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

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

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 ...

.''

References

{{s-end Goguryeo rulers 371 deaths 4th-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown 4th-century Korean people

Family

Depiction in arts and media

See also

References