King Micheon of Goguryeo (died 331, r. 300–331)
was the 15th 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 ...
.
Family
*Father: Prince Dolgo (돌고, 咄固)
**Grandfather:
King Seocheon (서천왕, 西川王)
**Grandmother: ''Queen'', of the U clan (왕후 우씨, 王后 于氏)
*Wife: ''Queen'', of the Ju clan (왕후 주씨, 王后 周氏)
**Son:
Prince Sayu (사유, 斯由; d. 371)
**Son: Prince Mu (무, 武)
Background and Rise to the throne
He was the grandson of the 13th king
Seocheon
Seocheon County () is a county in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It is famous for its seafood and location near the mouth of the Geum River.
Administrative divisions
Seocheon county has two major centers, Janghang-eup and Seocheon-eup. Seocheon- ...
, and the son of the ''
gochuga''
Go Dol-go, who was killed by his brother, the 14th king
Bongsang.
Korean historical records say that Micheon fled and hid as a servant in a miserable life, doing menial tasks such as throwing stones into a pond throughout the night to keep his master from being awakened. It is said a year later he left that house to become salt peddler but failed to gain huge asset.
Meanwhile, King Bongsang became increasingly unpopular, and court officials, led by Prime Minister
Chang Jo-Ri
Chang Jo-ri (창조리, 倉助利) (?-?) was the prime minister of Goguryeo during the reigns of Kings Bongsang and Micheon.
Background
Chang Jo-ri's origins or ancestry is not mentioned in historical records. It can be inferred that Prime Min ...
, carried out a coup that overthrew
King Bongsang, and placed King Micheon on the throne.
Reign
Micheon continuously developed the Goguryeo army into a very powerful force. During the disintegration of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
's
Jin Dynasty,
he expanded Goguryeo's borders into 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 ...
and the other Chinese commanderies.
Since the commanderies were nuisances to be eliminated for Goguryeo’s stability, the first military campaign in 302 headed against the
Xuantu Commandery
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 ...
, with conquering
Daedong River
The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening ...
basins of current
Pyeongyang
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 population ...
. Consolidating cut-off between commanderies and Chinese mainland, Goguryeo also annexed the
Lelang commandery
The Lelang Commandery was a commandery of the Han dynasty established after it had conquered Wiman Joseon in 108 BC and lasted until Goguryeo conquered it in 313. The Lelang Commandery extended the rule of the Four Commanderies of Han as far so ...
in 313
and
Daifang commandery
The Daifang Commandery was an administrative division established by the Chinese Han dynasty on the Korea, Korean Peninsula between 204 and 314.
History
Gongsun Kang, a warlord in Liaodong, separated the southern half from the Lelang commandery ...
in 314 after attacked Seoanpyeong (西安平; near modern
Dandong) in
Liaodong
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 series of subjugation around northern Korean peninsula and Manchuria held its significance given that 400-year presence of Chinese forces was completely cleared out of Korean peninsula.
In his reign, Goguryeo was faced with growing
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 ...
influence in the west, particularly
Murong Bu
Murong (; LHC: *''mɑC-joŋ''; EMC: *''mɔh-juawŋ'') or Muren refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are attested from the time of Tanshihuai (reigned 156–181). Different strands of evidence exist linking the Murong to the MongolsТаск ...
(慕容部) incursions into
Liaodong
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 ...
. Micheon allied with other Xianbei tribes against the Murong Bu, but their attack was unsuccessful. In 319, the Goguryeo general
Yeo Noja
Yeo is a Chinese, English, and Korean surname.
Origins
As an English surname, Yeo is a toponymic surname meaning "river", either for people who lived near one of the Rivers Yeo, or any river in general. The word comes from Old English , via sou ...
(여노자, 如奴子) was taken captive by the Murong Bu. Throughout this period, Goguryeo and the Murongbu attacked each other's positions in Liaodong, but neither was able to secure regional hegemony.
Since both sides were at stake, Micheon sent its ambassador to Zhou posterior in 330 with a view to making a diversion against Murong Bu from east side.
[三十一年, 遣使後趙石勒, 致其楛矢.]
Death and aftermath
Micheon died and was buried in 331 at Micheon-won, literally the "garden with beautiful stream".
Twelve years later, in the reign of
King Gogugwon, his remains were dug up by the
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, ...
invaders, and held for ransom.
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 ...
References
{{s-end
Goguryeo rulers
331 deaths
4th-century monarchs in Asia
Year of birth unknown
4th-century Korean people