Yi Ŭi-bang (; 1121 – 12 January 1175) was a military ruler of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

during the

Goryeo 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 ...

period. He was one of many military dictators of Goryeo in the aftermath of the 1170 warrior rebellion.

Biography

Background

Yi originated from the

Jeonju Yi clan The Jeonju Yi clan () is a Korean clan with the surname Yi. Their ''bon-gwan'' is in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The clan includes the House of Yi that led Joseon and the Korean Empire. Their founder was . He was Minister of Works () durin ...

. He subsequently joined the military and rose in ranks, becoming a minister in the scholar dominated government.

Rebellion

In August 1170 ( Uijong 24th year), he joined the Goryeo warrior rebellion, which occurred in defiance against the typically minister ruled Korea. Primary leaders of this rebellion was Chŏng Chung-bu and Yi Ko who found that warrior-class treatment was truly unfair and planned a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

to establish a warrior government. The King of Goryeo, Uijong was soon disposed and the new warrior-class ministers set up a puppet king Myeongjong. Yi was named as one of the key figures in the new regime with the title of High Merit Minister () and given special privileges along with the other ministers. When Yi Ko tried to plot a coup and get hold of a dictatorship in 1171, Yi, under the orders of Chŏng Chung-bu purged and murdered Yi Ko.

Governance

With Chong, Yi increased the size and power of the military and attracted military-class administrators to the regime and appointed these men to national offices which were previously reserved for scholar-class ministers. In 1173, when a scholar-class minister Kim Po-dang () attempted to restore disposed king Uijong to the throne, Yi decisively slew the former king, preventing any further restoration attempts. With this merit, he was further promoted to Commander of Land Troops. During his co-governance with Chŏng, Yi also faced a series of Buddhist Monk uprisings from different shrines around the nation. As Goryeo was officially a Buddhist nation since

Wang Kŏn Taejo (; 31 January 877 – 4 July 943), personal name Wang Kŏn (), also known as Taejo Wang Kŏn (), was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. He ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three Kingdoms in 936. Background ...

's unification of Korea, the Buddhists had great influence upon the government and most Goryeo kings appointed official Buddhist Great Monk advisors to assist in national administration. Due to the increasing Buddhist uprisings, Yi himself commanded his forces to put down these rebellions and raid Buddhist shrines. With his powerful forces, he swept the nation and raided and pillaged these shrines. At this time, Cho Wi-ch'ong (), a general of the North-Western border attempted to start a rebellion. Yi responded by murdering favorers of this rebellion such as Yun In-mi (), who was of Seogyung birth. Due to this action, Yi lost support and favors from the people, and when he attempted to put down this rebellion, he failed.

Downfall and death

Yi, attempting to put down Chŏng and gain more power, tried to appoint his daughter as Royal

Princess consort Princess consort is an official title or an informal designation that is normally accorded to the wife of a sovereign prince. The title may be used for the wife of a king if the more usual designation of queen consort is not used. More informal ...

, an action which did not fulfill his objective but instead further endangered Yi's political situation. Due to this action, the 2nd Jo Invasion force, led by Chŏng Chung-bu's son Chŏng Kyun subsequently murdered Yi Ŭi-bang and his supporters and removed his daughter from the royal family. However, soon enough, Chŏng Chung-bu was also murdered and the young and righteous dictator Kyŏng Tae-sŭng took power.

Evaluation

General Yi Ŭi-bang's main legacy remains in the balance that was achieved through the purging of scholars during his co-governance with Chong. Before the arrival of Yi, the scholar class had more influence in the government to the extent that the warrior-class was greatly mistreated. With the changing of kings and shifting of power from scholar-class to warrior-class, Goryeo faced a new era. A final and very important legacy is his connection with the founder of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

Yi Sŏng-gye Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Seong-gye (), later Yi Dan (), was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdi ...

. Yi Ŭi-bang's younger brother Yi In was a 6th generation ancestor of Yi Sŏng-gye, thus connecting Yi Ŭi-bang and Yi Sŏng-gye together.

Family

*Father - Yi Yong-bu, Prince Daejang () * Mother - Lady Yi () * Sibling(s) **Older brother - Yi Chun-ŭi (; ? – 1174) ** Younger brother - Yi Rin or Yi In (이린/이인, 李璘/李隣) **Younger brother - Yi Kŏ, Internal Prince Consort Sayeol () *Wife - Lady Cho () **Daughter -

Queen Sapyeong Queen Sapyeong of the Jeonju Yi clan (; 1158 – ?) was the first and primary wife of Gangjong of Goryeo, King Gangjong of Goryeo when he was still a crown prince who just reigned for 9 months. Descended from Yi Yong-bu, she would become the first ...

of the Jeonju Yi clan (? – 1174/1175) *** Son-in-law - Gangjong of Goryeo (10 May 1152 – 26 August 1213) **** Granddaughter - Princess Suryeong (1174/1175 – ?) ***** Grandson-in-law - Wang Ch'un, Duke Hawon ()

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Seo In-seok Seo In-seok (born February 22, 1949) is a South Korean actor. Seo made his acting debut in 1976, and among his notable television series are the historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramati ...

in the 2003–2004 KBS TV series ''

Age of Warriors ''Age of Warriors'' () is a South Korean historical television series. It aired on KBS1 from February 8, 2003, to August 15, 2004, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:45 ( KST) for 158 episodes. It's KBS' third histocal series set in Goryeo after ' ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Ui-bang 1121 births 1175 deaths 12th-century Korean people Goryeo generals Regents of Korea People from Jeonju Leaders who took power by coup Leaders ousted by a coup Jeonju Yi clan Korean murder victims