Dae Inseon (r. 906–926) was the last king of

Balhae Balhae,, , ) also rendered as Bohai or Bohea, and called Jin (; ) early on, was a multiethnic kingdom established in 698 by Dae Joyeong (Da Zuorong). It was originally known as the Kingdom of Jin (震, Zhen) until 713 when its name was changed ...

, a kingdom in northeast

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

occupying parts of

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

, northern

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

. He and his armies were pushed back and eventually defeated by the Khitan.

Last years of Balhae

This was a time of momentous change for Balhae and its neighbors. In the case of

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

, the nobility increasingly became independent and rebellions sprang up throughout the country. Meanwhile, in China, the Tang faced serious crises caused by the

An Lushan Rebellion The An Lushan rebellion was a civil war in China that lasted from 755 to 763, at the approximate midpoint of the Tang dynasty (618–907). It began as a commandery rebellion attempting to overthrow and replace the Tang government with the rogue ...

and many other uprisings. Finally, Zhu Wen established the Later Liang, marking the end of the Tang dynasty in 907. Dae concentrated on increasing defense capabilities against the threat of new powers and was in favor of allying with the

Goryeo dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

. However, the interference of the nobility did not allow that to happen. The Khitans' growing power in

was the most threatening to Balhae. Eventually, they invaded Balhae in 925 and the capital Sanggyeong (also known as Holhan fortress) fell after ten days. In 926, Balhae came to an end, some of the nobles were moved to the Khitan proper by the Liao dynasty, while many of its populace including many of the nobility fled to Goryeo.

Aftermath

The Khitans established the Dongdan Kingdom on the former territories of Balhae, which was ruled by crown prince Yelü Bei. The Balhae royal family was allowed to share control of the former Balhae territories with Liao aristocrats because of the political chaos and lack of a strong administration following Balhae's fall. Dae Inseon likely served in high positions during Yelü Bei's rule and possibly shared power with the latter. Dae Inseon's son and the last Crown Prince of Balhae,

Dae Gwang-Hyeon Dae Gwang-hyeon (; ) was the last Crown Prince of Balhae and a member of the Balhae royal family. He was the leader of the Balhae refugees who sought refuge in the Korean kingdom of Goryeo. Biography Dae Gwang-hyeon was probably the first so ...

, gathered an army and continued to spearhead resistance against the Liao. Many members of the Dae Clan lead Later Balhae and refused to submit to the Liao as Dae Inseon had. In 937, Dae Gwang-Hyeon led tens of thousands of Balhae refugees and fled to Goryeo, where he was warmly received by Wang Geon, the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which is seen by Korean historians as having brought the unification of the two successor states of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

References

Balhae monarchs 10th-century Korean monarchs {{Korea-bio-stub

Last years of Balhae

Aftermath

See also

References