King Gogugwon of Goguryeo (?–371, r. 331–371)
was the 16th king 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 ...
. He was the son of
King Micheon and Lady Ju.
Goguryeo faced devastation by the Murong
Xianbei
The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the ...
people who attacked Goguryeo.
Hwando
Hwando () is a mountain fortress of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, built to protect Goguryeo's second capital, Gungnae. It is located in present-day Ji'an city of the province of Jilin, China.
The fortress is located 2.5 km west of Ji'an ...
was destroyed again by them in 341. Buyeo was also destroyed by the Xianbei in 346.
The reign of Gogukwon suffered severely from continuous foreign invasions, not only those of Chinese forces including Xianbei but also of
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 ...
, southernwest part of Korean peninsular. Particularly, the
Xianbei
The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the ...
state of
Former Yan
The Former Yan (; 337–370) was a dynastic state ruled by the Xianbei during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.
Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin dynasty-created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, ...
invaded the capital in 342, capturing Queen Ju, the mother of Gogukwon and his concubines and also digging up the corpse of his father, Micheon. Since the capital was thoroughly destroyed, Gogukwon firstly constructed
Guknae seong as an alternative fortress in northern sphere and temporarily moved the capital to
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 ...
, present-day capital of
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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. While he could get back the corpse of his father, it took about 13 years for his mother to return to Goguryeo.
In 369, Gogukwon personally led expedition of more than 20,000 troops. Without success,
Geunchogo's son
Geungusu overtook, counterattacked and killed Gogugwon in battle, at
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, the only ruler of Goguryeo to die on a battlefield.
He was buried in Gogugwon.
Family
*Father:
King Micheon (미천왕, 美川王)
**Grandfather: Prince Dolgo (돌고, 咄固)
*Mother: ''Queen'', of the Ju clan (왕후 주씨, 王后 周氏)
*Wife: unknown queen
**Son:
Prince Gubu (구부, 丘夫)
**Son:
Prince Iryeon (이련, 伊連)
Depiction in arts and media
* Portrayed by
Lee Jong-won
Lee Jong-won (born September 25, 1969) is a South Korean actor.
Filmography
Television series
* ''Love Is Blue'' (SBS, 1994)
* ''The Last Match'' (MBC, 1994)
* ''Partner'' (MBC, 1994)
* ''Our Sunny Days of Youth'' (KBS2, 1995)
* ''The Sce ...
in the 2010–2011
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 ''
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 in 2017
KBS TV series ''
Chronicles of Korea
Chronicles may refer to:
* ''Books of Chronicles'', in the Bible
* Chronicle, chronological histories
* ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis
* ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', the collected works of Raphael Holinshed
* ''The Idhu ...
.''
See also
*
History of Korea
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 earlies ...
*
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 ...
*
List of Korean monarchs
This is a list of monarchs of Korea, arranged by dynasty. Names are romanized according to the South Korean Revised Romanization of Korean. McCune–Reischauer romanizations may be found at the articles about the individual monarchs.
Gojoseon
G ...
*
Goguryeo-Yan Wars
References
{{s-end
Goguryeo rulers
371 deaths
4th-century monarchs in Asia
Year of birth unknown
4th-century Korean people