Dae Joyeong (died 719) (; or in Korean) or Da Zuorong (大祚榮, 大祚荣, in Chinese), also known as King Go (; in Korean; Gao in Chinese), established the state 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 ...

, reigning from 699 to 719.

Life

Early life

Dae Joyeong was the first son of general Dae Jung-sang, who was also known as Sari Geolgeol Jungsang (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 사리걸걸중상,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 舍利乞乞仲象) or Dae Geolgeol Jungsang (

: 대걸걸중상,

: 大乞乞仲象). Historical sources give different accounts of Dae Joyeong's ethnicity and background. Among the official dynastic history works, the '' New Book of Tang'' refers to Dae Joyeong and his state as

Sumo Mohe The Mohe, Malgal, or Mogher, or Mojie, were an East Asian Tungusic people who lived primarily in the modern geographical region of Northeast Asia. The two most powerful Mohe groups were known as the Heishui Mohe, located along the Amur River, ...

(related to

Jurchens Jurchen (Manchu: ''Jušen'', ; zh, 女真, ''Nǚzhēn'', ) is a term used to collectively describe a number of East Asian Tungusic-speaking peoples, descended from the Donghu people. They lived in the northeast of China, later known as Manch ...

and later

Manchus The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

) affiliated with

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 ...

. The '' Old Book of Tang'' also states Dae's ethnic background as Mohe but adds that he was "高麗別種" (''gaoli biezhong''). The term is interpreted as meaning "a branch of the Goguryeo people" by South and North Korean historians, but as "distinct from Goguryeo" by Japanese and Chinese researchers. The '' Samguk yusa'', a 13th-century collection of Korean history and legends, describes Dae as a Sumo Mohe leader. However, it gives another account of Dae being a former Goguryeo general, citing a now-lost Sillan record. Alexander Kim considers this unlikely since Goguryeo fell in 668 while Dae died in 719, and young men could not receive the rank of general.

King of Jin (Zhen) and Balhae

The Wu Zhou killed Geolsa Biu, and Dae Jung-sang also died. Dae Joyeong integrated the armies of Goguryeo people and some Mohe (Malgal) tribes and resisted Wu Zhou's attack. His victory over the Wu Zhou at the

Battle of Tianmenling The Battle of Tianmenling (), or the Battle of Cheonmun-ryeong in Korean (), was a battle fought between Dae Jo-yeong, later founder of Balhae, and Li Kaigu (), a Khitan commander of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zhou dynasty. After the fall ...

enabled him to expand his father's empire and claimed himself the King of Jin (Zhen)in 698.Kichan Bae, "Korea at the crossroads:the history and future of East Asia", Happyreading, 2007. p.83 He established his capital at Dongmo Mountain in the south of today's

Jilin province Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea ( Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...

, and built a fortress, which was to become Zhen (Jin) kingdom's capital. He attempted to expand his influence in foreign politics involving the Tang/ Wu Zhou, the Göktürks, the Khitan,

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 ...

Patricia Ebrey Patricia Buckley Ebrey (born March 7, 1947) is an American historian specializing in cultural and gender issues during the Chinese Song Dynasty. Ebrey obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1968 and her Masters and PhD fro ...

, Anne Walthall, "Pre-Modern East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History", Vol.I:to 1800, Cengage Learning, 2013. p.111 and some independent Mohe tribes. At first he dispatched an envoy to the Göktürks, allying against Tang/ Wu Zhou. Then he reconciled himself with the Tang when Emperor Zhongzong was restored to the throne. In 712, he renamed his empire

. In 713, he was given the titular title of "Prince of

Commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...

of Bohai (Balhae)" (渤海郡王) by Emperor Xuanzong. After a period of rest within the empire, King Go made it clear that Silla was not to be dealt with peacefully because they had allied with Tang to destroy Goguryeo, the predecessor of Balhae. This aggressive stance towards Silla was continued on by his son and successor King Mu of Balhae. Dae Joyeong died in 719, and his son Dae Muye assumed the throne. Dae Joyeong was given the posthumous name "King Go."

Legacy

After the fall of Balhae,

Dae Gwang-hyeon Dae Gwang-hyeon (대광현, 大光顯, ? ~ ?) was the last Crown Prince of Balhae and a member of the Balhae Royal Family, and was the leader of the Balhae refugees who sought refuge in the Korean Kingdom of Goryeo. Biography Dae Gwang-hyeon ...

, the last prince led some Balhae aristocracy into the Korean state

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 ...

. Dae Joyeong's descendants include modern-day Koreans who bear the surname Tae (태), or Dae (대). 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 ...

, a

television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

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, ...

was launched since September 2006 in his honor. Roughly 30% (based on 2007 survey) of the

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

viewers enjoyed this programme. The third Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyer commissioned by the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy i ...

is named ''Dae Joyeong''."Korea celebrates ties with Oman"
Times of Oman, 2014-10-29 KDX-II class destroyers are named after significant figures in

Korean history The Lower Paleolithic era in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825. The earliest ...

such as admiral

Yi Sun-sin Admiral Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. Over the course of his career, Admiral Yi foug ...

. The Chunbun Ancestral Rite is held annually in Balhae Village, Gyeongsaunbok-do in order to commemorate the achievements of Dae Joyeong. The Gyeongsan City mayor participates in the event, which is open for public participation.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Choi Soo-jong Choi Soo-jong (born December 18, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Choi made his debut in 1987 as a young actor in the TV soap opera ‘Love Tree’. He has appeared in movies, on television and as an MC for various award shows. He has received worl ...

in the 2006-2007 KBS TV series '' Dae Jo Yeong''.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Portrait of Dae Joyoung (Korean)
{{s-end 7th-century births 719 deaths Balhae rulers Mohe peoples Korean generals 8th-century rulers in Asia Year of birth unknown Founding monarchs