Goryeo

Goryeo Kingdom

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• published: 29 Apr 2013
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Goryeo Kingdom --------------------------- Goryeo, Koryo, or Cauli (918-1392), was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. This kingdom later gave name to the modern state of Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the leader of the Joseon dynasty in 1392. The Goryeo dynasty expanded its borders to present-day Wonsan in the north-east (936-943) and the Amnok River (993) & finally almost the whole of the Korean peninsula (1374). Two of this period's most notable products are Goryeo celadon pottery and the Tripitaka Koreana - the Buddhist scriptures (Tripitaka) carved onto roughly 80,000 woodblocks and stored, & still in, Haeinsa. Subjects and officials of the Goryeo dynasty also created the world's first metal-based movable type in 1234; the oldest surviving movable metal type book, the Jikji, was made in 1377. In 668, Silla conquered Baekje & Goguryeo with alliance of Tang Dynasty, but by the late 9th century it was tottering, its monarchs being unimaginative and pressed by the power of powerful statesmen. In 900 Gyeon Hwon revolted from Silla control in the Jeolla region as Hubaekje and next year Gung Ye revolted from the northern regions as Hugoguryeo (Taebong). A son of a regional lord, Wang Geon went into Hugoguryeo as a general. Hugoguryeo fell when Wang Geon revolted & killed Gung Ye in 918; Silla was overpowered by Goryeo and Hubaekje & surrendered to Goryeo in 935. In 936 Hubaekje surrendered & Goryeo started an unbroken dynasty that ruled Korea for 474 years. By the 14th century Goryeo had lost much of its power under Yuan Dynasty influences. Although King Gongmin managed to free his kingdom from the Mongol influence, the Goryeo general Yi Seonggye revolted & overthrew the last king of Goryeo, King Gongyang in 1392. Gongyang was killed in 1394. Wang Geon, a descendant of a merchant family of Songdo (present-day Kaesŏng), joined Taebong but overthrew Gung Ye & established the Goryeo Kingdom and Dynasty in 918. Goryeo adopted a Silla-friendly Hubaekje-hostile stage in the later Three Kingdoms, but in 927, Goryeo was defeated by Hubaekje in present-day Daegu. Wang Geon lost his best supporters in the battle. For 3 years after the battle, Hubaekje dominated the Later Three Kingdoms but after a defeat at the Andong in 930, Hubaekje lost his power. The Later Three Kingdoms era ended as Goryeo annexed Silla in 935 & defeated Hubaekje in 936. Wang Geon moved the capital to his hometown Kaesǒng, & ruled the Korean peninsula as the first Emperor of Goryeo. Wang Geon married a daughter of the Silla royal family & let most nobles keep their lands. Even though Wang Geon ruled the united nation for only 7 years before his son took the reign after his death, the succession was not challenged. The ceramics of Goryeo are considered by some to be the finest small-scale works of ceramics in history. Key-fret, foliate designs, geometric or scrolling flowerhead bands, elliptical panels, stylized fish & insects, & the use of incised designs began at this time. Glazes were usually various shades of celadon, with browned glazes to almost black glazes being used for stoneware & storage. Celadon glazes could be rendered almost transparent to show black & white inlays. While the forms generally seen are broad-shouldered bottles, larger low bowls or shallow smaller bowls, highly decorated celadon cosmetic boxes, & small slip-inlaid cups, the Buddhist potteries also produced melon-shaped vases, chrysanthemum cups often of spectacularly architectural design on stands with lotus motifs & lotus flower heads. In-curving rimmed alms bowls have also been discovered similar to Korean metalware. Wine cups often had a tall foot which rested on dish-shaped stands. In 1234, the world's first metal movable type printing was invented by Choe Yun-ui in Goryeo. Sangjeong Gogeum Yemun were printed with the movable metal type in 1234. Technology in Korea took a big step in Goryeo and strong relation with the Song dynasty contributed to this. In the Koryeo dynasty, ceramics & paper started to be manufactured. During the late Goryeo Dynasty, Goryeo was at the cutting edge of shipboard artillery. In 1356 early experiments were carried out with gunpowder weapons that shot wood or metal projectiles. In 1373 experiments with incendiary arrows & "fire tubes" possibly an early form of the Hwacha were developed & placed on Korean warships. The policy of placing cannons & other gunpowder weapons continued well into the Joseon Dynasty and by 1410, over 160 Joseon warships had cannons on board. Choe Mu-seon, a medieval Korean inventor, military commander & scientist who introduced widespread use of gunpowder to Korea for the first time & creating various gunpowder based weapons. For more information, visit: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goryeo - http://koreanhistory.info/Koryo.htm - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Korea#Goryeo