| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Goryeo | |
|---|---|
| Korean Name | |
| Revised Romanization | Goryeo |
| McCune-Reischauer | Koryo |
| Hangul | 고려 |
| Hanja | 高麗 |
Goryeo was the name of Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty, which lasted from the fall of Silla in 935 until the founding of the Joseon Dynasty in 1394. The name "Goryeo" is a shortened form of " Goguryeo," the name of a kingdom in northern Korea which was conquered by Silla in AD 668. The English name "Korea" comes from "Goryeo."
The Goryeo period was a culturally rich one in Korea's history. Two of the period's most notable products are Goryeo pottery — the famous Korean celadon pottery — and the Tripitaka Koreana — the Buddhist scriptures ( Tripitaka) carved onto roughly 80,000 woodblocks.
It is now known as a kingdom, but it was de facto an empire. All terminologies used in the court of Goryeo was that of an empire, not of a kingdom. Capital Gaeseong was called "Imperial Capital (皇都)" and palace as "Imperial Palace (皇城)." Other terms like Your Majesty (陛下), Prince (太子), Empress (太后), Imperial Ordiance (詔 or 勅) also suggest Goryeo was an empire itself. After Mongol invasion, Mongols forced Goryeo to give up on its status as an empire and it became a kingdom under Mongolian imperial sphere.
| The History of Korea |
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Gojoseon
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In order to strengthen power of central government, Gwangjong , the 4th King, made a series of laws including that freeing slaves in 958, and the one creating the exam for hiring civil officials. Gwangjong also proclaimed himself Emperor, independent from any other countries.
The 5th king, Gyeongjong (경종, 景宗) launched land-ownership reformation called Jeonshigwa (전시과田柴科) and the 6th King Sungjong (성종, 成宗) appointed officials to local areas, which were previously succeeded by the lords. By the time of 11th King Munjong (문종, 文宗) the central government of Goryeo gained complete authority and power over local lords. Munjong and later kings emphasized the importance of civilian leadership over the military.
The House Lee of Inju (인주이씨, 仁州李氏) married the kings from Munjong to the 17th king, Injong . Eventually the Lees gained more power than the king himself. This led to the coup of Lee Jagyeom in 1126. The coup failed but the power of monarch was weakened; Goryeo underwent a civil war among the nobility.
In 1135, Myo Chung argued to move the capital to Seogyeong (present day P'yongyang). This proposal divided the nobilities of Goryeo in half. One faction, led by Myo Chung, believed in moving the capital to Pyongyang and expanding into Manchuria. The other one, led by Kim Busik (author of the Samguk Sagi), wanted to keep the status quo. Myo Chung failed to persuade the King and rebelled against the central government, but failed.
In 1170, a group of army officers led by Jeong Jungbu (정중부, 鄭仲夫) and Lee Uibang (이의방, 李義方), launched a coup d'état and succeeded. King Injong went into exile and Myeongjong (명종,明宗) was made king. Military rule of Goryeo began.
In 1231, Mongolians invaded Goryeo. The throne moved to Ganghwado , an island in the Bay of Gyonggi , in 1232. The military ruler of the time Choi Chungheon (최충헌, 崔忠獻) insisted on fighting back. Goryeo resisted for decades but finally surrendered in 1259. Some military officials who refused to surrender formed the Sambyeolcho Rebellion and resisted in the islands off the southern shore of the Korean peninsula. The Goryeo dynasty survived but it remained under Mongolian control until King Gongmin began to push Mongolian forces back.
In 1388, King U planned a campaign to invade Yodong (present day Liaoning of China). King U put the general Yi Seonggye (later Taejo) in charge, but he stopped at the border and rebelled. Goryeo fell to General Yi in 1392. He then established the Joseon Dynasty.
Today, Korea and related forms such as Corea and Corée that derive from Goryeo are used as names for the country in most languages around the world. Goryeo is also sometimes used as a politically neutral name in the Korean language for the whole of Korea. For more information, see Names of Korea.