Buyeo (; ; ), also rendered as Puyŏ or Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern

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 ...

in modern-day

northeast China Northeast China () is a geographical region of China, consisting officially of three provinces Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The heartland of the region is the Northeast China Plain, the largest plain in China with an area of over . The regi ...

. It had ties to the

Yemaek people The Yemaek or Yamaek are an ancient tribal group native to the northern Korean Peninsula and Manchuria and are commonly regarded as the ancestors of modern Koreans. The Yemaek have ancestral ties to multiple kingdoms in Northeast Asia including G ...

, who are considered to be the ancestors of modern Koreans. Buyeo is considered a major predecessor of the Korean kingdoms 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 ...

and

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

. According to the ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...

'', Buyeo was initially placed under the jurisdiction of the

Xuantu Commandery Xuantu Commandery (; ) was a commandery of the Chinese Han dynasty. It was one of Four Commanderies of Han, established in 107 BCE in the northern Korean Peninsula and part of the Liaodong Peninsula, after the Han dynasty conquered Wiman Joseon. ...

, one of

Four Commanderies of Han The Four Commanderies of Han (; ) were Chinese commanderies located in the north of the Korean Peninsula and part of the Liaodong Peninsula from around the end of the second century BC through the early 4th AD, for the longest lasting. The com ...

in the later

Western Han The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring int ...

. Buyeo entered into formal diplomatic relations with the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

by the mid-1st century AD as an important ally of that empire to check the

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...

and

threats. Jurisdiction of Buyeo was then placed under 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 sta ...

of the Eastern Han. After an incapacitating Xianbei invasion in 285, Buyeo was restored with help from the

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

. This, however, marked the beginning of a period of decline. A second Xianbei invasion in 346 finally destroyed the state excepting remnants in its core region; these survived as vassals of Goguryeo until their final annexation in 494. Inhabitants of Buyeo included the

Yemaek The Yemaek or Yamaek are an ancient tribal group native to the northern Korean Peninsula and Manchuria and are commonly regarded as the ancestors of modern Koreans. The Yemaek have ancestral ties to multiple kingdoms in Northeast Asia including G ...

tribe. There are no scholarly consensus on the classification of the languages spoken by the Puyo, with theories including Japonic, Amuric and a separate branch of

macro-Tungusic The Altaic () languages are a group of languages comprising the Turkic, Mongolic and Tungusic language families, with some linguists including the Koreanic and Japonic families. These languages share agglutinative morphology, head-final w ...

. According to the ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

'', the

Buyeo language Very little is known of the language of the Buyeo kingdom. Chapter 30 "Description of the Eastern Barbarians" in the ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' records a survey carried out by the Chinese state of Wei after their defeat of Goguryeo in 24 ...

was similar to those of

and Ye, and the language of

Okjeo Okjeo () was an History of Korea, ancient Korean tribal state which arose in the northern Korea, Korean peninsula from perhaps the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE. Dong-okjeo (Eastern Okjeo) occupied roughly the area of the Hamgyong Provin ...

was only slightly different from them. Both Goguryeo and

, two of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

, considered themselves Buyeo's successors.

Mythical origins

The mythical founder of the Buyeo kingdom was Hae Mo-su, the Dongmyeong of Buyeo which literally means ''Holy King of Buyeo.'' After its foundation, the son of heaven (Hae Mo-su ) brought the royal court to his new palace, and he was proclaimed to be King.

Jumong Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (), personal name Ko Chumong (), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. King Dongmyeong was also an important figure for the kingdom of ...

, the founder of

, is described as the son of Hae Mo-su and

Lady Yuhwa Habaengnyeo () or Habaengnyeorang () was the daughter of Habaek (), and the mother of Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (Ko Chumong), the founder of the kingdom of Goguryeo. She was also given the name Yuhwa () in ''Samguk Sagi'' and ''Samguk Yusa''. Myth ...

() who was the daughter of

Habaek Habaek (), also known as Habak () is the Goguryeo god of the Amnok River or, according to an alternative interpretation, the sun god Haebalk (). According to legend, his daughter Yuhwa married Haemosu and gave birth to Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (Ko ...

(), the god of the

Amnok River The Yalu River () or Amnok River () is a river on the border between China and North Korea. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between China and North Korea. Its valle ...

or, according to an alternative interpretation, the sun god Haebak ().

History

Archaeological predecessors

The Buyeo state emerged from the Bronze Age polities of the

Xituanshan Xituanshan ( zh, c=西团山, p=Xī tuánshān, , 9th-6th centuries BCE) is a Bronze Age#East Asia, Late Bronze Age group of stone burials in Jilin, China. It was designated a Major National Historical and Cultural Site by the People's Republic of ...

and Liangquan archaeological cultures in the context of trade with various Chinese polities. In particular was the state of Yan which introduced iron technology to Manchuria and the Korean peninsula after its conquest of Liaodong in the early third century BC.

Relations with Chinese dynasties

In the later

(202 BC – 9 AD), Buyeo established close ties with the

, one of

according to the

volume 85 Treatise on the Dongyi,Book of the Later Han Volume 85 Treatise on the Dongyi although it proceeded to becoming a nominal tributary-state and practical ally of Eastern Han in 49 AD. This was advantageous to the Han as an ally in the northeast would curb the threats of the Xianbei in western Manchuria and eastern Mongolia and Goguryeo in the Liaodong region and the northern Korean peninsula. The Buyeo elites also sought this arrangement as it legitimized their rule and gave them better access to Han's prestige trade goods. During a period of turmoil in China's northeast, Buyeo attacked some of Eastern Han's holdings in 111, but relations were mended in 120 and thus a military alliance was arranged. Two years later, Buyeo sent troops to the

Xuantu commandery Xuantu Commandery (; ) was a commandery of the Chinese Han dynasty. It was one of Four Commanderies of Han, established in 107 BCE in the northern Korean Peninsula and part of the Liaodong Peninsula, after the Han dynasty conquered Wiman Joseon. ...

to prevent it from being destroyed by Goguryeo when it sent reinforcement to break the siege of the commandery seat. In AD 167, Buyeo attacked the Xuantu commandery but was defeated. When

Emperor Xian Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until his abdication and subsequent end ...

(AD 189 – AD 220) ruled

Eastern Han The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, Buyeo was reclassified as a tributary of the

of Han. In the early 3rd century,

Gongsun Du __NOTOC__ Gongsun Du () (150 – 204), courtesy name Shengji, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was not able to participate in battle until Dong Zhuo seized powe ...

, a Chinese warlord in

Liaodong The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...

, supported Buyeo to counter

in the north and Goguryeo in the east. After destroying the Gongsun family, the northern Chinese state of

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

sent

Guanqiu Jian Guanqiu Jian (died 16 March 255), courtesy name Zhonggong, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Guanqiu Jian was from Wenxi County (), Hedong Commandery, which ...

to attack Goguryeo. Part of the expeditionary force led by Wang Qi (), the Grand Administrator of the

, pursued the Guguryeo court eastward through Okjeo and into the lands of the Yilou. On their return journey they were welcomed as they passed through the land of Buyeo. It brought detailed information of the kingdom to China. In 285 the

Murong Murong (; Eastern Han Chinese, LHC: *''mɑC-joŋ''; Middle Chinese, EMC: *''mɔh-juawŋ'') or Muren refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are attested from the time of Tanshihuai (reigned 156–181). Different strands of evidence exist linking ...

tribe of the

, led by

Murong Hui Murong Hui (慕容廆, 269 – 4 June 333), courtesy name Yiluo (弈洛), was an Xianbei chief, formally known as Duke Xiang of Liaodong, posthumously honored as Emperor Wuxuan (武宣皇帝). In the Book of Jin, Murong Hui was described as ...

, invaded Buyeo, pushing King Uiryeo (依慮) to suicide, and forcing the relocation of the court to

. Considering its friendly relationship with the

Jin Dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

, Emperor Wu helped King Uira (依羅) revive Buyeo. According to accounts in the ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'' and the ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...

'', the Murong attacked the Buyeo and forced the Buyeo to relocate several times in the 4th century. Goguryeo's attack sometime before 347 caused further decline. Having lost its stronghold on the

Ashi River The Ashi River is a right tributary of the Songhua in eastern Manchuria,. in Harbin's Acheng District in the People's Republic of China. Name The river has borne the name "Ashi" since the Qing (17th–20th century). Before that, it was known a ...

(within modern

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

), Buyeo moved southwestward to Nong'an. Around 347, Buyeo was attacked by

Murong Huang Murong Huang (; 297 – 25 October 348), courtesy name Yuanzhen (元真), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wenming of Former Yan (前燕文明帝), was the founding monarch of the Xianbei-led Former Yan dynasty of China. When h ...

of the

Former Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Former Yan (; 337–370), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Murong clan of the Xianbei during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. From Liaoning, the Former Yan later conquered and ruled over Hebei, Shaanxi, ...

, and King

Hyeon Korea has had administrative districts that can be considered provinces since the 7th century. These divisions were initially called ''ju'' () in Unified Silla and Later Baekje, and there were nine in total. After Goryeo conquered these states in t ...

(玄) was captured. Originally, the Murong Xianbei created the Yan states, with five states emerging during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, and thus were able to do so.

Fall

According to ''

Samguk sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

'', in 504, the tribute emissary Yesilbu mentions that the gold of Buyeo could no longer be obtainable for tribute as Buyeo had been driven out by the

Malgal The Mohe, Malgal, Mogher, or Mojie were historical groups of people that once occupied parts of what is now Northeast Asia during late antiquity. The two most well known Mohe groups were known as the Heishui Mohe, located along the Amur River, ...

and the Somna and absorbed into

. It is also shown that the

Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei (May or June 483 – February 12, 515) was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Wei dynasty (499-515). He was born Tuoba Ke, but later changed his surname so that he became Yuan Ke. During Emperor Xuanwu's ...

wished that Buyeo would regain its former glory. A remnant of Buyeo seems to have lingered around modern

area under the influence of Goguryeo. Buyeo paid tribute once to

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

in 457–8, but otherwise seems to have been controlled by Goguryeo. In 494, Buyeo was under attack by the rising Wuji (also known as the Mohe, ), and the Buyeo court moved and surrendered to Goguryeo.

Jolbon Buyeo

Many ancient historical records indicate the "Jolbon Buyeo" (), apparently referring to the incipient

or its capital city. In 37 BC,

became the first king of

. Jumong went on to conquer

Dongye Dongye may refer to: * Eastern Ye, chiefdom in northeastern Korean peninsula from roughly 3rd-century BC to around early 5th-century AD Towns in China *Dongye, Wutai County Dongye () is a town in southwestern Wutai County, Xinzhou city, Shanxi ...

, and Haengin, regaining some of Buyeo and former territory of Gojoseon.

Culture

According to Chapter 30 "Description of the Eastern Archerians, Dongyi" in the Chinese ''

'' (3rd century), the Buyeo were agricultural people who occupied the northeastern lands in Manchuria (North-East China) beyond the great walls. The aristocratic rulers subject to the king bore the title ''ka'' (加) and were distinguished from each other by animal names, such as the dog ''ka'' and horse ''ka''.Four ''ka''s existed in Buyeo, which were horse ''ka'', cow ''ka'', pig ''ka'', and dog ''ka'', and ''ka'' is presumed to be of similar origin with the title ''

khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

''. The ''ka'' system was similarly adopted in

. The same text states that the

was similar to those of its southern neighbours

and Ye, and that the language of

was only slightly different from them. Based on this account, Lee Ki-Moon grouped the four languages as the

Puyŏ languages The Puyŏ (; ) or Puyo-Koguryoic languages are four languages of northern Korea and eastern Manchuria mentioned in ancient Chinese sources. The languages of Buyeo, Goguryeo, Dongye and Okjeo were said to be similar to one another but different fr ...

, contemporaneous with the

Han languages The Han languages () or Samhan languages () were the languages of the Samhan ('three Han') of ancient southern Korea, the confederacies of Mahan, Byeonhan and Jinhan. They are mentioned in surveys of the peninsula in the 3rd century found in C ...

of the

Samhan Samhan, or Three Han (), is the collective name of the Byeonhan, Jinhan, and Mahan confederacies that emerged in the first century BC during the Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea, or Samhan, period. Located in the central and southern regions o ...

confederacies in southern Korea. The earliest mentions of the Korean practice of wearing Minbok are also from this source. The text reads:

Law

Buyeo had a law that makes the thief reimburse the price that is equivalent to twelve times of the original amount the person stole, and had an eye to eye approach in terms of law.

Legacy

In the 1930s, Chinese historian Jin Yufu (金毓黻) developed a linear model of descent for the people of Manchuria and northern Korea, from the kingdoms of Buyeo,

, and

, to the modern Korean nationality. Later historians of Northeast China built upon this influential model.

and

, two of the

, considered themselves successors of Buyeo. King Onjo, the founder of Baekje, is said to have been a son of King Dongmyeong, founder of Goguryeo. Baekje officially changed its name to Nambuyeo (South Buyeo, ) in 538.

Goryeo 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 ...

also considered itself a descendant of Buyeo through their direct ancestral ties with Goguryeo and Baekje. This is seen in their representation of palace names that were named after former kingdoms that were considered their forefathers.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buyeo Kingdom States and territories disestablished in the 5th century Former countries in East Asia Former countries in Chinese history Former countries in Korean history 494 disestablishments Ancient peoples of Korea History of Manchuria States and territories established in the 2nd century BC Former monarchies of East Asia Yemaeks