Bojang of Goguryeo (died 682; ) was the 28th and last monarch of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

the northernmost of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...

. He was placed on the throne by the military leader

Yeon Gaesomun Yeon GaesomunSome Chinese and Korean sources stated that his surname was Yeongae () and personal name was Somun (), but the majority of sources suggest a one-syllable surname and a three-syllable personal name. (594–666) was a powerful militar ...

. His reign ended when Goguryeo fell to the allied forces of the southern Korean kingdom of

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...

and the Chinese

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

Background

The period of his rule over Goguryeo is recounted in the final two books of the annals of Goguryeo in the ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

''. Bojang's given name was Jang, though he was also known as Bojang. Bojang was the nephew of the previous king, king Yeongnyu and son of Go Dae-Yang. In 642, the general

carried out a coup d'etat and killed Yeongnyu and many of his supporters. Bojang was then placed on the throne. With the aim of inducing

to join an expedition against

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

dispatched Kim Chun-chu to request the commitment of troops but Goguryeo did not consent. For most of his reign, Bojang was a puppet, giving a veneer of legitimacy to Yeon Gaesomun's military rule. For example, at Yeon's instigation he supported

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...

and issued edicts repressing

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

in the country, which had formerly been officially Buddhist. Goguryeo experienced many natural disasters during his reign.Samguk Sagi

Reign

Goguryeo continued battle against the southern Korean kingdom of

, in alliance with the third of the Three Kingdoms,

. Silla was further isolated by Goguryeo's restored relations with the Wa of Japan. In 642, Silla sent Kim Chun-chu to negotiate a treaty, but when Yeon Gaesomun demanded the return of the

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

region, talks broke down, leading Silla to eventually ally with the Tang dynasty. In 645, the

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

led a major expedition against Goguryeo by land and sea, but Yeon Gaesomun and

Yang Manchun Yang Manchun is the name given to the Goguryeo commander of Ansi Fortress in the 640s. Ansi Fortress was located on the Goguryeo–Tang border, probably present-day Haicheng. Yang is sometimes credited with saving the kingdom by his successful ...

repelled the invasion, as well as subsequent smaller attacks by the Tang. In 654, Goguryeo attacked the Khitans, who were allied with the Tang. In 655, Goguryeo and Baekje attacked Silla.Samguk Yusa The Baekje kingdom finally fell to Silla-Tang in 660. Yeon Gaesomun defeated major invasions of

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

in 661 and Sasu River in 662, but Silla and Tang were now free to focus and intensify their attacks against Goguryeo. In 663, the Baekje revival movement ended as its leader

Buyeo Pung Buyeo Pung (扶餘豊, 623–668) was a prince of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was son of the last king, Uija of Baekje. When Baekje fell to the Silla–Tang alliance in 660, he was a hostage who mortgaged the alliance of Bae ...

retreated to Goguryeo. After the death of Yeon Gaesomun in 666, Bojang was unable to gain control over the country, which instead was wracked by a succession struggle between Yeon's sons.

Fall of Goguryeo and after

As internal struggles continued in Goguryeo,

Yeon Namsaeng Yeon Namsaeng (연남생, 淵男生) (634–679) was the eldest son of the Goguryeo '' Dae Magniji'' (대막리지, 大莫離支; highest ranking official or dictator; "prime minister") Yeon Gaesomun (603?-665). In 665, Yeon Namsaeng succeeded h ...

defected and 40 castles near the border surrendered to the Tang, while Yeon Jeong-to,

's brother, defected to Silla. The Goguryeo capital fell to Silla-Tang forces in the ninth

lunar month In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month. Variations In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Eur ...

of 668, and King Bojang was captured. He was appointed to the minister of public works (工部尚書) by Tang Gaozong. Tang faced increasing problems ruling the former inhabitants of Goguryeo, as well as Silla's resistance to Tang's remaining presence on the Korean Peninsula. In 677, the Tang insisted on crowning Bojang as the "King of Joseon" and put him in charge of the

Liaodong Commandery Liaodong Commandery ( zh, 遼東郡) was a commandery in imperial China that existed from the Warring States period to the Northern dynasties. It was located in modern Liaoning, to the east of the Liao River. The commandery was created by the st ...

(

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 요동주도독 조선왕

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

:遼東州都督朝鮮王) of the

Protectorate General to Pacify the East The Protectorate-General to Pacify the East () was an administrative division of the Chinese Tang dynasty in Manchuria and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. It was established after the Tang dynasty defeated Goguryeo and annexed its ter ...

. However, Bojang continued to foment rebellions against Tang in an attempt to revive Goguryeo, organizing Goguryeo refugees and allying with the

Malgal The Mohe, Malgal, or Mogher, or Mojie, were an East Asian Tungusic people who lived primarily in the modern geographical region of Northeast Asia. The two most powerful Mohe groups were known as the Heishui Mohe, located along the Amur River, ...

tribes. He was eventually banished to

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

in 681, and died the following year. Because Bojang was the last ruler of Goguryeo, he did not receive a

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dyna ...

after his death. There was a brief attempt at Goguryeo restoration made by

Anseung Anseung (안승, 安勝) ( fl. 668–683), alternately Ansun (안순, 安舜), was thought to be either the nephew or illegitimate son of King Bojang of Goguryeo, the last King of Goguryeo. He was named the new King of Goguryeo by general Ge ...

, who ultimately surrendered to Silla. One of his sons Go Yak-gwang settled in Japan in 666 where he founded the

Koma clan The was an immigrant royal family descended from Goguryeo Prince Go Yak'gwang (高若光) who became known as "''Genbu Jakkō''" (玄武若光) and later as "''Koma no Jakkō''" (高麗若光). He was a son of the 28th and last King of Goguryeo ...

and became known as Koma no Koshiki Jakkō.

Go Deokmu Go Deokmu (고덕무, 高德武) (r. 699-?) was a prince of Goguryeo and the founder of Lesser Goguryeo. He was the third son of King Bojang. Revival movement Go Deokmu was appointed to the position of Governor of the Protectorate General to P ...

was a prince of

and founded Lesser Goguryeo. He was the third son of King Bojang.

Family

*Father: Prince Daeyang (대양, 大陽) **Grandfather: King Pyeongwon (평원왕, 平原王) *Sons from first wife: ** Go Bok-nam (고복남) – last Crown Prince of

. ** Go Im-mu (고임무) – last ''Magniji'' of

. ** Go Ryeon (고련) **

(고덕무) ** Go Yak-gwang (고약광, 高若光) " Jakkō" – ancestor of the

in Japan. * Son from second wife: **

(안승, 安勝) ** Inseung (인승, 仁承) – ancestor of the Hoengseong Go clan (also known Goguryeo Go Clan) royal family of Goguryeo in Korea. *Grandsons: ** Go Bowon (고보원) – Go Bok-nam's son. ** Go Jin (고진) – Go Ryeon's son. ** Koma no Ieshige (高麗家重) – Go Yak-gwang's son in Japan.

In popular culture

*Portrayed by

Kil Yong-woo Kil Yong-woo (born December 17, 1955) is a South Korean actor. In 2010, he played one of the main characters in the stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theat ...

in 2006–2007 KBS TV series '' Dae Jo Yeong''. *Portrayed by Ahn Shin-woo in the 2012–2013

KBS1 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

TV series ''

Dream of the Emperor ''Dream of the Emperor'' () is a South Korean television series that aired on KBS1 from September 8, 2012 to June 9, 2013 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:40 for 70 episodes. Plot Kim Chun-chu is the grandson of King Jinji, but when his grandfat ...

''. *Portrayed by On Joo-wan in 2013

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

TV series ''

The Blade and Petal ''The Blade and Petal'' (; lit. "Sword and Flower") is a 2013 South Korean television series that aired on KBS2 from July 3 to September 5, 2013, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes. Kim Ok-bin and Uhm Tae-woong play star-crossed ...

''. *Portrayed by Ham Ji Sung in the 2017 KBS TV series '' Chronicles of Korea''

References