Pyeongwon (ruled 559–590) was the 25th ruler of

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 ...

, the northernmost of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

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

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 (; ), also known as Türks, Celestial Turks or Blue Turks, were a Turkic people in medieval Inner Asia. The Göktürks, under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan (d. 552) and his sons, succeeded the Rouran Khaganate as the main powe ...

and the various Chinese dynasties, briefly battling the

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties of China's ...

at the

Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...

in 577. He frequently sent tributes to the

Chen dynasty The Chen dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Chen (南陳 / 南朝陳) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and the fourth and last of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Southern dynasties, ...

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties during the ...

and

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

. 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 (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

alliance fell apart. In 586, he moved the capital to Jangan fortress. In 590 (the 32nd year of his reign), the king received news that the state of Chen had fallen and was greatly alarmed. For defensive purposes he ordered troops into training and the augmentation of military provisions.Samguk sagi The rule of Pyeongwon came to an end in 590, which is the year of his death according to the ''

Samguk sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

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

Family

*Father: King Yangwon () **Grandfather: King Anwon () **Grandmother: ''Middle Lady'' () *Unknown wife **Daughter: Princess Pyeonggang () – married On Dal (). **1st son: Prince Won () **2nd son: Prince Geonmu () **3rd son: Prince Daeyang (); 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 Va ...

in the 2009

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

TV series '' Invincible Lee Pyung Kang''. * Portrayed by Lee Yong-jik in the 2017

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

TV series '' My Only Love Song''. * Portrayed by in the 2021 KBS2 TV series '' River Where the Moon Rises''.

References

Goguryeo monarchs 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