Pyeongwon of Goguryeo (ruled 559–590) the 25th ruler 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 mos ...

, the northernmost 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 ...

. Pyeongwon was also known as 'Pyeonggangsanghowang'. His birth name was Yangseong (though the Suishu and Tangshu have him as Tangseong).

Reign

The years of Pyeongwon's rule are generally agreed upon by historians, but his year of birth has not been established with any degree of certainty. It is known that he was the eldest son of Yangwon of Goguryeo and became crown prince in 557, two years before assuming full power. He is said to have been courageous, and skilled in horseriding and archery. By this time, royal power had been significantly eroded by the aristocracy. Concerned for the people, he encouraged agricultural and sericultural developments and reduced the royal cuisine. He maintained tense but relatively peaceful relations with the

Göktürks The Göktürks, Celestial Turks or Blue Turks ( otk, 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰰:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣, Türük Bodun; ; ) were a nomadic confederation of Turkic peoples in medieval Inner Asia. The Göktürks, under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan (d. 552) a ...

and the various Chinese dynasties, briefly battling the

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty a ...

at the

Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River ...

in 577. He frequently sent tributes to the Chen Dynasty,

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It ruled the eastern part of northern China ...

and

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 la ...

. As the

united China, King Pyeongwon prepared for the impending war. The southern border with the other two Korean kingdoms was relatively peaceful as the

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 o ...

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 J ...

alliance fell apart. In 586, he moved the capital to Jangan fortress. In 590, the king received news that the state of Chen had fallen and was greatly alarmed. For defense purposes he ordered troops into training and the augmentation of military provisions. The rule of Pyeongwon came to an end in 590, which is the year of his death according to

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, ...

, but there is no specific documentation to confirm the circumstances. He was given the posthumous royal title of King Pyeongwon.

Family

*Father: King Yangwon (양원왕, 陽原王) **Grandfather: King Anwon (안원왕, 安原王) **Grandmother: ''Middle Lady'' (중부인, 中夫人) *Unknown wife **Daughter:

Princess Pyeonggang Princess Pyeonggang (died 595) was a Goguryeo Princess as the daughter of King Pyeongwon and sister of King Yeongyang She was married to General On Dal. In popular culture * Portrayed by Nam Sang-mi in the 2009 KBS2 TV series '' Invincible ...

(평강공주, 平岡公主) – married On Dal (온달, 溫達). **1st son: Prince Won (원, 元) **2nd son: Prince Geonmu (건무, 建武) **3rd son: Prince Daeyang (대양, 大陽); father of King Bojang.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Kil Yong-woo Kil Yong-woo (born December 17, 1955) is a South Korean actor. In 2010, he played one of the main characters in the stage adaptation of the bestselling novel '' Please Look After Mom''. Filmography Film Television series Web series Var ...

in the 2009

KBS2 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, ...

TV series ''

Invincible Lee Pyung Kang ''Invincible Lee Pyung Kang'' (), also known as ''Taming of the Heir'', is a 2009 South Korean television series starring Nam Sang-mi and Ji Hyun-woo. In a modern retelling of the classic Korean folktale "Princess Pyeonggang and the Fool Ondal" i ...

''. * Portrayed by Lee Yong-jik in the 2017

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

TV series ''

My Only Love Song ''My Only Love Song'' () is a South Korean streaming television series produced by Netflix, starring Lee Jong-hyun and Gong Seung-yeon. It also has elements of fantasy since it involves time travel and a "magical van". Synopsis Soo-jung ( Gon ...

''. * Portrayed by in the 2021 KBS2 TV series ''

River Where the Moon Rises ''River Where the Moon Rises'' () is a 2021 South Korean television series starring Kim So-hyun, Na In-woo, Lee Ji-hoon and Choi Yu-hwa. Based on the 2010 novel ''Princess Pyeonggang'' by film director and screenwriter Choi Sagyu, it aired on K ...

''.

References

Goguryeo rulers 6th-century births 6th-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown Year of death unknown Place of death unknown 6th-century Korean people {{Korea-bio-stub

Reign

Family

Popular culture

See also

References