The First Goryeo-Khitan War (; ) was a 10th-century conflict between the
Goryeo dynasty of Korea and 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 ...
of China near what is now the border between
China and
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
. It occurred in 993 and was the first of the
Goryeo-Khitan Wars, which were continued with the
Second Goryeo-Khitan War
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
(1010) and
Third Goryeo-Khitan War (1018).
In 993, the Liao dynasty invaded Goryeo's northwest border with an army that the Liao commander claimed to number 800,000, demanding Goryeo cede territories along the Yalu River.
Goryeo appealed for assistance from the Song dynasty, with whom they had a military alliance, but no Song assistance came. After the initial battles, the Khitans made steady southward progress before reaching the
Cheongcheon River, at which point they called for negotiations with Goryeo military leadership. While the Khitans initially demanded total surrender from Goryeo, and Goryeo initially appeared willing to consider it,
Seo Hui
Seo Hui () (942 – 8 August 998) was a Korean politician and diplomat during the early days of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea (918–1392). Seo is best remembered for his diplomatic skills that led 60,000 Khitan troops to withdraw from Goryeo wi ...
was eventually able to convince the Khitans to accept Goryeo as a
tributary state
A tributary state is a term for a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This to ...
instead. By 994, regular diplomatic exchanges between the Khitans and Goryeo began.
They forced Goryeo to end its tributary relations with the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
, to become a Liao tributary state and to adopt Liao's calendar.
With Goryeo's agreement of these requirements, Liao forces withdrew. The Liao dynasty gave Goryeo permission to incorporate the land along the border of the two states, which was occupied by
Jurchen tribes that were troublesome to Liao, up to the
Yalu River
The Yalu River, known by Koreans as the Amrok River or Amnok River, is a river on the border between North Korea and China. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between ...
. In spite of the settlement, Goryeo continued to communicate with the Song dynasty,
[, p.106: "Even though the Goryeo court agreed to set up tribute exchanges with the Liao court, that same year ]994
Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...
it also sent an envoy to the Song court to appeal, but in vain, for military assistance against the Khitan." having strengthened its defenses by building fortresses in the newly gained northern territories.
See also
*
Goryeo-Khitan War
*
Second Goryeo-Khitan War
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
*
Third Goryeo-Khitan War
*
History of Korea
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:First conflict in the Goryeo-Khitan War
Goryeo–Khitan War
Wars involving Imperial China
990s conflicts
993