Samgeun of Baekje (465–479) (r. 477–479) was the 23rd 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 ...

. According to the ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

'', he was the eldest son of the 22nd king Munju.

Background

In 475, the northern Korean kingdom 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 ...

had forced Baekje's capital south from the present-day

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

region to

Ungjin Ungjin, also known as Gomanaru (Hangul: 고마나루, literally "bear port") is a former city on the Korean Peninsula. It was located in modern-day Gongju, South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538 ...

(near present-day

Gongju Gongju ([]; Gongju-si) is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. History Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo. Goguryeo had overrun ...

), and the Baekje court had lost much of its power to the aristocracy. Within the aristocracy, clans from the local

Mahan confederacy Mahan () was a loose confederacy of statelets that existed from around the 1st century BC to 5th century AD in the southern Korean peninsula in the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces. Gina Lee Barnes, 《State Formation in Korea: Historical and A ...

, which Baekje conquered and absorbed earlier, gained strength against the traditional clans descended from the northern kingdom of

Buyeo Buyeo or Puyŏ ( Korean: 부여; Korean pronunciation: u.jʌ or 扶餘 ''Fúyú''), also rendered as Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It is sometimes considered a Korea ...

. In the midst of this instability, the chief general and Minister of Defense,

Hae Gu Hae Gu (? – 478) was a noble of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a member of the Hae clan (解氏), one of the "Great Eight Families" (''Daeseongpaljok'', 大姓八族). He held the position of Minister of Defense (''Byeong'gw ...

, took control of the military and killed Munju's brother

Buyeo Gonji Buyeo Gonji (? – July, 477) was a member of the royal family of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a son of the 21st king, Gaero of Baekje and younger brother of the 22nd king, Munju of Baekje. Life According to the ''Samguk Sa ...

in 477. After this

exercised effective rule over the country. That year, he ordered the death of Munju.

Reign

Samgeun was only thirteen years old when he took power after his father’s death. Since he was not fit to oversee the military, the armies continued to be overseen by General Hae Gu, who maintained actual political control. In 478,

found common cause with rebels led by

Yeon Sin Yeon Sin (? – 478) was a noble of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a member of the Yeon clan (燕氏), one of the " Great Eight Families" (''Daeseongpaljok'', 大姓八族). He held the position of Eunsol (恩率: 3rd official ...

, based in Daedu Castle. Samgeun first sent the noble Jin Nam to capture the castle with 2,000 men, but he failed. He then sent Jin Ro, who defeated the rebels with 500 men, whereupon

fled to

. With this event, the Jin clan gained great strength in Baekje. The next year, Samgeun died, succeeded by his uncle

's son, Dongseong of Baekje.

Family

* Father:

Munju of Baekje Munju of Baekje (?–477, r. 475–477Il-yeon: ''Samguk Yusa: Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea'', translated by Tae-Hung Ha and Grafton K. Mintz. Book Two, page 120. Silk Pagoda (2006). ) was the 22nd king of Baekje, on ...

* Mother: unknown ** Queen: unknown *** Children: unknown

References

Content in this article was copied fro
Samguk Sagi Scroll 23
at the Shoki Wiki, which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license. {{s-end 465 births 479 deaths Baekje rulers Year of birth uncertain 5th-century monarchs in Asia 5th-century Korean people

Background

Reign

Family

See also

References