U of Goryeo (25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389) ruled

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

(

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 ...

) as the 32nd king from 1374 until 1388. He was the only son of

King Gongmin Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomou ...

Cultural background

In the thirteenth century,

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

forces had invaded China and established the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fift ...

in 1271. After a series of Mongol invasions, Goryeo eventually capitulated and entered into a peace treaty with the Yuan dynasty, in which

was subordinate tributary state to China. The

Ming dynasty 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 peo ...

in China had grown extremely powerful during the 14th century, however, and it began to beat back the Yuan forces, so that by the 1350s Goryeo had managed to regain its northern territories and took back the Liaodong region.

Birth

According to the records, U was reportedly born to slave girl

Banya Banya may refer to: Places Australia * Banya, Queensland, a locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia Bulgaria * Banya, Blagoevgrad Province, a thermal spa and mountain resort in southwest Bulgaria * Banya, Burgas P ...

, a maid of the monk Shin Don, and

. Because Gongmin initially denied the child as his son and refused to name him, Shin Don took it upon himself and named the boy Monino (meaning ''"servant of Buddha"''). As a result of the King's refusal to recognize the child, intense debate and speculation surrounding the lineage of the boy ensued and Monino was not permitted to enter or live inside the palace. Soon after the death of Shin Don in 1371, King Gongmin summoned Monino to the palace to formally recognize and proclaim the boy as his son and sole heir to the throne. Gongmin officially pronounced Monino to the Royal Court as Crown Prince and renamed him "U", recording his mother to be a deceased palace maid of the Han clan.

Accession to the throne

In 1374, a high official named Yi In-Im led a small but powerful, anti-Ming faction that assassinated King Gongmin. The anti-Ming group enthroned the eleven-year-old boy, as

's successor. Suspicious about Gongmin's sudden and unexplained death, the Chinese doubted the legitimacy of the adolescent King U. A few years after his enthronement in 1376, King U's birth mother Banya snuck into the residence of Queen Mother Myeongdeok to protest the fact that she was not acknowledged as the king's mother. Banya was sentenced to imprisonment and later thrown into the

Imjin River The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...

where she drowned.

Diplomatic tensions with China

King U's reign was characterised by the political fallout of the demise of the

and rise of the

Ming 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 ...

, with his court divided into pro- and anti-Ming groups. King U was put on the throne by the pro-Yuan official Yi In-Im, and the influence of the latter caused substantial conflict over whether to restore relations with the Yuan or strengthen existing relations with the Ming. Tensions over this crucial foreign policy protocol had not been resolved when the Ming Dynasty proclaimed its intention to establish a command post headquartered in the Ch'ollyŏng pass at the southern end of the Hamgyŏng Plain in 1388. Pro-Yuan officials apparently succeeding in persuading the king to take action against the Ming, as he ordered General

Yi Seonggye Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...

to conquer Yodong in Ming territory. Goryeo's senior military commander, General

Choi Young Choi Young (Korean: 최영; 1316–1388), also romanized as Choe Yeong, was a Korean general born in Hongseong or CheorwonKBS World"Choe Yeong, the Victorious General of Goryeo Dynasty", Koreans in History, 2011-02-04. during the Goryeo period ...

, consulted with General

Yi Seong-gye Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...

, and determined that removal of the anti-Ming faction from power in Kaesŏng was essential to reducing the perceived threat from Ming China. Supported by Seong-gye, Choi removed Yi In-Im and his group accordingly in a coup d'état and took personal control of the government.

Fall and death

There was a growing feeling in Kaesŏng that Goryeo needed to take some kind of preemptive action against China, and advisors to King U eventually goaded him into attacking the powerful Ming armies. Against universal opposition, and in violation of the long-standing Goryeo practice of not invading its neighbors, King U went one step further and insisted on attacking China proper. In 1388, General

was ordered to use his armies to push the Ming armies out of the Korean peninsula. Upon reaching the Amrok River and realizing that the strength of the Ming forces surmounted the forces of Goryeo, he decided to return to the capital and take control of Goryeo's government instead of destroying his army by attacking the Ming. Returning to Kaesŏng and, after overpowering the royal court's defenders and removing (then killing) General Choi Young, Yi Seong-gye usurped the throne from Goryeo's Dynasty and took control of the government. King U was deposed and replaced with his son, King Chang; together they were assassinated with poison one year later and replaced with Prince Gongyang on the grounds that he was of true royal descent. King U is the only king in Korea's long history to never receive a posthumous title for his reign.

Family

*Father:

King Gongmin of Goryeo Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomou ...

(고려 공민왕) **Grandfather: King Chungsuk of Goryeo (고려 충숙왕) **Grandmother: Queen Gongwon (공원왕후) *Mother: **Biological:

(반야) **Legal-adoptive: Queen Sunjeong (순정왕후) *Consorts and their Respective issue(s): # Royal Consort Geun of the Goseong Yi clan (근비 이씨) ## Prince Wang Chang (왕창) # Royal Consort Yeong of the Dongju Choe clan (영비 최씨) – No issue. # Royal Consort Ui of the Jangyeon No clan (의비 노씨) – No issue. # Royal Consort Suk of the Choe clan (숙비 최씨) – No issue. # Royal Consort An of the Gang clan (안비 강씨) – No issue. # Royal Consort Jeong of the Pyeongsan Sin clan (정비 신씨) – No issue. # Royal Consort Deok of the Jo clan, of the Jo clan (덕비 조씨) – No issue. # Royal Consort Seon of the Gaeseong Wang clan (선비 왕씨) – No issue. # Royal Consort Hyeon of the Juksan An clan (현비 안씨) – No issue. # Princess Hwasun (화순옹주) – initially a Gisaeng, No issue. # Princess Myeongsun (명순옹주) – initially a Gisaeng, No issue. # Princess Yeongseon (영선옹주; d. 1420) – initially a Gisaeng, No issue.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Lee Doo-seop in the 1983 KBS TV series ''

Foundation of the Kingdom ''Foundation of the Kingdom'' () is a 1983 South Korean historical television series. It aired on KBS1 from January 2, 1983 to December 18, 1983. The series revolves around the fall of Goryeo and the foundation of Joseon. Cast Kingdom of Goryeo ...

''. * Portrayed by Bang Hoon in the 1983 MBC TV series ''

The King of Chudong Palace ''The King of Chudong Palace'' () is a 1983 South Korean historical television series, the first installment of the drama series ''500 Years of Joseon Dynasty'' by director Lee Byung-hoon and writer Shin Bong-seung. It aired on MBC from March ...

''. * Portrayed by Kwon Oh-seong in the 1996-1998 KBS TV series '' Tears of the Dragon''. * Portrayed by Choi Soo-han in the 2005–2006 MBC TV series '' Shin Don''. * Portrayed by

Lee Min-ho Lee Min-ho (, born June 22, 1987) is a South Korean actor, singer, model, creative director and businessman. He gained widespread fame worldwide with his role as Gu Jun-pyo in ''Boys Over Flowers'' (2009) which also earned him the Best New Acto ...

and Jung Joon-won in the 2012-2013 SBS TV series ''

The Great Seer ''The Great Seer'' (, also known as ''The Great Geomancer'') is a 2012 South Korean historical television series, starring Ji Sung, Ji Jin-hee, Song Chang-eui, Kim So-yeon and Lee Yoon-ji. Set during the turbulent decline of Goryeo, it is a ...

''. * Portrayed by Park Jin-woo and Jung Yun-seok in the 2014 KBS TV series ''

Jeong Do-jeon Jeong Dojeon ( Korean: 정도전, Hanja: 鄭道傳, 1342 – October 6, 1398), also known by his pen name Sambong ( Korean: 삼봉), was a prominent Korean scholar-official during the late Goryeo to the early Joseon periods. He served as the firs ...

''. * Portrayed by Lee Hyeon-bae in the 2015-2016 SBS TV series ''

Six Flying Dragons ''Six Flying Dragons'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Ah-in, Kim Myung-min, Shin Se-kyung, Byun Yo-han, Yoon Kyun-sang and Chun Ho-jin. It aired on SBS on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 50 episodes beginning on October ...

''. * Portrayed by Im Ji-kyu in the 2021-2022 KBS1 TV series '' The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won''

References

* {{s-end 1365 births 1389 deaths 14th-century Korean monarchs Executed Korean people Leaders ousted by a coup Korean Buddhist monarchs 14th-century Korean poets People from Kaesong