Kung Ye
Kung Ye 弓裔 궁예 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Queen Kang | |||||
Issue | Chong-gwang Sin-gwang Sun-baek | ||||
| |||||
House | House of Kim | ||||
Father | Heonan of Silla | ||||
Religion | Buddhism | ||||
Korean name | |||||
Hangul | 궁예 | ||||
Hanja | |||||
Revised Romanization | Gung Ye | ||||
McCune–Reischauer | Kung Ye | ||||
Dharma name | |||||
Hangul | 선종 | ||||
Hanja | |||||
Revised Romanization | Seonjong | ||||
McCune–Reischauer | Sŏnjong | ||||
Other name | |||||
Hangul | 미륵 | ||||
Hanja | |||||
Revised Romanization | Mireuk | ||||
McCune–Reischauer | Mirŭk |
Kung Ye (Korean: 궁예; Hanja: 弓裔; c. 869 – 24 July 918) was the king of the short-lived state of Taebong (901–918), one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Although he was a member of the Silla royal family, he became a victim of the power struggle among the royal family members during the late 9th century.[2][3] He became a rebel leader against the unpopular Silla government, which almost abandoned the affairs of their subjects for the struggle for power among royal family members.[4]
Birth
The exact date of Kung Ye's birth is unknown, but records assume that he was a son of King Gyeongmun;[5] his mother is said to be a beloved lady of the court.[3][4]
According to legend, Kung Ye was born on the traditional holiday of
Revolt
At the time, the
Kung Ye first joined the troops of Ki Hwon in 891 but left shortly after as Ki Hwon did not fully trust him.
Downfall
Kung Ye changed the country's name to Majin in 904, and moved the capital to
Searching for a better way to unite his citizens, he wanted a more potent unifying theology. Therefore, around 905, he turned to religion.
In his later days, it is recorded that Kung Ye started to have paranoia. He claimed to have the supernatural ability to read minds, accusing many of his officials arbitrarily of treason and sentencing anyone who opposed him to death.[14] He accused of Consort Kang, one of his wives, of being unfaithful to him, and he killed her by shoving a heated, red-hot iron rod into her womb. Their two sons were executed.[15][4] As a result, in 918 four of his own top generals – Hong Yu (홍유; 洪儒), Pae Hyŏn-gyŏng (배현경; 裵玄慶), Sin Sung-gyŏm and Pok Chigyŏm (복지겸; 卜智謙) – overthrew Gung Ye and enthroned Wang Kon, one of Kung Ye's followers and the previous chief minister, of his nation, as king.[3][13] Kung Ye is said to have escaped the palace, but was killed shortly thereafter either by a soldier or by peasants who mistook him for a thief.[16]
Soon thereafter, the
Alternative theory of origin
Some historians present a theory that states that Kung Ye was, in fact, a direct descendant of
Harem
- Wife: Queen Kang (강비, died 915)
- Son: Kim Cheong-gwang (김청광, died 915)
- Son: Kim Sin-gwang (김신광, died 915)
- Son: Kim Sun-baek (김순백)
Legacy
Even though Kung Ye was not able to keep his rule and achieve the reunification of the Korean peninsula under his rule, many scholars today are attempting to review the true character of Kung Ye. Historical records regarding Kung Ye are negative, since many historians during the Goryeo period tried to justify the coup by Wang Kon that dethroned Kung Ye, in order to give legitimacy to the dynasty.[19] However, even after the founding of Goryeo, many people rejected the rule of Wang Kon and rebelled against the newly formed dynasty; some even voluntarily defected to Kyon Hwon's Later Baekje. It can be assumed that many people, even after the coup that crowned Wang Kon, favored the rule of Kung Ye and that he was not a total despot as described in history. Some scholars explain Kung Ye's self-proclamation as Buddha as an attempt to strengthen his power, since he, as a royal family member of Silla, had no influence over powerful local landlords and merchants, so he tried to use the power of religion in order to keep his rule, which did not prove to be effective.[4]
Popular culture
- Taejo Wang Geon (2000–2002): Portrayed by Kim Yeong-cheol and Maeng Se-chang.
- Thousand Days Unofficial History - Episode 73 (ko)[20] (2018)
- Omniscient Reader (2018): He appears under the name of One-eyed Maitreya or Maitreya King.[21]
References
- ^ In the Korean calendar (lunar), he reigned from July 901 until 14 June 918.
- ^ Korea through the Ages Vol.1 p111
- ^ a b c d e f (in Korean) Gung Ye Archived 2012-02-27 at the Wayback Machine at The Academy of Korean Studies
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k (in Korean) Gung Ye Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ a b c d (in Korean) Gung Ye at Doosan Encyclopedia
- ^ (in Korean) Queen Jinseong at Doosan Encyclopedia
- ^ Korea through the Ages Vol.1 pp 100-101
- ^ Korea through the Ages Vol.1 p103
- ^ (in Korean) Gi Hwon Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine at The Academy of Korean Studies
- ^ (in Korean) Yang Gil at Doosan Encyclopedia
- ISBN 1-59654-348-5
- ^ (in Korean) [1] at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ a b Korea through the Ages Vol.1 p112
- ISBN 9780742574717.
- ^ Hurst, C. Cameron (Summer–Fall 1981). "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Personalities in the Founding of the Koryo Dynasty" (PDF). Korean Studies Forum. 7: 1–27. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ISBN 978-83-89899-28-6.
- ^ (in Korean) Taejo at Doosan Encyclopedia
- ISBN 89-7483-242-9.
- ^ 궁예 (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-05-26.
- ^ 왕건 대신 왕의 옷을 입고 죽은 신숭겸의 정체는?!|천일야사 73회 다시보기 [What is the identity of Shin Sung-gyeom who died wearing the king's clothes instead of Wang Geon?!|Replay Episode 73 of Thousand Days Unofficial History] (in Korean). KBS Drama Classic. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "웹툰캐릭터디비센터". Chuing (in Korean). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- The Academy of Korean Studies, Korea through the Ages Vol. 1, The Editor Publishing Co., Seoul, 2005. ISBN 89-7105-544-8