Goryeo
| Korean spelling | |
|---|---|
| Korean alphabet : | 고려 |
| Hanja : | 高麗 |
| Revised Romanization : | Goryeo |
| McCune-Reischauer : | Koryŏ |
| History of korea |
|---|
| Prehistoric Korea |
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| Antiquity |
| Proto-three realms |
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| Time of the Three Kingdoms |
| Northern and Southern states |
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| Later three realms |
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| States of imperial unity |
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| Colonial times |
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| Division of Korea |
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Goryeo was the name of a medieval empire on the Korean Peninsula . The duration of the empire is calculated from 918 to 1392, even if Korea was only fully reunited in 936 within the borders of the old Silla empire. The term “Korea” used in most Western languages is derived from “Goryeo”.
history
Goryeo experienced its rise towards the end of the period of the " United Silla Empire " (668 to 935) at the beginning of the 10th century, where it saw itself in the succession of 668 of Silla subject Goguryeo . The decline of the unified Silla Empire was connected with power struggles for supremacy on the Korean Peninsula, from which the Goryeo Empire in the north with the capital Songak , later called Kaesŏng , founded in 918 by King Wang Geon (posthumously called Taejo) , 936 came out victorious.
The beginning of the empire was marked by administrative reforms that put large parts of the country under his control and restricted the power of the feudal lords.
The kingdom of Goryeo was recognized as such by the Chinese emperor in 939 .
At the beginning of the 11th century, the northern neighboring Liao empire of the Kitan began with three incursions to Goryeo. A domestic political crisis in Goryeo helped the Kitan during the second invasion. In 1020 Goryeo submitted to the suzerainty of the Kitan.
Due to the discriminatory subordination of the military to the civil administration, there were several rebellions against the royal court by noble families and army leaders in the course of the 12th century. In 1170 General Choe Chung-hon succeeded in a coup d'état and the establishment of a 60-year military regime under his family, whereby the king's power was severely restricted.
In 1231, the Mongol attacks began under Ugedai Khan . The military dictators of the Choe family waged a long defensive battle against the invasion of the overwhelming Mongols until they were ousted by a civilian government. By 1238, the Mongols conquered the entire Korean Peninsula. The royal family, which had withdrawn to Ganghwado Island , west of Seoul, did not capitulate until 1259 and then continued rulership as a vassal of the Mongols.
Because of the arms aid forced by the Mongols, many Koreans were involved in both Mongol attempts to annex Japan . As a result of the Mongol invasions in Japan, the political order there collapsed and was slow to rebuild. As a result of the lack of a strong government there, the so-called Wokou , mainly Japanese pirates, were able to carry out their activities on a larger scale off the coast of the Korean Peninsula from 1350 onwards . The Wokou contributed significantly to the fall of the Goryeo dynasty through the problems they caused.
It was not until the fall of the Yuan dynasty in China in the 14th century that the Mongolian occupation was lifted again in 1356.
In 1369 Goryeo submitted to the Ming Dynasty, which replaced the Yuan Dynasty in China .
In the course of internal disagreements and a border dispute with China, General Yi Seong-gye turned against the king and finally founded the Joseon Dynasty in 1392 .
Political system
Goryeo was a monarchy with the king at the head of the state. The ruling class of Goryeo consisted of the former Silla aristocrats and the provincial leaders, from whose ranks the members of the administrative assembly ("Samsong") and the royal secretariat ("Chungchuwon") were elected, which together formed the Supreme State Council.
Culture
During the Goryeo period, the Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa , which tell of the time of the three kingdoms, and the Tripitaka Koreana , a collection of Buddhist scriptures, were created. During the conquest of Goryeo by the Mongols, the Tripitaka Koreana was destroyed, but later recreated. At the end of the 12th century, printing with movable type was invented in Korea , although, in contrast to the process invented by Johannes Gutenberg 200 years later , without the possibility of mass printing. The development of Korean landscape painting , which came from southern China and gained increasing influence among painters of that day, was also attributed to the Goryeo period .
There was still no middle class in Korea. This only formed there during the Joseon period.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Meyer Lexikon -SW-, electronic edition for the office library, Meyers Lexikonverlag,; Keyword: "Korean History"
- ↑ a b c d e Der Große Ploetz : Korea (Beginnings until 1945) , 32nd edition, Verlag Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2000, ISBN 3-8155-9484-7 , p. 3388 f.
- ↑ a b The Brockhaus in Text and Image 2003 [SW], electronic edition for Office Library, Bibliographisches Institut & FA Brockhaus, 2003; Article: "Korea"
- ↑ Ahn Hwi-joon: Landscape painting of the Southern school in Korea . In: Kulturstiftung Ruhr Essen, Villa Hügel (ed.): Korea: The old kingdoms . Hirmer Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-7774-8220-X , p. 69-80 .
- ^ Korea . In: Brockhaus Konversations-Lexikon 1894–1896, Volume 10, p. 632.
