Yi Gwal (1587 – 15 February, 1624) was a general during the
Joseon Dynasty,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, known for the failed
Yi Gwal's Rebellion. His family belonged to the Gosung Yi clan.
He rebelled against
King Injo in 1624, but failed. Yi Gwal was then killed by his own troops. Yi Gwal's rebellion put Korea into a state of chaos before it was invaded by the Manchu Qing dynasty.
Background
In 1622, he joined the Injo revolution, which was a movement in Korea to get rid of the government of King
Gwanghaegun
Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (4 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), personal name Yi Hon (Hangul: 이혼, Hanja: 李琿), was the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. As he was deposed in a coup d'état, he did not receive a temple name.
...
, who advocated evenhanded diplomacy between the
Ming and the
Qing. At that time, the
Han Ming Dynasty had recently fallen to the invading
Jurchen, who had renamed themselves the
Manchu. Historically, Korea was in a long time conflict with the Jurchen tribes, who inhabited the wide plains of Manchuria. The Jurchen took
Liaoning during the late Ming and established the
Later Jin dynasty.
Yi Gwal captured the capital of Hanyang and exile
Gwanghaegun
Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (4 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), personal name Yi Hon (Hangul: 이혼, Hanja: 李琿), was the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. As he was deposed in a coup d'état, he did not receive a temple name.
...
. However, he was rewarded only as a second class helper and neglected by the King.
As the relations with Later Jin deteriorated, the Korean government and Injo sent Yi Gwal to the border of
Pyongan Province to ward off invasions from the Jin. There, Yi strengthened the walls and fortresses around the border and maintained strict military order.
Out of the fifteen thousand troops stationed in the northern border, Yi Gwal had command of ten thousand, stationed in
Yongbyon while the five thousand stayed with General
Jang Man
Jang may refer to:
*Jang (Marshall Islands), part of Maloelap Atoll, in the Marshall Islands
*Jang, Nepal, a village development committee in the Rapti Zone of western Nepal
* Jang, the Tibetan name for Naxi, a county-level district of Luzhou cit ...
(
张晚) in
Pyongyang.
Yi Gwal's Rebellion
Korea's political stance at the time caused the downfall of Yi Gwal. Since the establishment of a Confucian dynasty by
King Taejo, there had been political disputes between the parties in the government. Some disputes even ended up in bloodshed, like the one which occurred in the time of King
Yeonsangun
Yeonsangun of Joseon or Prince Yeonsan of Joseon (23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung ( Korean: 이융; Hanja: 李㦕), was the tenth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's ...
. Also, during the time of
King Seonjo just before the
Japanese invasions of Korea
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, the political parties had been divided between East and West. The Eastern Party gradually split up into two parties called the Northern and Southern Parties.
In January 1624, the Western Party, recently unsatisfied with the success of Yi Gwal (who was part of the Northern Party), made a petition to the King stating that Yi Gwal and some members of the Northern Party were planning a rebellion. As these ministers all had a close relationship with the King, the petition was examined. However, the reports proved false, and the Western Party failed to condemn Yi Gwal. They tried again soon after, which provoked the suspicion of the King.
The government soon sent an examination and arrest party to Yongbyon to arrest Yi Gwal's son Yi Jeon. As he suspected that he himself would be condemned if his son confessed, he decided on a pre-emptive strike. Finally, he killed the arrest party and the rebellion officially began on January 22, 1624. He and his ten thousand troops headed straight for Hanyang, to relieve the capital and capture the King.
The first clash with the government troops happened on the
Hamgyong
Hamgyong Province () was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hamgyŏng was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Hamhŭng.
Names
The province was first established as Yonggil ( ko, 영길, , '' ...
province, where the government troops were being led by Jeong Chung-sin and Nam Yi-hong. He tried to avoid these two generals and surpassed their troops. During the march to the capital, Yi Gwal met much opposition, but all were defeated. Injo soon abandoned the capital and Yi Gwal captured it on February 10. Since the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty, it was the first time a rebel army had captured the capital.
Yi Gwal then put Heungangun on the throne, a royal relative of the King. Moreover, he put fliers all over the city so the people would support his troops. However, the rebel occupation of the capital did not last long.
The
Hanseong was soon threatened by Jang Man and other generals from the government forces. Yi Gwal sent
Han Myeong-ryun to combat the enemy, but the rebels were defeated due to inferior geographical position. By this time, Yi Gwal tried to escape the capital as the rebel army had disbanded and separated. As Yi Gwal and Han Myeong-ryun tried to escape on February 15, they were murdered by their own troops led by Gi Ik-heon, who were seeking forgiveness from the government.
Yi Gwal failed, but Joseon society effectively entered a period of chaos, which then provoked and facilitated the
First Manchu invasion of Korea
The Later Jin invasion of Joseon occurred in early 1627 when the Later Jin prince Amin led an invasion of the Joseon Dynasty. The war ended after three months with the Later Jin establishing itself as sovereign tributary overlord over Joseon. ...
in 1627. Eventually Joseon would fall and become a vassal to the Qing dynasty.
See also
*
History of Korea
*
Manchu invasion of Korea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Gwal
Joseon dynasty
1587 births
1624 deaths
Goseong Lee clan