan in Chinese, meaning "riverhead") was the given name of Emperor Gaozu of Tang

Emperor Gaozu of Tang

Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...

(Li Yuan, 李淵), founder and first emperor of Tang, and thus taboo to apply to another by Chinese tradition (see naming taboo

Naming taboo

Naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons in China and neighboring nations in the ancient Chinese cultural sphere.-Kinds of naming taboo:...

). He is also sometimes referred to as Gaegeum (개금/蓋金). In Nihon Shoki

Nihon Shoki

The , sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical...

, he appears as Iri Kasumi (伊梨柯須彌).

Very little is known of Yeon's early days, until he became the Governor of the Western province (西部大人), where he oversaw the building of the Cheolli Jangseong

Cheolli Jangseong

Cheolli Jangseong in Korean history usually refers to the 11th century northern defense structure built during the Goryeo dynasty in present-day North Korea, though it also refers to a 7th century network of military garrisons in present-day northeastern China, built by Goguryeo, one of the Three...

, a network of military garrisons to defend the Liaodong area from Tang invaders.

Overthrow of the throne

In the winter 642, King Yeongnyu

Yeongnyu of Goguryeo

was apprehensive about his general Yeon Gaesomun and was plotting with his other officials to kill Yeon. When Yeon received the news, Yeon arranged a lavish banquet to celebrate his rise to the position of Eastern Governor to which one hundred of the opposing politicians of the kingdom were invited. Yeon's soldiers ambushed and killed all one hundred ministers present. Yeon then proceeded to the palace and murdered the king. According to traditional Chinese and Korean sources, Yeon's men dismembered the dead king's corpse and discarded it without proper ceremony.

After placing King 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...

(r. 642-668),a nephew of King Yeongnyu, on the Goguryeo throne, Yeon appointed himself Dae Mangniji (대막리지, 大莫離支, Generalissimo

Generalissimo

Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...

). Subsequently, in this role Yeon went on to assume de facto

De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...

control over Goguryeo affairs of state until his death around 666.

His role in the murder of the Goguryeo king was taken as the primary pretext for the failed Tang invasion of 645.

642 coup d'etat

Coup d'état

A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

by Yeon Gaesomun came as the culmination of a lengthy power struggle between the military and the executive officials, between those who favored appeasement to Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

and to those who advocates military confrontation, and Yeon was belonged to the hard-liners. Traditional Chinese and Korean historians believed that his motive was simply his thirst for power. With the rise of Korean nationalism, many revisionist Korean historians now assert that his motive was to make Goguryeo assume a tougher stance against Tang China. At the time the emperor was basically submitting to Tang for a peaceful diplomatic relationship.

Wars with China

The series of wars between Goguryeo and Tang comprise some of the most important events in the ancient history of Northeast Asian, for many maintain they were the main cause of the Silla-Tang alliance, the ultimate demise of once-powerful Goguryeo, and the unification of the peninsula under Silla rule. Yeon was a central protagonist in this series of conflicts, as well as its chief cause.

At the outset of his rule, Yeon took a briefly conciliatory stance toward Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. For instance, he supported Taoism

Korean Taoism

Taoism was introduced to Korea from China during the Three Kingdoms period, and remains as a minor but significant element of Korean thought...

at the expense of Buddhism

Korean Buddhism

Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what it sees as inconsistencies in Mahayana Buddhism. Early Korean monks believed that the traditions they received from foreign countries were internally inconsistent. To address this, they developed a new...

, and to this effect in 643

643

Year 643 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 643 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Pirooz, the son of the last Sassanid king...

sent emissaries to the Tang court requesting Taoist sages, eight of whom were brought to Goguryeo. This gesture is considered by some historians as an effort to pacify the Tang and buy time to prepare for the Tang invasion Yeon thought inevitable given his ambitions to annex Silla.

Relations with Tang deteriorated when Goguryeo launched new invasions of Silla

Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

. In 645

645

Year 645 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 645 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Byzantines recapture...

the Goguryeo-Tang Wars

Goguryeo-Tang Wars

The Goguryeo–Tang Wars occurred in the 7th century between Korean Goguryeo and an allied Chinese Tang Dynasty and Silla. Exhausted from numerous attacks by China, Goguryeo finally succumbed to a two front attack by Tang and Silla...

began and Taizong's noted military acumen enabled him to conquer a number of major Goguryeo border fortresses.

Eventually, however, Taizong's invasion was met with two major setbacks. First, Taizong's main army was stymied and bogged down for several months at Ansi Fortress due to the resistance of the celebrated commander, Yang Man-chun. Second, the elite marine force that Taizong sent to take Pyongyang

Pyongyang

Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...

, Goguryeo's capital, was defeated by Yeon who, according to the Joseon Sanggosa
Joseon Sanggosa
Joseon Sanggosa is a book written in 1931 by Shin Chaeho, and which describes the ancient history of Korea. It covers the history of Korea from Gojoseon to the destruction of Baekje. It was published serially in the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo from 1931. It was finally published as a separate...

, then immediately marched his legions to relieve Yang's forces at Ansi Fortress.

Taizong, caught between Yang's army in the front and Yeon's counter-attacking forces closing in from behind, as well as suffering from the harsh winter and dangerously low food supplies, was forced to retreat homeward (Zizhi Tongjian). During the retreat itself, a large number of Taizong's soldiers were killed by Yeon and his pursuing army. However, Taizong and the invading army survived. Taizong's first invasion of Goguryeo

Emperor Taizong's campaign against Goguryeo

The First Goguryeo–Tang War started when Emperor Taizong of Tang , the second emperor of Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, asserting that a campaign against Goguryeo was necessary to protect Tang's ally Silla, as well as to punish Goguryeo's Dae Mangniji Yeon Gaesomun for his killing of Goguryeo's...

was thus defeated. However, Taizong succeeded in inflicting heavy casualties on Goguryeo.

It is speculated that after Taizong's failure to conquer Goguryeo his personal rivalry with Yeon became an obsession with both him and his son Gaozong

Emperor Gaozong of Tang

Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...

. They invaded Goguryeo two more times in 661

661

Year 661 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 661 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Perctarit and Godepert become co-rulers of...

and were unsuccessful in both attempts—perhaps most notably during Yeon's victory over the Tang forces in 662

662

Year 662 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 662 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The regent Grimuald usurps the kingship of...

. Chinese general Pang Xiaotai (龐孝泰) was defeated by Goguryeo forces at Sasu River (蛇水, probably Botong River) and was killed along with his 13 sons, Su ran into harsh snowstorms and withdrew. With increasing domestic turmoil in China, Tang was once again forced to retreat.

However, the population and economy were severely damaged after the three major invasions and never fully recovered. Silla and Tang continued their mutual struggle for over 8 years. In 668

668

Year 668 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 668 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Childeric II succeeds Clotaire III as King...

, two years after Yeon's death, Goguryeo finally met its demise. However, at least during the rule of Yeon Gaesomun the Tang-Silla alliance was unable to subdue Goguryeo.

Death

The most likely date of Yeon's death is that recorded on the tomb stele

Stele

A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...

of Namsaeng, Yeon Gaesomun's eldest son: the twenty-fourth year of the reign of Bojang (665). However, the Samguk Sagi

Samguk Sagi

records the year as 666, and the Japanese history Nihonshoki gives the year as the twenty-third year of the reign of King Bojang (664).

Yeon Gaesomun had at least three sons, (eldest to youngest) Yeon Namsaeng

Yeon Namsaeng

Yeon Namsaeng was the eldest son of the Goguryeo Dae Mangniji Yeon Gaesomun . In 665, Yeon Namsaeng succeeded his father and became the 2nd Dae Magniji of Goguryeo.- Background :...

, Yeon Namgeon

Yeon Namgeon

Yeon Namgeon was the second son of the Goguryeo military leader and dictator Yeon Gaesomun , and third Dae Magniji of Goguryeo during the reign of Goguryeo's last ruler, King Bojang-The Fall of Goguryeo:...

, and Yeon Namsan

Yeon Namsan

Yeon Namsan was the third son of the Goguryeo military leader and dictator Yeon Gaesomun .The course of his career shadowed closely that of his elder brother Yeon Namsaeng...

. After his death, the country was weakened by a succession struggle between his brother and three sons, and in 668 fell relatively swiftly to the Silla-Tang armies.

Controversy and Legacy

Yeon has been one of the most controversial figures in Korean history. The many controversies surrounding him revolve around two issues: his character and his role in the fall of Goguryeo.

Later Confucian scholars have mercilessly criticized Yeon for the coup and the regicide that brought him to power. In their eyes, he was a disloyal subject who sought personal power above all else. In particular, extant Tang and Silla sources have consistently portrayed Yeon as a brutal and arrogant dictator. According to their testimony, for instance, Yeon carried five swords at a time, and would have men prostrate themselves so that he might use their backs to mount or dismount his horse.
Yeon's modern-time defenders, however, dismiss these Tang and Silla sources as biased calumnies of enemy historians. Moreover, they argue that Yeon's subsequent single-mindedness and success in defending Goguryeo testifies his genuine patriotism (though Taizong's first invasion was provoked by Yeon's attacks on Silla, and subsequent attacks were possibly due to Taizong and his son's personal hatred against Yeon).

In terms of his role in the downfall of Gogureyo, Yeon's detractors blame Yeon for needlessly provoking the Tang to attack Goguryeo (see above) and thereby ensuring its downfall. They point out that, while Goguryeo remained a formidable regional power before Yeon assumed power, it was completely destroyed by Silla and Tang within a short time soon after his death. They also point out that the population of Gogureyo decreased dramatically during Yeon's rule, and much of the economy was destroyed due to constant wars with Tang China and Silla.
Yeon's defenders rejoin by claiming that the Tang would have invaded Goguryeo, regardless of Goguryeo's attitude vis-a-vis Tang (although a major reason for Taizong's first invasion of Goguryeo was Yeon's invasion of Silla, another Korean kingdom that allied with Tang). They add that continuing to appease the Tang—as King Yongnyu had done—is tantamount to Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler.

Another huge controversy that arises is the sources actually used to support the defeat of the Tang Dynasty. Some sources such as Shin's Joseon Sanggosa
Joseon Sanggosa
Joseon Sanggosa is a book written in 1931 by Shin Chaeho, and which describes the ancient history of Korea. It covers the history of Korea from Gojoseon to the destruction of Baekje. It was published serially in the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo from 1931. It was finally published as a separate...

claim that Taizong was forced into the outskirts of Beijing. However Shin's account has been challenged on the basis that it lacked support in traditional Korean and Chinese sources. The ancient Korean history 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...

and ancient Chinese histories Book of Tang
Book of Tang
The Book of Tang , Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...

, New Book of Tang
New Book of Tang
The New Book of Tang , is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and other official scholars of the Song Dynasty. The emperor called for a revision of the former Book of Tang in 1044. The New Book was presented to the throne in 1060. It was given its...

, and Zizhi Tongjian
Zizhi Tongjian
The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...

put the figure at 20,000, stating that there were only 100,000 Tang soldiers used total. The modern Chinese historian Bo Yang

Bo Yang

This article is about the Chinese writer. His name in Western languages is homonymic with Bó Yáng .Boyang , also sometimes called Baiyang, was a Chinese language writer based in Taiwan...

has speculated that the Yeon had the records altered so that he could claim credit for Yang Manchun

Yang Manchun

Yang Manchun is the name given to the Goguryeo commander of Ansi fortress in the 640s.Ansi fortress was located on the Goguryeo-Chinese border, probably present-day Haicheng. Yang is sometimes credited with saving the kingdom by his refusal to surrender the fortress to invading Tang...

's victory over Tang. However, Shin's have the possibility claimed that some suspect Chinese designation and Taizong's retreat course. therefore, modern Korean historian ponder upon that such a claim.

Biography

Overthrow of the throne

Wars with China

Death

Controversy and Legacy

See also