n:이의방, died 1174) was a military ruler of 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...

 during the Goryeo

Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...

 period.

Background

Yi originated from the Jeonju Yi clan (전주이씨; 全州李氏). He subsequently joined the military and rose in ranks, becoming a minister in the scholar dominated government.

Rebellion

In 1170 (Uijong

Uijong of Goryeo

Emperor Uijong of Goryeo was the 18th monarch of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. He honored his advisors with many ceremonies but hated the warriors, often forcing them to participate in martial arts competitions for the entertainment of himself and the civil officials, as well as assigning them...

 24th year), he joined the Goryeo warrior rebellion, which occurred in defiance against the typically scholar/minister ruled Korea. Primary leaders of this rebellion was Jeong Jung-bu

Jeong Jung-bu

Jeong Jung-bu was a medieval Korean soldier and military dictator during Goryeo Dynasty . He was a career soldier, qualified on military part of civil service examination...

 (정중부; 鄭仲夫) and Yi Go

Yi Go

Yi Go was a military ruler in Korea. He, with many other military colonels, overthrew Kimg Uijong in the year 1170. When he proceeded to plan a revolt, he was murdered by Yi Ui-bang.-See also:*List of Goryeo people*Goryeo...

 (이고; 李高) who found that warrior-class treatment was truly unfair and planned a coup e tat to establish a warrior government.

The King of Goryeo, Uijong

Uijong of Goryeo

Emperor Uijong of Goryeo was the 18th monarch of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. He honored his advisors with many ceremonies but hated the warriors, often forcing them to participate in martial arts competitions for the entertainment of himself and the civil officials, as well as assigning them...

 was soon disposed and the new warrior-class ministers set up a puppet king Myeongjong

Myeongjong of Goryeo

King Myeongjong was monarch of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. He was the third son of Emperor Injong.Although it was intended that Injong's second son should succeed his father, he was assassinated because Jeong Jung-bu feared that he might become a threat to him in the future...

. Yi was named as one of the key figures in the new regime with the title of High Merit Minister (壁上功臣) and given special privileges along with the other ministers. When Yi Go tried to plot a coup and get hold of a dictatorship in 1171, Yi, under the orders of Chung Jung-bu purged and murdered Yi Go.

Governance

With Jeong, Yi increased the size and power of the military and attracted military-class administrators to the regime and appointed these men to national offices which were previously reserved for scholar-class ministers. In 1173, when a scholar-class minister Kim Bo-dang (김보당 金甫當) attempted to restore disposed king Uijong to the throne, Yi decisively slew the former king, preventing any further restoration attempts. With this merit, he was further promoted to Commander of Land Troops.

During his co-governance with Jeong, Yi also faced a series of Buddhist Monk uprisings from different shrines around the nation. As Goryeo was officially a Buddhist nation since Wangkon

Taejo of Goryeo

Taejo of Goryeo was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943.-Background:...

's unification of Korea, the Buddhists had great influence upon the government and most Goryeo kings appointed official Buddhist Great Monk advisors to assist in national administration. Due to the increasing Buddhist uprisings, Yi himself commanded his forces to put down these rebellions and raid Buddhist shrines. With his powerful forces, he swept the nation and raided and pillaged these shrines.

At this time, Jo Wi-chong (조위총, 趙位寵), a general of the North-Western border attempted to start a rebellion. Yi responded by murdering favorers of this rebellion such as Yun In-mi (윤인미, 尹仁美), who was of Seogyung

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...

 birth. Due to this action, Yi lost support and favors from the people, and when he attempted to put down this rebellion, he failed.

Downfall and death

Yi, attempting to put down Jeong and gain more power, tried to appoint his daughter as Royal Prince consort

Prince consort

A prince consort is the husband of a queen regnant who is not himself a king in his own right.Current examples include the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , and Prince Henrik of Denmark .In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal...

, an action which did not fulfill objective but instead further endangered Yi's political situation. Due to this action, the 2nd Jo Invasion force, led by Jeong Jung-bu's son Jeong Gyun subsequently murdered Yi Ui-Bang and his supporters and removed his daughter from the royal family. However, soon enough, Jeong Jung-bu was also murdered and the young and righteous dictator Gyeong Dae-seung

Gyeong Dae-seung

Gyeong Dae-seung was the third major military dictators who ruled during the late period of the Goryeo Empire. Unlike his predecessors, General Gyeong was determined to fix the empire's problems and help the people prosper. His popularity with the people aroused the jealousy of Emperor Myeongjong...

 took power.

Legacy

General Yi Ui-bang's main legacy remains in the balance that was achieved through the purging of scholars during his co-governance with Jeong. Before the arrival of Yi, the scholar class had more influence in the government to the extent that the warrior-class was greatly mistreated. With the changing of kings and shifting of power from scholar-class to warrior-class, Goryeo faced a new era. A final and very important legacy is his connection with the founder of the Joseon Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

, Yi Songgye. Yi Ui-Bang's younger brother Yi In was a 6th generation ancestor of Yi Songgye, thus connecting Yi Ui-Bang and Yi Songgye together.

See also

• 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...
  
  
• List of Korea-related topics
• List of Goryeo people