Chang Yŏn-u (; ? – January 5, 1016) was a Korean civil official who served the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

dynasty. He fought in the

second conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War The Second Goryeo-Khitan War (; ) was an 11th-century conflict between the Goryeo, Goryeo dynasty of Korea and the Khitan people, Khitan-led Liao dynasty of China near what is now the border between People's Republic of China, China and North Kore ...

Biography

Chang Yŏn-u was the son of Chang Yu (), of the Heungdeok Chang clan. Chang Yu worked in the Department of Visiting Guests (), during the reign of King Gwangjong. Chang Yŏn-u is thought to have been born around the time of the reign of Gwangjong. In 1010, Chang Yŏn-u was serving as the deputy minister of War () when he was appointed as the ''haengyŏng tot'ongbusa'' () of the 300 thousand strong Goryeo army led by Kang Cho sent to defend against the invading Khitans. The Goryeo army was defeated near Tongju by the Khitans, with Kang being captured and later killed. Chang survived the battle and fled southwards with King Hyeonjong to Naju in 1011. He was appointed as ''p'anŏsadaesa'' () for his service to the king. In 1014, due to a lack of government funds, Chang and Hwangbo Yu-ŭi, both civil officials, proposed to reduce the salary of the military officials to make up for the lack of funds. This decision angered the military officials, with Supreme Generals Ch'oe Chil and Kim Hun launching a military rebellion and seizing control of the government. Both Chang and Hwangbo were exiled from the court. However, in 1015, both Ch'oe and Kim were killed and power was restored to the civilian court. Chang and Hwangbo were allowed to return. Chang was appointed as the Minister of Revenue (), but died shortly later on January 5, 1016 . He was posthumously honoured as the Vice Director of the Right in the Department of State Affairs () and given the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

of An'gyŏng. Chang's poem, "Song of Cold Pine Pavilion" (), would later be included in the Joseon-era collection of writings called ''Tongmunsŏn'' (Selections of Refined Literature of Korea).

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Yon-u 1016 deaths People of the Goryeo–Khitan War Goryeo people 10th-century Korean people 10th-century Korean poets 11th-century Korean people 11th-century Korean poets Heungdeok Jang clan