Jangsu of Goguryeo

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King Jangsu
Gwanggaeto
Jangsu of Goguryeo
Hangul
장수왕
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJangsu-wang
McCune–ReischauerChangsu-wang
Birth name
Hangul
거련 or 연
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGeoryeon or Yeon
McCune–ReischauerKŏryŏn or Yŏn

Jangsu of Goguryeo (394–491, r. 413–491)

Gwanggaeto. He became the crown prince in 408, and upon his father's death in 413, became the ruler at the age of 19.[2]

Jangsu reigned during the golden age of Goguryeo,[3][4] when it was a powerful empire and one of the great powers in East Asia.[5][6][7][8] He continued to build upon his father's territorial expansion through conquest,[9] but was also known for his diplomatic abilities.[10][11][12] Like his father, Gwanggaeto the Great, Jangsu also achieved a loose unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.[13] In addition, Jangsu's long reign saw the perfecting of Goguryeo's political, economic and other institutional arrangements.[14] He is also noted for building the Gwanggaeto Stele, dedicated to his father. Jangsu's posthumous name means "Long Life", based on his longstanding reign of 79 years until the age of 98,[14] the longest reign in East Asian history.[15]

During his reign, Jangsu changed the official name of Goguryeo (Koguryŏ) to the shortened Goryeo (Koryŏ), from which the name Korea originates.

Monarchs of Korea
Goguryeo
  1. Chumo c. 37–19 BC
  2. Yuri 19 BC–18 AD
  3. Daemusin 18–44
  4. Minjung 44–48
  5. Mobon 48–53
  6. Taejodae 53–146
  7. Chadae 146–165
  8. Sindae 165–179
  9. Gogukcheon 179–197
  10. Sansang 197–227
  11. Dongcheon 227–248
  12. Jungcheon 248–270
  13. Seocheon 270–292
  14. Bongsang 292–300
  15. Micheon 300–331
  16. Gogugwon 331–371
  17. Sosurim 371–384
  18. Gogugyang 384–391
  19. Gwanggaeto the Great 391–413
  20. Jangsu 413–491
  21. Munja 491–519
  22. Anjang 519–531
  23. Anwon 531–545
  24. Yangwon 545–559
  25. Pyeongwon 559–590
  26. Yeongyang 590–618
  27. Yeongnyu 618–642
  28. Bojang 642–668

Family

  • Father: King Gwanggaeto (광개토왕, 廣開土王)
  • Unknown wife
    • Son: Prince Joda/Juda (조다, 助多); father of King Munja.
    • Son: Prince Seungu (승우, 升于)
    • Unnamed daughter

Early reign

During his early reign, Jangsu dedicated much of his efforts toward stabilizing an empire that had experienced great and sudden growth as a direct result of his father's conquests. Jangsu built a magnificent tomb for his father, Gwanggaeto the Great, and along with it an imposing 6 meter tall tombstone engraved with his father's accomplishments (now known as the Gwanggaeto Stele).[16]

In 427, he transferred the Goguryeo capital from

China-North Korea border) to Pyongyang,[17][18] a more suitable region to grow into a burgeoning metropolitan capital,[19] which led Goguryeo to achieve a high level of cultural and economic prosperity.[20]

Relations with Chinese dynasties and nomadic states

When Gwanggaeto the Great ruled Goguryeo, the Chinese mainland was dominated by five non-Han Chinese peoples and divided into multiple states. During Gwanggaeto's time, Goguryeo invaded Later Yan and conquered Liaoning,[21] but when Jangsu came to the throne, the chaos in northern China was coming to an end.[18] The unification of northern China by Northern Wei became a crucial point for both Goguryeo and the southern dynasties of China.[22] However, Jangsu was able to use the political situation in China by manipulating the northern and southern Chinese states to his advantage.[10][12]

After the fall of Later Yan, Han Chinese drove the Xianbei Murong clan northward and established Northern Yan in its place.[23][22] However, Northern Yan's existence was threatened by the powerful Xianbei Tuoba clan of Northern Wei to the west, compelling Northern Yan to make an alliance with Goguryeo, its neighbor to the east. Hence, Jangsu turned his military ambitions southward toward the Korean peninsula.[23]

The southern Chinese dynasty of

Liu Song, which was feuding with Northern Wei,[2] encouraged both Northern Yan and Goguryeo to oppose Northern Wei. However, Liu Song's plan did not work out, as Goguryeo imprisoned the emperor of Northern Yan in 438. The Liu Song court was outraged and warned Jangsu that the death of the Northern Yan ruler would lead to war. However, Jangsu ignored the threat and executed him, bringing the short-lived Northern Yan dynasty to an end. Liu Song troops then attacked Goguryeo but were easily defeated. Peace resumed in the following year when Jangsu sent 800 horses as a gift to the Liu Song emperor, to aid him in his ongoing war against Northern Wei, allowing Goguryeo to concentrate its forces against Baekje and Silla to the south while Liu Song and Northern Wei were occupied against each other to the west.[24] Jangsu again encouraged Liu Song to invade Northern Wei in 459 when he sent loads of crossbows and provided gold and silver. The Northern Wei government was upset by Jangsu's actions but had to keep peace with Goguryeo to continue its war against Liu Song and the Rouran Khaganate
.

Jangsu also maintained contact with Northern Wei, and the two empires established a formal relationship in 435. This relationship proved to be useful when Goguryeo waged war against Baekje, which had secretly sought a military alliance with Northern Wei against Goguryeo,[14] because Northern Wei did not interfere in the matters of the Korean countries.

In 479, Jangsu established friendly relations with the

Rouran allies.[28]

After the Khitans surrendered to Goguryeo, Jangsu sent gifts to both Northern Wei and Southern Qi, which took over the southern half of China after overthrowing Liu Song in 479.[25] Both Qi and Wei tried to tighten Goguryeo's relationship with them. Wei emperors treated Goguryeo delegates as equal to Chinese delegates. Under the reign of Emperor Xiaowen alone, 41 emissaries were sent,[29] but the frequency started to drop since Jangsu continued to keep hospitality with Qi. This decrease in exchanged delegates outraged Emperor Xiaowen, and at last he gave an order to capture Goguryeo delegates before they could reach the Qi capital. However, Jangsu paid no mind, and continued to send delegates to Qi. Northern Wei could not block Goguryeo, which indicated the success of Jangsu's diplomatic strategy: maximizing the situation and manipulating the power struggles between rival Chinese states to Goguryeo's advantage.[10][11]

Goguryeo and the northern states maintained peace and did not have further conflicts until the Goguryeo–Sui War in 598.[24]

Relations with southern Korean states

Marriage alliances

Goguryeo at its zenith c. 476.

Confronted with harsh attacks from Goguryeo into the southern region of the Korean peninsula, Baekje and Silla found their survival through marriage alliances, beginning in 433. The alliance between Baekje and Silla lasted more than a century and was the primary reason why Goguryeo was unable to conquer the entire peninsula.[30]

Gaya

Gaya found itself in a precarious situation due to its geographical disadvantage of being sandwiched by Baekje and Silla, and ultimately could not develop into an advanced nation.[31]

Baekje campaign and Dorim

In 472,

baduk with him every day, and Dorim was able to talk Gaero into spending large sums of money on construction projects, weakening the national treasury.[34]

In 475, Jangsu launched a full-scale invasion from both land and sea against the now politically unstable kingdom of Baekje. Dorim was successful in gaining information about Baekje,[34] and consequently Gaero was not at all prepared for the assault formulated by Jangsu. With momentum now in his favor, Jangsu then proceeded toward the capital and easily captured the city of Wiryeseong and slew Gaero.[35][36] Soon after, Jangsu burned the capital to the ground, along with several other cities that he conquered from Baekje. Henceforth, Baekje had no choice but to move its capital to mountainous Ungjin (present-day Gongju), 80 miles to the south, which provided a natural protection for the devastated kingdom.[2][33] The war gave Goguryeo more or less total control of the Han River valley, the region essential to commercial and military power in the Korean peninsula.[16] Baekje had been a dominant power on the peninsula for hundreds of years thanks to its control of the region, but after losing the region to Goguryeo, Baekje also lost control of the peninsula.

Silla campaign

After successfully concluding his campaign in Baekje, Jangsu then turned his attention toward the second peninsular kingdom of

King Nulji of Silla to become a political hostage.[38] King Nulji broke off relations with Goguryeo in 454. Jangsu invaded Silla in 468, expanding his domain into parts of Gangwon Province, and again in 489, capturing 7 walled cities and expanding his domain into parts of North Gyeongsang Province.[39] With his victory over Silla, Jangsu erected a stone monument in present-day Chungju, praising the accomplishments of his father and himself.[40] This monument remains at the same site, holding historical importance as the only surviving Goguryeo stele in the Korean peninsula.[41]

Death and legacy

King Jangsu died in 491, at the age of 97. His temple name means "Long Life" in hanja. During his reign, Goguryeo was at its golden age,[3][4] stretching from Inner Mongolia to the current North Chungcheong Province of South Korea, south of the Han River basin.

Modern Depictions

Age of Empires: World Domination, a mobile game produced in collaboration with series owner Microsoft,[42] includes Jangsu as a selectable hero of the Korean civilization.[43]

Portrayed by Jung Yoon-seok in the 2007 MBC TV series The Legend.

See also

References

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  2. ^ a b c d e "King Jangsu". KBS Radio. Korean Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  3. ^
    ISBN 9780231502511
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  10. ^
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  11. ^
    ISBN 978-0253000781
    . Retrieved 15 July 2016. "China's split into the Northern and Southern dynasties afforded him an opportunity to diplomatically maneuver these two bitterly contending forces to Koguryŏ's advantage."
  12. ^
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  13. ISBN 978-0253000781
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  15. ISBN 9781477265161
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  17. ^ ICOMOS; Kim, Lena (2010). Koguryo Tomb Murals: World Cultural Heritage. Giljabi Media. p. 99. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
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  19. ISBN 067461576X
    . "This move from a region of narrow mountain valleys to a broad riverine plain indicates that the capital could no longer remain primarily a military encampment but had to be developed into a metropolitan center for the nation's political, economic, and social life."
  20. ISBN 978-0253000781
    . Retrieved 15 July 2016. "Because Pyongyang was located in the vast, fertile Taedong River basin and had been the center of advanced culture of Old Chosŏn and Nangnang, this move led Koguryŏ to attain a high level of economic and cultural prosperity."
  21. ISBN 9781133606475
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  22. ^ a b Northeast Asia History Foundation. "Koguryo: The glorious ancient Korean Kingdom in Northeast Asia" (PDF). NAHF. p. 76. Retrieved 2 February 2016.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^
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  24. ^ a b "King Jangsu(2)". KBS Radio. Korean Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  25. ^ a b Northeast Asia History Foundation. "Koguryo: The glorious ancient Korean Kingdom in Northeast Asia" (PDF). NAHF. p. 28. Retrieved 2 February 2016.[permanent dead link]
  26. ISBN 9781107009066
    . Retrieved 2 February 2016. The Khitans, although descended from the Xianbei and presumably inheriting their martial and political traditions, were for a long time a weak people who were subjected successively to the Rouran, Koguryo, Sui-Tang China and then most importantly the Gokturk.
  27. ISBN 9788952107299
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  28. ISBN 9791155191965
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  29. ISBN 9780824824655
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  30. ISBN 9781477265178
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  31. ISBN 9780742567177
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  32. ^ Kim, Bushik (1145). Samguk Sagi. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  33. ^
    ISBN 9781136639791
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  34. ^
    ISBN 978-1-931907-38-5
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  35. ISBN 9788971992890
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  36. ISBN 9781872843872
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  38. ^ Il-yeon (1281). Samguk Yusa (三國遺事 卷第). Retrieved 2 February 2016. 至訥祗王即位三年己未, 句麗長壽王遣使來朝云, “寡君聞大王之弟寳海秀智才藝, 願與相親特遣小臣懇請.” 王門之幸甚因此和通命, 其弟寳海道於句麗, 以内臣金武校勘 271謁為輔而送之. 長壽王又留而不送.
  39. ^ "장수왕". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  40. ^ "Chungju Goguryeobi Monument (중원/충주 고구려비)". Visit Korea. Korea Tourism Organization. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  41. ^ "Goguryeo stele found in northern China". The Korea Herald. Yonhop. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  42. ^ "Age of Empires: World Domination Launched for Android and iOS". NDTV Gadgets360.com. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  43. ^ "Age of Empires: World Domination". KLabGames. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
Jangsu of Goguryeo
Born: 394 Died: 491
Regnal titles
Preceded by Monarch of Goguryeo
413–491 		Succeeded by
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