Balhae Kingdom ----------------------- Balhae (698-926) was a mixed ethnic Korean & Mohe kingdom established in northern Korea and Manchuria after the fall of Goguryeo. It existed during the North & South States Period of Korea along with Unified Silla. After Goguryeo fell to Silla, Dae Jo Young, a man from Goguryeo established Jin, later called Balhae. It was a successor state to Goguryeo. Balhae occupied southern parts of Manchuria, & the northern part of the Korean peninsula. It was defeated by the Khitans in 926, & most of its northern territory was absorbed into the Liao Dynasty while the southern part was absorbed into other kingdoms like Goryeo. The earliest extant recorded mention of Balhae come from the Old Book of Tang, which was compiled between 941 to 945. Southern Manchuria & northern Korea were previously the territory of Goguryeo. Goguryeo fell to the allied forces of Silla & the Tang Dynasty in 668. The Tang annexed much of western Manchuria, while Silla unified the Korean peninsula south of the Taedong River and became Unified Silla. In the confusion of the Khitan uprising against the Tang, Dae Jung-sang a leader of the remaining people of Goguryeo, allied with Geolsa Biu, a leader of Mohe and rose against the Tang in 698. After Dae Jung-sang's death, his son Dae Jo Young, former Goguryeo general succeeded his father. Geolsa Biu died in battle against the Tang army led by the general Li Kaigu. Dae Jo Yeong managed to escape outside of the Tang controlled territory with the remaining Goguryeo and Mohe soldiers. He successfully defeated the army sent by Wu Zetian at the Battle of Cheonmun-ryeong. which enabled him to establish the state of Balhae in the former region of Yilou. Traditionally, historians believed that ethnic conflicts between the ruling Koreans & underclass Mohe weakened the state. Recent study suggests that the downfall of Balhae is largely due to the catastrophic eruption in the 10th century of Baekdu Mountain located at the center of Balhae territory. Baekdu mountain still has one of the biggest volcanic calderas in the world, Heaven Lake. Ashes of this eruption can still be found in a large area, even in a sedimentary layer in northern Japan. This massive explosion created tremendous amounts of volcanic ash, damaging agriculture & even societal integrity. Eventually, Balhae would succumb to the Khitans, an emerging power in the Liaoxi area. After destroying Balhae in 926, the Khitan established the Dongdan Kingdom, which was soon annexed by Liao in 936. Some Balhae aristocrats were moved to Liaoyang but Balhae's eastern territory remained politically independent. Some Balhae people including aristocrats, led by the last Crown Prince Dae Gwang-hyeon, fled southward to Goryeo. Many descendants of the Balhae royal family in Goryeo changed their family name to Tae while Crown Prince Dae Gwang-hyeon was given the family name Wang, the royal family name of the Goryeo dynasty. Balhae was the last state in Korean history to hold any significant territory in Manchuria. The Khitans themselves eventually succumbed to the Jurchen people, who founded the Jin Dynasty. The Jin dynasty favored the Balhae people as well as the Khitans. Jurchen proclamations emphasized the common descent of the Balhae and Jurchen people from the seven Wuji tribes, and proclaimed "Jurchen and Balhae are from the same family". The fourth, fifth & seventh emperors of Jin were mothered by Balhae consorts. The 13th century census of Northern China by the Mongols distinguished Balhae from other ethnic groups such as Goryeo, Khitan & Jurchen. After the fall of Balhae & its last king in 926, it was renamed Dongdan by its new Khitan rulers, who had control over most of Balhae's old territories. However, starting from 927, many rebellions were triggered throughout the domains. These rebellions were eventually turned into several Balhae revivals. Out of these, four succeeded and established kingdoms: Hubalhae, Jeong-an, Heung-yo, & Daewon. These three kingdoms were able to temporarily chase the Khitan & their Dongdan Kingdom out into the Liaodong peninsula, but they were all eventually devastated by the Liao Empire. In 1034, Dae Gwang-hyeon, the last Crown Prince of Balhae, revolted against the Khitans. After being defeated, he fled to Goryeo, where he was granted protection & the imperial surname. This resulted in the Liao breaking off diplomatic relations with Goryeo, but there was no threat of invasion. For more information, you can visit: - http://koreanhistory.info/parhae.htm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balhae - http://kyb0417.blogspot.com/2012/01/artifacthelmet-of-late-shila-and-balhae.html - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohe_people - http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2014/03/367_101909.html

• published: 04 Jun 2013
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