Myoch'ŏng () was a Korean Buddhist monk, rebel and

geomancer Geomancy, a compound of Greek roots denoting "earth divination", was originally used to mean methods of divination that interpret geographic features, markings on the ground, or the patterns formed by soil, rocks, or sand. Its definition has ex ...

of the royal court of the

Goryeo dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

Myoch'ŏng's Rebellion

During the reign of King Injong of Goryeo, Myoch'ŏng argued that Goryeo had become weakened by

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

ideals. His views directly conflicted with those of the predominant

neo-Confucian Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a Morality, moral, Ethics, ethical, and metaphysics, metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768� ...

court officials, represented by

Kim Bu-sik Kim Pusik (; 1075–1151) was a Korean calligrapher, military general, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Goryeo period. He was a scion of the Silla royalty and a member of the Gyeongju Kim clan. Later he was the supreme chancellor fro ...

. On a broader scale, this represented the ongoing struggle between the Confucian and Buddhist elements and factions in Goryeo royal court. It was during this period that the

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

of China was exerting pressure on Goryeo. The trouble with the Jin dynasty was partly due to Goryeo's underestimation of the newly established state and the ill-treatment of its envoys (i.e. killing them and humiliating their corpses). Goryeo belittled and refused to engage with the Jurchens, because the Jurchens were once a subservient tribe under Goryeo's

predecessor state Succession of states is a concept in international relations regarding a successor state that has become a sovereign state over a territory (and populace) that was previously under the sovereignty of another state. The theory has its roots in 19th ...

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

, and therefore, Jurchen assertion of equality with Goryeo offended Goryeo. Taking advantage of the situation, Myoch'ŏng proposed attacking the Jin dynasty and claimed that moving Goryeo's capital to Sŏgyŏng, currently

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

, would assure success. King Injong was persuaded. However, the rest of the royal court and bureaucracy did not support the move, and the king had to backtrack on his commitments to Myoch'ŏng. Frustrated at the resistance of the southern elites (who feared losing their dominant position) against moving the capital to the former Goguryeo capital and reclaiming former Goguryeo lands in Manchuria, Myoch'ŏng led a rebellion against the Goryeo government and formed a breakaway regime. He established in Pyongyang, known as Sŏgyŏng () at the time, his new state of Daewi (). According to Myoch'ŏng, the Goryeo capital of Kaegyŏng was "depleted of virtue." This made Sŏgyŏng the ideal location for the supposed dynastic revival. The rebellion was crushed by forces led by scholar-general Kim Bu-sik.

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Myocheong

Myocheong
12th-century Korean people Goryeo Buddhist monks Geomancy Korean rebels {{Korea-politician-stub

Myoch'ŏng's Rebellion

See also

References

External links