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 wa ...

, reigning from 699 to 719.

Life

Early life

Dae Joyeong was the first son of general

Dae Jung-sang Dae Jung-sang (?–698?), also known as Geolgeol Jungsang, was a key contributor to the founding of Balhae, and the father of Dae Jo-yeong, the actual founder of Balhae. Though much of the credit for the founding of Balhae went to his son, many ...

, who was also known as Sari Geolgeol Jungsang ( Hangul: 사리걸걸중상, Hanja: 舍利乞乞仲象) or Dae Geolgeol Jungsang ( Hangul: 대걸걸중상, Hanja: 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 The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'' 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 and later Manchus) affiliated with Goguryeo. The ''

Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

'' 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, 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 Patricia Ebrey, 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 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 Mu-ye, also known as King Mu () (r. 719–737), was the second king of the Balhae. He is noted for the military expansion of his domain. Background Dae Mu-ye was the eldest son of Dae Jo-yeong, the founder of the ancient kingdom of Balha ...

. 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, 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 unificati ...

. Dae Joyeong's descendants include modern-day Koreans who bear the surname Tae (태), or Dae (대). In South Korea, a television drama on KBS1 was launched since September 2006 in his honor. Roughly 30% (based on 2007 survey) of the Korean viewers enjoyed this programme. The third

Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyer ''Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin'' class destroyers (, Hanja: 忠武公李舜臣級驅逐艦) are multipurpose destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship of this class, ROKS ''Chungmugong Yi Sunsin'', was launched in May 2002 and commission ...

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 in ...

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. The

Chunbun Ancestral Rite Chunbun Ancestral Rite refers to the annual memorial ritual held during Chunfen, or Chunbun in remembrance of the Go of Balhae, the founder of the Balhae empire. The ancestral rite takes place every year in Balhae Village, a small town located i ...

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