Jeongan

Jeongan () or Ding'an () was a state in Manchuria that existed from 938 to 986. It was the successor state of Balhae (Bohai) founded by Yeol Man-hwa (Lie Wanhua).

History

The early history of Jeongan is mostly unknown. Large number of rebels emerged in the former territory of Balhae after the kingdom's conquest by the Liao dynasty in 926, although most were quickly defeated by Liao forces. After the Liao puppet state of Dongdan was abolished and the main Liao forces left the region, General Yeol Manhwa (Lie Wanhua) established Jeongan in the mid-930s to prevent a full occupation by the Liao dynasty. Jeongan is recorded to have enlisted the assistance of neighboring tribes with the hopes of overthrowing the Liao dynasty, but apparently failed to do so.

In 970, the king paid tribute to the Song dynasty together with the neighboring Jurchens. On all four occasions in which Jeongan envoys were able to reach the Song court, they were attached to a Jurchen mission. Jeongan was a poor state and was unable to send their own independent missions. The official Chinese historical record, the '' History of Song'' claimed that Jeongan people's origin can be traced back to the former confederacy of Mahan. However, the Mahan confederacy in the distant south of the Korean peninsula had disappeared for almost a millennium by the 10th century, and Chinese scholars consider this record, written in the Yuan dynasty, to be an error. Meanwhile Korean historians consider the History of the Song to be accurate. Goguryeo (the predecessor to Balhae and Jeongan) had traced part of its hertiage with the Mahan as its lands were previously part of Goguryeo before it became Balhae territory, and Goguryeo had acquired it from Baekje. In a message to the Song emperor in 981, Oh Hyeon-myeong described his people as the "remaining commoners of Bohai" who lived in the former land of Goguryeo. The purpose of Jeongan's tributary mission was a proposal for the Song and Jeongan to ally and initiate a joint attack against the Liao, which the Song declined due to the Liao's military prowess. Oh also described his territory as having been heavily damaged by the Liao and was under threat of imminent destruction.

In 975, the Liao Dynasty once again invaded Jeongan, which failed. In 976, the Yeol clan was replaced by the Oh clan, and Jeongan was ruled by Oh Hyeon-myeong (Wu Xuanming) until before it was finally destroyed by the Liao dynasty in 986 CE. Korean historians theorize that the Oh Clan's replacement of the Yeol Clan may have been violent and could have played a role in the destruction of Jeongan. According to the Goryeosa, tens of thousands of Balhae refugees fled to Goryeo in 979, and was recorded as the largest Balhae migration since the 936 exodus when Balhae Crown Prince Dae Gwang-hyeon had similarly led tens of thousands of refugees into Goryeo.

Although Jeongan officially fell in 986, records indicate that Balhae resistance continued for several years, notably in 994. The Liao responded with punitive campaigns until they established three military outposts in the lower Yalu River and completely occupied the area in 991. The last remnants of Balhae resistance from the former state of Jeongan were destroyed by 999.

Rulers

# Yeol Man-hwa/Lie Wanhua (烈萬華, 열만화, 938–976)
# Oh Hyeon-myeong/Wu Xuanming (烏玄明, 오현명, 976–986)

See also

*Balhae
* Later Balhae
* Heungyo

References

Bibliography

* {{cite journal , last1=Crossley , first1=Pamela Kyle , title=Bohai/Parhae Identity and the Coherence of Dan gur under the Kitan/Liao Empire , journal=International Journal of Korean History , date=2016 , volume=21 , issue=1 , pages=11–44 , doi=10.22372/ijkh.2016.21.1.11, doi-access=free

Balhae
938 establishments
History of Manchuria
Former countries in Chinese history
Former countries in Korean history
986 disestablishments