Taejo of Goryeo

"Wang Geon" or "Wang Kŏn" redirects here. For the historical drama, see Taejo Wang Geon (TV series).

Taejo of Goryeo
Taejo of Goryeo (877-943)
Hangul:	태조
Hanja:	太祖
Revised Romanization:	Taejo
McCune-Reischauer:	T'aejo
Birth name
Hangul:	왕건
Hanja:	王建
Revised Romanization:	Wang Geon
McCune-Reischauer:	Wang Kǒn

Taejo of Goryeo (877-943, r. 918-943), was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. As the founding king of a dynasty, Wang is usually referred to as King Taejo of Goryeo. Taejo was a name given to the first King in a new dynasty. The name 'Taejo' is comprise of two Chinese characters, 'Tae', a derivative of 'Dae' (big), which means 'very big' or 'great', and 'Jo', which means grandfather. Together, they mean 'Great Progenitor'. In 918, during the Later Three Kingdoms Period he was named king of Taebong, which was comprised of the area formerly known as Goguryeo, by four of the top Generals of Taebong who overthrew Taebong's King Gung Ye, who had become a tyrant after taking the throne in 901. Taejo then sought for an opportunity to add the remaining two kingdoms, Silla and Baekje to his domain, and did so in 935 and 936, thus unifying the entire Korean peninsula for the first time since the end of the Gojoseon kingdom, more than 600 years earlier. Korea remained united from 936 time for more than 1000 years, right up until 1948.

Background

Taejo Wang Geon (태조 왕건) was born in 877 into a wealthy merchant clan based in what is now Kaesong, and who controlled trade on the Yeseong River. His father, Wang Yung, was the clan leader and had gained much wealth from trade with China. His ancestors were known to have lived within ancient Goguryeo boundaries, thus making Taejo a Goguryeon by descent.

Rise to power

Taejo (born Wang Geon) began his career in the turbulent Later Three Kingdoms period (후삼국 시대; 後三國時代; Husamguk Sidae). In the later years of Silla, many local leaders and bandits rebelled against the rule of Queen Jinsung, who did not have strong leadership nor policies that improved living conditions. Among those rebels, Gung Ye (궁예; 弓裔; Kung Ye) of the northwestern region and Gyeon Hwon (견훤; 甄萱; Kyŏn Hwŏn) from the southwest gained the most power. As their troops marched against local Silla officials and bandits, they defeated and absorbed members of many other rebellion groups. In 895, Gung Ye led his forces into the far northwestern part of Silla, near Songdo. Wang Yung, along with many other local clans, quickly surrendered to Gung Ye. Taejo followed his father, Wang Yung, into service under Gung Ye, the future leader of Taebong, and he began his service under Gung Ye's command.

Taejo's ability as a military commander was soon recognized by Gung Ye, who promoted him to general and even regarded him as a brother. In 900, Taejo led successful campaign against local clans and army of Later Baekje (Hubaekje) in Chungju area, gaining more fame and recognition from the king. In 903, he led famous naval campaign against the southwestern coastline of Later Baekje, while Gyeon Hwon was at war against Silla. While continuing to lead military campaigns, he became known for his generous treatment of the poor people among the Silla territories he conquered. His leadership and generosity made him popular among the common people.

Gung Ye proclaimed himself king of Later Goguryeo (Hugoguryeo) in 901, changing the name of the state to Majin and then Taebong in 911. At its strongest, Taebong included parts of present day Hwanghaebuk and nam-do, Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, Pyongan-namdo and Chungcheongbuk-do. In 913, Taejo was appointed Prime Minister of Taebong.

Rise to the throne and founding of Goryeo

As time went by, Gung Ye became tyrannical, and in 918 four of his top generals – Hong Yu (Goryeo)|Hong Yu (홍유; 洪儒), Bae Hyeongyeong (배현경; 裵玄慶; Pae Hyŏn-gyŏng), Shin Sung-gyeom (신숭겸; 申崇謙; S(h)in Sung-gyŏm) and Bok Jigyeom (복지겸; 卜智謙; Pok Chi-gyŏm)—met secretly and agreed to overthrow Gung Ye's rule and crown Taejo as their new king. Taejo first opposed the idea but later agreed to their plan. A short time later Gung Ye was overthrown and killed near his capital, Cheorwon. When Gung Ye was assassinated, the generals selected Taejo to be the new king of this young state. Taejo was crowned king and renamed the kingdom Goryeo, thus beginning Goryeo Dynasty. The following year he moved the capital back to his hometown, Songak.

Taejo promoted Buddhism as the national religion, and called for the reconquest of the northern part of Korea and Manchuria, which was controlled by Balhae. Balhae's rule over the vast region of Manchuria and parts of Siberia was overthrowned by Khitan invasion in 926, and the majority of its people came to Goryeo as refugees led by Balhae's last Crown Prince Dae Gwang-Hyun. Taejo accepted them as his citizens, since Balhae and Goryeo came from ancestry common with that of Goguryeo, took control of the old, then abandoned capital city of Goguryeo, Pyongyang. He also sought for alliance and cooperation with local clans rather than trying to conquer and bring them under his direct control. Having gained control of the northern territories, Taejo then turned his sights on Silla and Later Baekje.

The War of the Later Three Kingdoms

In 927, Gyeon Hwon of Later Baekje led forces into Silla's capital, Gyeongju, capturing and executing King Gyeongae. Then he established King Gyeongsun as his puppet monarch before he turned his army toward Goryeo. Taejo, hearing of the news of the conflict between the two kingdoms to the south, felt he had an opportunity to absorb Baekja and Silla into Goryeo, and attacked Gyeon's troops on the way back home from Silla, at Gongsan near Daegu. When he first met the Later Baekje forces, Taejo and the Goryeo forces suffered a disastrous defeat, losing most of his army including his best warrior Shin Sunggyeom, the very same man who crowned Wang as a king. However, Goryeo quickly recovered from defeat and successfully defended the next Later Baekje attack on its front.

A few years later, in 935, Silla's last ruler, King Gyeongsun, felt there was no way to revive his kingdom and surrendered his entire land to Taejo. Taejo gladly accepted his surrender, gave him the title of prince, and accepted his daughter as one of his wives (Taejo had six queens, and many more wives as he married daughters of every local clan leader), which caused Later Baekje's Gyeon Hwon to view him with disgust. Gyeon's father, who held his own claim of Sangju region, also defected and surrendered to Goryeo and was received as the father of an emperor.

In the same year, Gyeon Hwon's oldest son, Singeom (신검; 神劍; S(h)in-gŏm), led a coup against his father, who favored his half-brother as his successor to the throne. Gyeon Hwon was sent into exile and imprisoned in a Buddhist temple, but escaped to Goryeo and was treated like his father, who died just before his surrender.

Goryeo victory and unification

In 936, Taejo led his final campaign against Singeom of Later Baekje. Singeom fought against Taejo, but facing much disadvantage and inner conflict, he surrendered to Taejo. Taejo finally gained full control of Later Baekje, and unified the nation for the first time since Gojoseon; He ruled until 943, and died from disease.

Taejo sought to bring even his enemies into his ruling coalition. He gave titles and land to rulers and nobles from the various countries he had defeated: Later Baekje, Silla, and also Balhae, which disintegrated around the same time. Thus he sought to secure stability and unity for his kingdom which had been lacking in the later years of Silla.

Legacy

The unification of the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 was very important in Korean history; the unification of 668 by Silla was completed in only half of the nation, since the northern part was ruled by Balhae, the revival of Goguryeo. However, Wang's unification in 936 was a full-scale unification, with the agreement of all Korean people—and the nation remained as single, unified country until 1948, when Korea was divided into North and South. Many modern Koreans look on his legacy—the only one who unified the divided nation in its whole history—to find hope from his leadership and to draw comparisons with the current situation.

Family

• Father: Wang Ryung (왕 륭)
• mother: Lady Han (한 씨)

• Consorts:

1. Empress Sinhye of the Yoo Clan (신혜왕후 유씨, 神惠王后)
2. Empress Janghwa of the Oh Clan(장화왕후 오씨, 莊和王后)

• Hyejong of Goryeo|Emperor Hyejong (혜종)

1. Empress Sinmyeongsunseong of the Yoo Clan(신명순성왕후 유씨, 神明順成王后)

• Jeongjong I of Goryeo|Emperor Jeongjong (정종)
• Gwangjong of Goryeo|Emperor Gwangjong (광종)

1. Empress Sinjeong of the Hwangbo Clan(신정왕후 황보씨,神正王后 )
2. Empress Sinseong (신성왕후)
3. Empress Jeongdeok (정덕왕후)

• Children:

1. Prince Wangwyu (왕위군), 1st Son of Empress Jeongdeok.
2. Prince In-ae (인애군), 2nd Son of Empress Jeongdeok.
3. Prince Imperial Hyoui (효의대왕), Only Son of Empress Sinseong.
4. Crown Prince Wonjang (원장태자), 3rd Son of Empress Jeongdeok.
5. Empress Munhye (문혜왕후), 1st daughter of Empress Jeongdeok.
6. Empress Seon-ui (선의왕후), 2nd daughter of Empress Jeongdeok.

• 신혜왕후 유씨(神惠王后)
• 장화왕후 오씨(莊和王后)
  • 혜종
• 신명순성왕후 유씨(神明順成王后)
  • 정종
  • 광종

• • 문원대왕(文元大王)
  • 증통국사(證通國師)
  • 낙랑공주(樂浪公主)
  • 흥방공주(興芳公主)
• 신정왕후 황보씨(神正王后)
  • 대종(戴宗)
  • 대목황후(大穆皇后)
• 신성왕후 김씨(神成王后)
  • 안종(安宗)
• 정덕왕후 유씨(貞德王后)
  • 왕위군(王位君)
  • 인애군(仁愛君)
  • 원장태자(元莊太子)
  • 문혜왕후(文惠王后)
  • 선의왕후(宣義王后)
• 현목대부인 평씨(獻穆大夫人)
  • 수명태자(壽命太子)
• 정목부인 왕씨(貞穆夫人)
  • 순안왕대비(順安王大妃)
• 동양원부인 유씨(東陽院夫人)
  • 효목태자(孝穆太子)
  • 효은태자(孝隱太子)
• 숙목부인(肅穆夫人)
  • 원녕태자(元寧太子)
• 천안부원부인 임씨(天安府院夫人)
  • 효성태자(孝成太子)
  • 효지태자(孝祗太子)
• 흥복원부인 홍씨(興福院夫人)
  • 일후공주(一後公主)
• 대량원부인 이씨(大良院夫人)
• 대명주원부인 왕씨(大溟州院夫人)
• 광주원부인 왕씨(廣州院夫人)
• 소광주원부인 왕씨(小廣州院夫人)
  • 광주원군(廣州院君)
• 동산원부인 박씨(東山院夫人)
• 예화부인 왕씨(禮和夫人)
• 대서원부인 김씨(大西院夫人)
• 소서원부인 김씨(小西院夫人)
• 서전원부인(西殿院夫人)
• 신주원부인 강씨(信州院夫人)
• 월화원부인(月華院夫人)
• 소황주원부인(小黃州院夫人)
• 성무부인 박씨(聖茂夫人)
  • 효제태자(孝悌太子)
  • 효명태자(孝明太子)
  • 법등군(法燈君)
  • 자리군(資利君)
• 의성부원부인 홍씨(義城府院夫人)
  • 의성부원대군(義城府院大君)
• 월경원부인 박씨(月鏡院夫人)
• 몽량원부인 박씨(夢良院夫人)
• 해량원부인(海良院夫人)

See also

• Rulers of Korea
• History of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics
• Wang (family name)

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