Anseung (안승, 安勝) (
fl. 668–683), alternately Ansun (안순, 安舜), was thought to be either the nephew or illegitimate son
of King
Bojang of Goguryeo
Bojang of Goguryeo (died 682; ) was the 28th and last monarch of Goguryeo the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was placed on the throne by the military leader Yeon Gaesomun. His reign ended when Goguryeo fell to the allied force ...
, the last King of
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...
. He was named the new King of Goguryeo by general
Geom Mojam
Geom Mojam (?-670) was the military leader of a short-lived movement to restore Goguryeo after its fall to Silla in the later 7th century CE. After the kingdom fell to Tang and Silla in 668, he kindled an opposition movement in the Taedong River va ...
, but later he murdered Geom and submitted to the Korean kingdom of
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...
, taking up residence in the Silla capital of
Gyeongju.
Background
Go Anseung was the nephew of
King Bojang of Goguryeo, and a prince of
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...
before its fall. In some Chinese sources, Go Anseung is recorded as the grandson of
Bojang, the last king of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.
Ruler of a rump Goguryeo
In 668, Prince Anseung was in Silla, where he had been held as hostage for many years. Upon hearing of his kingdom's defeat and downfall, he searched for survivors and first sought permission to revive his kingdom. Anseung encountered the high Goguryeo official
Geom Mojam
Geom Mojam (?-670) was the military leader of a short-lived movement to restore Goguryeo after its fall to Silla in the later 7th century CE. After the kingdom fell to Tang and Silla in 668, he kindled an opposition movement in the Taedong River va ...
, also in flight. Together they forged an alliance to revive the Goguryeo kingdom. Anseung was crowned ruler of the new Goguryeo, centered in the city of Hansung, in today's South Hwanghae province, North Korea. Envoys were soon dispatched to Silla seeking a restitution of some territory for a revived Goguryeo kingdom as well as a defensive alliance with "the Great State" (i.e. Silla). Silla, eager to break its ties with Tang, which following the defeat of Goguryeo and Baekje now threatened to impose its hegemony over the former Baekje and Goguryeo territories, agreed to reestablish, and ally with, a revived Goguryeo under king Anseung. In the eighth month of 670, King
Munmu
Munmu of Silla (626–681; reigned 661–681) was the 30th king of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He is usually considered to have been the first ruler of the Unified Silla period. Munmu was the son of King Muyeol and Munmyeong, who was the young ...
of Silla sent a royal decree to Anseung, reading in part:
King Munmu then bestowed upon him the title of King of Bodeok (보덕국왕, 報德國王), and bequeathed him a small piece of territory in the vicinity of what is today the city of
Iksan
Iksan ( ko, 익산; ) is a city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, (commonly transliterated as Jeollabuk-do or Chollabuk-do) South Korea.
The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (), but merged with Iksan ...
near the former Baekje capital at
Buyeo
Buyeo or Puyŏ ( Korean: 부여; Korean pronunciation: u.jʌ or 扶餘 ''Fúyú''), also rendered as Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It is sometimes considered a Korea ...
, ostensibly to serve as a roadblock to the expected Tang attempts to control that region.
The end of the Kingdom of Bodeok
The revived Goguryeo territory of Bodeok soon became a haven for remnants of the Goguryeo population. Shortly thereafter in 672, and under circumstances unknown but evidence of internal turmoil within the new kingdom, Geom was killed under Anseung's orders.
In the third year of the reign of Silla’s
King Sinmun (683), in the wake of rebellious plots by Silla aristocrats against King Sinmun (plots that also involved the general Daemun (대문, 大文), a relative of Anseung), Silla abolished the small kingdom of Bodeok and Anseung was made to reside in the Silla capital of
Gyeongju, where he was granted the official title of ''sopan'' (소판, 蘇判), bestowed with the clan name of
Kim
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
(金), and given a generous piece of land and magnificent dwelling. The Kingdom of Bodeok came to an end and the remnant Goguryeo populace there was repopulated in various locales in the south.
The date and circumstances of Anseung's death are unknown.
In popular culture
* Portrayed by
Kang Ji-hoo in the 2006-2007
KBS TV series ''
Dae Jo Yeong''.
See also
*
History of Korea
*
Three Kingdoms of Korea
Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...
*
Geom Mojam
Geom Mojam (?-670) was the military leader of a short-lived movement to restore Goguryeo after its fall to Silla in the later 7th century CE. After the kingdom fell to Tang and Silla in 668, he kindled an opposition movement in the Taedong River va ...
References
{{s-end
Goguryeo
Silla people