This is a list of fictional monarchs appearing in the genealogies of three Korean descent groups: the Cheongju Han, the Haengju Gi, and the Taewon Seonu. These groups claim descent from a line of putative kings of Gojoseon and

Mahan Mahan or Mahaan may refer to: * Mahan (name) * Mahan confederacy, chiefdoms in ancient Korea * Mahan, Iran, a city in Kerman Province * Mahan District, an administrative subdivision of Kerman Province * Mahan Rural District, an administrative subdi ...

founded by the legendary Chinese figure Jizi, who is said to have introduced Chinese civilization to Korea. However, the association between Jizi and these clans is considered an Early Modern fabrication. The records of the Goryeo dynasty make no link between Cheongju Han individuals and Jizi, despite the fact that the official veneration of Jizi as a

culture hero A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group ( cultural, ethnic, religious, etc.) who changes the world through invention or discovery. Although many culture heroes help with the creation of the world, most culture heroes are imp ...

was patronized by the state. Fifteenth- and sixteenth-century sources also report that the descent group had been founded either by Han Ran, a tenth-century general in the service of

Taejo of Goryeo Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three ...

, or by Han Gang, a thirteenth-century minister in the government of Gojong of Goryeo. In the case of the Cheongju Han, the creation of the myth appears to have involved the integration of reports from the third-century Chinese history '' Weilüe'', in which King Jun is said to have fled south and proclaimed himself King of " Han" after losing his throne to a Chinese usurper, and the '' Jewang ungi'', a thirteenth-century epic poem in which King Jun is said to have become the king of Mahan. However, the histories never actually state that King Jun was a descendant of Jizi. The genealogies claim that King Jun's descendants ruled Mahan for a while before losing the throne, at which point the last king's three sons scattered to the Three Kingdoms of Korea and founded the Han, Gi, and Seonu. The first evidence of Koreans claiming descent from Jizi and the Gojoseon kings appears in a ''

Joseon Veritable Records The ''Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty'' (also known as the ''Annals of the Joseon Dynasty'' or the ''True Record of the Joseon Dynasty''; ko, 조선왕조실록 and ) are the annual records of Joseon, the last royal house to rule ...

'' entry for September 1603, when a discussion about Jizi between King Seonjo and his ministers digressed into a discussion on whether Jizi had traceable living descendants. The ministers, such as

Yun Geun-su Yun Geunsu(윤근수, 尹根壽, 1537–1619) was a Korean scholar-official of the Joseon period. Pennames were Woljeong(월정, 月汀), Woeam(외암, 畏菴), courtesy name was Jago(자고, 子固). Family * Grandfather ** Yun Hui-rim (윤� ...

, reported that it was said that the Cheongju Han and the Taewon Seonu were descended from Jizi; the king remained skeptical. Surviving writing by Yun Geun-su himself suggests considerable personal doubt as to the veracity of the Cheongju Han's claims. Seonjo's successor, Gwanghaegun, significantly supported the state veneration of Jizi amid an environment in which claiming Chinese descent became increasingly prestigious following

Ming China The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...

's successful interventions to save Korea during the 1590s Japanese invasions. In particular, the supposed descendants of Jizi were now legally relieved from the

military cloth tax A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

that Koreans were obliged to pay in place of conscription. As a result, many unrelated descent groups changed their affiliation to those descended from Jizi, with the result that groups such as the Jindo Han or the Jinan Han vanished. Descent from Jizi became generally accepted in Korean society following the publication of genealogies in the early seventeenth century, although major Korean scholars, in particular of the Silhak strain of practical scholarship, continued to question the connection. Modern Korean historians do not accept the historical validity of the genealogies.

Gojoseon (Gija joseon)

Mahan

#기준 (箕準) or King Mugang 무강왕 武康王 (220–194BCE) #기탁 (箕卓) or King Gang 강왕 康王 (193–189BCE) #기감 (箕龕) or King An 안왕 安王 (189–157BCE) #기식 (箕寔) or King Hye 혜왕 惠王 (157–144BCE) #기무 (箕武) or King Myung 명왕 明王 (144–113BCE) #기형 (箕亨) or King Hyo 효왕 孝王 (113–73BCE) #기섭 (箕燮) or King Yang 양왕 襄王 (73–58BCE) #기훈 (箕勳) or King Won 원왕 元王 (58–32BCE) #기정 (箕貞) or King Gye 계왕 稽王 (32–17BCE)

References

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Works cited

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Legendary Monarchs Of Korea Korean mythology

Gojoseon (Gija joseon)

Mahan

See also

References

Citations

Works cited