Gogugyang of Goguryeo (died 391, r. 384–391) 故國壤王, 諱伊連或云於只攴.校勘 015, 小獸林王之弟也. 小獸林王在位十四年薨, 無嗣, 弟伊連即位. was the 18th ruler of

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 most ...

, the northernmost of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...

. During his reign, the balance of power among the Three Kingdoms began to shift, as Goguryeo attacked

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

, and allied with

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 of K ...

Family

*Father: King Gogukwon (고국원왕, 故國原王) **Grandfather: King Micheon (미천왕, 美川王) **Grandmother: ''Queen'', of the Ju clan (왕후 주씨, 王后周氏) *Unknown wife **Son: Prince Damdeok (담덕, 談德)

Background and rise to the throne

He was the son of the 16th king Gogugwon, who was killed by prince and future

king Geungusu in the latter's assault on

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

Castle. Gogugyang was also the younger brother of the 17th king Sosurim, and the father of the 19th king

Gwanggaeto the Great Gwanggaeto the Great (374–413, r. 391–413) was the nineteenth monarch of Goguryeo. His full posthumous name means "Entombed in ''Gukgangsang'', Broad Expander of Domain, Peacemaker, Supreme King", sometimes abbreviated to ''Hotaewang'' ...

. Gogugyang rose to the throne when Sosurim died without a son.

Reign

In the second year of his reign, Gogukyang sent 40,000 troops to attack the Chinese state of

Later Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Later Yan (; 384 – 407 or 409) was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xianbei people, located in modern-day northeast China, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms. All rulers of the Later Yan declared them ...

in the

Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...

. The Goguryeo army captured Liaodong and

Xuantu Xuantu Commandery (; ko, 현도군) was a commandery of the Chinese Han dynasty. It was one of Four Commanderies of Han, established in 107 BCE in the northern Korean Peninsula and part of the Liaodong Peninsula, after the Han dynasty conquered ...

, and took 10,000 prisoners. In 386, the prince Go Dam-deok, the later King

, was designated heir to the throne. It is said Dam-deok served his father in battlefields since he was teenager. Goguryeo attacked the southern Korean kingdom of

in 386, which returned the attacks in 389 and 390. In the spring of 391, Goguryeo signed a treaty of friendship with King Naemul of

, another of the Three Kingdoms, and received Naemul's nephew

Kim Sil-seong Silseong of Silla (died 417) (r. 402–417), whose name is also given as Silju or Silgeum, was the 18th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the son of the general ('' gakgan'') Kim Daeseoji, who was the younger brother of King Mich ...

as a hostage.

Death and succession

He furthered the formal state adoption of

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, building a national temple and repairing the ancestral shrine. Especially, the ancestral shrine of Sajik-dan was constructed by incorporating Chinese-style rituals, while the temples of land and water were said to be constructed with a view to encouraging the commoners to have religious faith. He died in his eighth year on the throne, in the fifth lunar month of 391. He was 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 Gogugyang.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Dokgo Young-jae Dokgo Young-jae (born Jeon Young-jae on December 13, 1953) is a South Korean actor. He made his film debut in 1973, and also became active in the Dongrang Theatre Ensemble. Dokgo won Best Supporting Actor for '' White Badge'' at the Blue Dragon ...

in the 2007 MBC TV series '' The Legend'' *Portrayed by ''Kim Ju Hwan'' in the 2011 KBS TV series ''

The King of Legend ''The King of Legend'' (; literally ''King Geunchogo'') is a 2010 South Korean historical drama based on King Geunchogo of Baekje. Besides historical information from Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, it was also inspired by a novel written by Lee M ...

.'' * Portrayed by Song Yong-tae in the 2011-2012

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, a ...

TV series ''

Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror ''Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror'', also known as ''King Gwanggaeto the Great'', is a historical drama based on the life of the nineteenth monarch of Goguryeo, Gwanggaeto the Great. The drama was based on two sources, ''Gwanggaeto the Great'' ...

''.

Family

Background and rise to the throne

Reign

Death and succession

Popular culture

References

See also