Taejo of Joseon
From Free net encyclopedia
Taejo of Joseon, born Yi Seonggye, was the founder and the first king of Korea's Joseon Dynasty, overthrowing the Goryeo Dynasty. He was posthumously raised to the rank of Emperor in 1899 by Emperor Kojong, who had proclaimed the Korean Empire in 1897.
Taejo's father Yi Ja-chun was a former Mongol official, but his ethnicity was Korean. Yi joined the Goryeo army and rose through the ranks, seizing the throne in 1392. He abdicated in 1398 during the strife between his sons and died in 1408.
Contents |
Cultural background
After decades of Mongol invasions (1231-1259), the Goryeo dynasty of Korea surrendered to Mongol forces in 1259, and Korea eventually became a vassal of the Mongol Yuan dynasty. The Ming Dynasty in China grew during the 14th century and Mongol forces became vulnerable. By the 1350s Goryeo regained its independence, although Mongol remnants effectively occupied north-east territories with a large garrison of troops.
Military career
General Yi Seonggye had gained power and respect during the late 1370s and early 1380s by pushing Mongol remnants outside of the peninsula and also by repelling well-organized Japanese pirates in a series of successful engagements. Many at the court plotted to dethrone King U and replace him with General Yi. In 1388, General Yi was ordered to use his armies to invade Liaodong in China. But he made a momentous decision that would alter the course of Korean history. Knowing of the support he enjoyed both from high-ranking government officials, the general populace, and the great deterrent of Ming Empire under Hongwu Emperor, he decided to return to the capital, Kaesong, and secure control of the government. Template:History of Korea
Revolution
General Yi marched his army into the capital, defeated the forces loyal to the king (led by General Choi Yong) and removed the government, but did not ascend to the throne right away. King Gongyang (공양왕; 恭讓王) and his family were sent into exile in 1392 (where they would later be secretly murdered), but the renowned scholar, poet and statesman Jeong Mong-ju (정몽주; 鄭夢周) faithfully supported the king, leading the opposition to Yi's claim to the throne. Jeong was revered throughout Goryeo, even by Yi himself, but he was seen to be an obstacle and as such had to be removed.
Yi's son, Yi Bang-won (later King Taejong), threw a party for him and afterward, on his way home, Jeong was murdered by five men on the Seonjuk Bridge (선죽교; 善竹橋) in Kaesong. This bridge has now become a national monument of North Korea, and a brown spot on one of the stones is said to be a bloodstain of his which turns red when it rains.
The 474-year-old Goryeo Dynasty ended with the exile of Gongyang and the death of Jeong Mong-ju, and was followed by the Joseon Dynasty.
See also
Template:Start box Template:Succession box Template:End boxde:Yi Song-gye ko:조선 태조 ja:李成桂 zh:李成桂