Dae Gwang-hyeon (대광현, 大光顯, ? ~ ?) was the last Crown Prince of

Balhae Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It ...

and a member of the Balhae Royal Family, and was the leader of the Balhae refugees who sought refuge in the

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n Kingdom of

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 unificat ...

Biography

Dae Gwang-hyeon was probably the first son of King

Dae Inseon Dae Inseon (r. 906–926) was the last king of Balhae, a kingdom in northeast Asia occupying parts of Manchuria, northern Korea, and the Russian Far East. Dae Inseon was also the last king of Balhae. He and his armies were pushed back and eventu ...

, and the last

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...

of Balhae. After several months of oppressing Balhae, the Khitan-led

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan language, Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that exi ...

army swept through Balhae and reached Shangjing Longquanfu (Sanggyeong), the capital city. The last king of Balhae surrendered to the Liao forces and the capital was captured. The king was captured, but the Crown Prince managed to gather an army and escape to

in hopes of gathering strength to avenge the humiliating defeat and downfall of his dynasty. Dae Gwang-hyeon arrived with his fellow Balhae people during the 1st month of 937, the 17th year of King Taejo's reign. He was warmly welcomed and included into the ruling family of Goryeo by

Wang Geon Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Thre ...

, bringing a unification of the two successor states to

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 ...

. "When Parhae perished at the hands of the Khitan around this same time, much of its ruling class, who were of Koguryŏ descent, fled to Koryŏ. Wang Kŏn warmly welcomed them and generously gave them land. Along with bestowing the name Wang Kye ("Successor of the Royal Wang") on the Parhae crown prince, Tae Kwang-hyŏn, Wang Kŏn entered his name in the royal household register, thus clearly conveying the idea that they belonged to the same lineage, and also had rituals performed in honor of his progenitor. Thus Koryŏ achieved a true national unification that embraced not only the Later Three Kingdoms but even survivors of Koguryŏ lineage from the Parhae kingdom." He had at least one son, Dae Do-su, who later led Goryeo to victory against the Liao dynasty at the Battle of Anyung Fortress. He was also the ancestor of the Hyeopgye and Yeongsun Tae clan and the Miryang Dae clan, most of whose members currently reside in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Kim Kyoo in the 2000-2002

KBS1 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

TV series '' Taejo Wang Geon''. *Portrayed by Heo Maeng-ho in the 2009 KBS TV series ''

Empress Cheonchu ''Empress Cheonchu'' (; also known as ''The Iron Empress'') is a 2009 South Korean period television series based on the title character, an actual historical figure and her lifelong struggle to protect the country her ancestors built. The grand ...

''.

References

External links

Dae Gwang-hyeon
on

Encykorea The ''Encyclopedia of Korean Culture'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by the Academy of Korean Studies and DongBang Media Co. The articles in the encyclopedia are aimed at readers who want to learn about Korean culture and history, ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dae Gwang-Hyeon Balhae Balhae people Korean princes 10th-century Korean people

Biography

In popular culture

See also

References

External links