King Mu of Baekje (580–641) (r. 600–641) was the 30th king 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 ...

, one 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 4th son of King Wideok.

Background

During his reign, the Three Kingdoms (

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 ...

, Baekje, and

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 ...

) were at war with each other, as alliances shifted and the neighboring China also experienced a change of dynasties. Because reliable historical sources are hard to find for the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period, the specifics of Mu's policies are not known.

Reign

Early in his reign, Mu attacked Silla several times. He also requested assistance from the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

of China to attack Goguryeo. Following the

Goguryeo–Sui War The Goguryeo–Sui War were a series of invasions launched by the Sui dynasty of China against Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, between AD 598 and AD 614. It resulted in the defeat of the Sui and was one of the pivotal factors in ...

, the Sui was replaced by the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

in China in 618. In 627, he attempted to recover land lost to Silla, but stopped when Tang intervened diplomatically. The same year, he sent the Buddhist monk

Gwalleuk Gwalleuk was a Korean Buddhist monk from the kingdom of Baekje who lived during the time of King Wideok. In 602, he travelled to Japan and is known for helping to spread the teachings of Taoism and Buddhism to Japan. In particular, he brought ov ...

to Japan with texts on

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 ...

, astronomy, history, and geography. He formally established the

Mireuksa Mireuksa was the largest Buddhist temple in the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje. The temple was established in 602 by King Mu and is located 36.012083 N, 127.031028 E, modern Iksan, North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The site was excavated in ...

temple in 602. He is also said to have ordered the repair of Baekje's Sabi Palace in 630, and the construction near his palace of the earliest known artificial lake in Korea. His policies in the latter half of his reign, which emphasized construction projects at the expense of national defence, are often thought to have contributed to the fall of Baekje, which took place twenty years after his death. There is reason to believe that he moved the capital of Baekje from Sabi in

Buyeo County Buyeo County (''Buyeo-gun'') is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Buyeo-eup, the county's capital, was the site of the capital of Baekje from 538-660 AD, during which it was called Sabi Fortress. Famous people associated with B ...

Iksan Iksan ( ko, 익산; ) is a city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, (commonly transliterated as Jeollabuk-do or Chollabuk-do) South Korea. The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (), but merged with Iksan C ...

, at least briefly. Archaeological evidence in Iksan, including tombs attributed to Mu and his wife Queen Seonhwa, appears to confirm this. Mu retained close ties with Tang China, but Tang later allied with

in the wars that ultimately unified the Korean Peninsula under Silla's rule by 668.

Seodong-yo

The

Samguk Yusa ''Samguk yusa'' () or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, duri ...

relates a legend regarding Mu's marriage to a princess of

, although historians consider it unlikely to be true, given the hostilities between the rival kingdoms. In this story, the young Seodong (Mu's childhood name) falls in love with Silla

princess Seonhwa Princess Seonhwa, which according to the '' Samguk Yusa'', was a Silla Royal Princess as the third daughter of King Jinpyeong and Lady Maya, younger sister to Princess Deokman and Princess Cheonmyeong. She was also the queen consort of Baekje ...

, and intentionally spreads a song about the princess and himself among the people. Thanks to this song ("Seodong-yo," or "Seodong's Song"), King

Jinpyeong of Silla Jinpyeong of Silla (567? – 632, reign 579 – 632) was the 26th king of the Silla Dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. King Jinpyeong followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, King Jinji, by reorganizing the central ruling system ...

banishes the princess, and Mu marries her and becomes the king of Baekje.

Family

* Father: Wideok of Baekje * Mother: Yeon Gamo ** Brother: Jin'ni-Ō (辰爾王, ?–?) – settled in Japan and became ancestor of the

Ōuchi clan was one of the most powerful and important families in Western Japan during the reign of the Ashikaga shogunate in the 12th to 14th centuries. Their domains, ruled from the castle town of Yamaguchi, comprised six provinces at their height, and ...

and Toyota clan. ** Queen: Queen Sataek (沙宅王后, d. 642/55) – daughter of Minister Sataek Jeokdeok (沙宅積德).사택왕후(沙宅王后)
/ref> *** 31st king,

Uija of Baekje Uija of Baekje (599?–660, r. 641–660) was the 31st and final ruler of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. His reign ended when Baekje was conquered by an alliance of the rival Korean kingdom Silla and China's Tang dynasty. Backg ...

(義慈王, 599–660) – last king of Baekje, known as Buyeo Uija (扶餘義慈) before he became king. ** Queen:

Princess Seonhwa Princess Seonhwa, which according to the '' Samguk Yusa'', was a Silla Royal Princess as the third daughter of King Jinpyeong and Lady Maya, younger sister to Princess Deokman and Princess Cheonmyeong. She was also the queen consort of Baekje ...

(선화공주, 善花公主, ?–?) – daughter of King

. ***

Buyeo Gyogi Buyeo Gyogi (扶餘翹岐, ? – 677) was a prince of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the second son of the 30th king, Mu of Baekje and half-brother of the 31st king, Uija of Baekje. In 642 he was exiled along with his mothe ...

(扶餘翹岐, ?–?) – banished to Japan in 642.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Kim Seok Kim Seok (born 9 September 1991) is a South Korean football player who plays as a forward. Career He dropped out of school and moved to France in 2001. He joined the FC Metz's youth academy at the age of ten and played until 2005 summer. Fro ...

and Jo Hyun-jae in the 2005-06 SBS TV series ''

Ballad of Seodong ''Ballad of Seodong'' () is a South Korean television series starring Jo Hyun-jae, Lee Bo-young, and Ryu Jin. It aired on SBS from September 5, 2005 to March 21, 2006 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 55 episodes. The period drama is based ...

''. * Portrayed by

Choi Jong-hwan Choi Jong-hwan (; born September 24, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Choi won Producer's Award for his role in ''Gyebaek'' and '' The Duo'' at the MBC Drama Awards The MBC Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by Munhwa Broadcasti ...

in the 2011 MBC TV series ''

Gyebaek Gyebaek, or Kyebaek (died 20 August 660In Lunar calendar, he died on 9 July 660.), was a general in the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje during the early to mid-7th century. Little else is known of his personal life—including the year and locat ...

''. * Portrayed by Park Chul-ho in the 2012-13

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's Dream ''Dream of the Emperor'' () is a South Korean television series that aired on KBS1 from September 8, 2012 to June 9, 2013 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:40 for 70 episodes. Plot Kim Chun-chu is the grandson of King Jinji, but when his grandfat ...

''.

References

Content in this article was copied fro
Samguk Sagi Scroll 23
at the Shoki Wiki, which is licensed under th
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license
{{Authority control 641 deaths Baekje rulers Baekje Buddhists Korean Buddhist monarchs 7th-century monarchs in Asia 580 births