The Sambyeolcho Rebellion (1270–1273) was a Korean

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

against the

Goryeo dynasty 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 ...

that happened at the last stage of the

Mongol invasions of Korea A series of campaigns were conducted between 1231 and 1270 by the Mongol Empire against the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. There were seven major campaigns at tremendous cost to civilian lives, the last campaign made Goryeo a vassal state of the ...

. It was suppressed by Goryeo and 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 fif ...

. After the rebellion, Goryeo became a

vassal state A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back t ...

of the Yuan dynasty.

Background

From 1231, Goryeo was intermittently invaded by the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

. During this time, Goryeo was controlled by a military regime led by the Choe family. In 1232 the government under the nominal king fled to

Ganghwa Island Ganghwa Island (Hangul ; Hanja ), also known by its native name Ganghwado, is a South Korean island in the estuary of the Han River. It is in the Yellow Sea, off Korea's west coast. The island is separated from Gimpo (on the South Korean mainlan ...

, which Mongol horse riders were unable to land on, and resisted the Mongol invasion. Unfortunately because of its fragile foundation, Goryeo faced frequent rebellions. The 1258 rebellion resulted in the establishment of

Ssangseong The Ssangseong Prefectures were administrative divisions of the Yuan dynasty established in 1258 in modern-day Kumya County, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It was founded as a base for conquest and domination of northern Goryeo territory ...

(쌍성총관부, 雙城摠管府) and

Dongnyeong Prefectures Dongnyeong Prefectures were administrative divisions of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China located in the northwest Korean Peninsula between 1259 and 1290. History In October 1269, Choe Tan (), Han Sin (), Yi Yeon-nyeong (), Gye Mun-bi () and ...

(동녕부, 東寧府) by the Mongols. Unlike these rebels, the

Sambyeolcho The Sambyeolcho was a military unit of the Goryeo dynasty while the Choe family held the reins of power as military dictators behind puppet kings. Meaning "specially-selected troops", the Sambyeolcho originated from a unit called the Yabyeolcho ...

(Three Elite Patrols) were an organ of the military government. They were organized by the Choe family to maintain security. However, unlike the Choe private guards unit (which was to personally protect the family), the Sambyeolcho assumed public functions performed by police and combat forces, effectively replacing the Six Divisions of the military. In 1258,

Choe Ui Choe Ui (1233 – 1258) (최의) was the fourth and last Choe dictator of the Ubong Choe Military regime. Biography When he was born in 1233, his father was a monk. In 1257, Choe Ui became military leader of Goryeo after his father's death. He ...

, the fourth of the Choe family, was overthrown by Kim Jun (also known as Kim Injun) using the Sambyeolcho. Kim Jun took a pro-Mongol policy and sent Crown Prince Wang Jeon to the Mongol Empire. At the same time, King Gojong and the crown prince approached the Mongols to restore power from Kim Jun. In 1268, however, Kim Jun was annihilated by the Sambyeolcho under the order of

Im Yeon The Goryeo military regime () was the government of the Goryeo dynasty from the time of the military coup d'état of 1170 to the Sambyeolcho Rebellion of 1270 and the definitive subordination of Korea to the Yuan dynasty. The rule of the Ubong ...

. The next year, Im Yeon's attempt to replace King Wonjong was reversed by the crown prince ( Chungnyeol) with the help from the Mongol force. In 1270, Im Yeon's successor Im Yumu was killed by the pro-Mongol faction using the Sambyeolcho. It marked the end of the military regime.

Anti-Mongol struggle

By the order of the Mongol court, Wonjong moved the capital from Ganghwa Island to Kaesŏng. Regaining power from military officials with the support of the Mongols, the king decided to abolish the

(삼별초, 三別抄). Resentful of the peace terms worked out with the Mongols, the Sambyeolcho, led by

Bae Jungson BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues ...

(배중손, 裴仲孫), revolted against the government. Systematically blocking passage between Gangwha and the mainland, they brought nearby islands and coastal regions under their domain. Wang On, a royal kinsman was proclaimed king of the maritime kingdom. They gave up Ganghwa Island and fled to

Jindo Island Jindo Island is the third largest island in South Korea. Together with a group of much smaller islands, it forms Jindo County. It is located in South Jeolla province, just off the southwest corner of the Korean peninsula. The island is separated ...

in the southwest. Although the Sambyeolcho raided the coastlines of

Jeolla Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in today Southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as w ...

Province, the southwestern province, Jin Island started to face food shortages in January 1271. In February the court of

Kublai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of ...

called for the Sambyeolcho's surrender. In response, its leader, Bae Jungson, asked Kublai Khan to secure Jeolla Province and put it under the direct rule of the empire, just as preceding rebels had. But his request was never fulfilled. In April, the Yuan court decided to crush the rebels. It only took a month until Jin Island fell to a combined Goryeo and Yuan army. The puppet king was killed and the survivors, led by

Kim Tongjeong Kim Tong-jeong (, died 1273) was a general in Goryeo dynasty. During Sambyeolcho Rebellion After Bae Jung-son was killed in Jindo Island by Goryeo-Mongolian allies at 1271, Kim Tong-jeong and a few Sambyeolcho Army escaped Jindo Island and mo ...

(김통정, 金通精), fled to Jeju Island. The rebels captured the island and banished the king of

Tamna Tamna, or Tamna-guk, was a state based on Jeju Island from ancient times until it was absorbed by the Korean Joseon dynasty in 1404, following a long period of being a tributary state or autonomous administrative region of various Korean king ...

in November 1270. The Sambyeolcho laid low until the end of 1271. During that time, they sought help from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese

Kamakura Shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no ...

. They regained their strength to some degree the following year. They repeatedly looted the Korean coast. A combined Goryeo-Yuan assault began in February 1272, and crushed the rebels in April. Thereafter, the Yuan dynasty directly controlled Tamna until 1294.

References

*Ikeuchi Hiroshi 池内宏: ''Kōrai no Sanbetsushō ni tsuite'' 高麗の三別抄について, Mansenshi kenkyū Chūsei No. 3 満鮮史研究中世第3冊, pp. 67–101, 1963. *Murai Shōsuke 村井章介: ''Kōrai, Sanbetsushō no hanran to Mōko shūrai zen'ya no Nihon'' 高麗・三別抄の叛乱と蒙古襲来前夜の日本, Ajia no naka no chūsei Nihon アジアのなかの中世日本, pp. 144–188, 1988. *Schultz, Edward J., ''Generals and Scholars - Military Rule in Medieval Korea'', University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 2000, pp. 63–65 {{Goryeo topics 13th-century rebellions Goryeo Rebellions in Asia Wars involving Goryeo 1270s conflicts 1270s in Asia 1270 in Asia 1273 in Asia History of Jeju Province 13th century in Korea 1271 in Asia 1272 in Asia

Background

Anti-Mongol struggle

See also

References