Gongyang (9 March 1345 – 17 May 1394), personal name Wang Yo, was the 34th and final ruler of 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 ...

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 ...

. He was the descendant of Duke Yangyang, brother of King Huijong. He was deposed by Yi Sŏnggye, who then established the new

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

Biography

Background and early life

He was born as the second and youngest son of Wang Kyun, 6th-generation descendant of King Sinjong from his youngest son, Duke Yangyang. His mother was Princess Boknyeong, a great-granddaughter of

King Chungnyeol Chungnyeol (3 April 1236 – 30 July 1308), personal name Wang Kŏ, was the 25th king of Korea's Goryeo dynasty from 1274 to 1308. He was the son of Wonjong, his predecessor on the throne. Chungnyeol was king during the Japan of Mongol Invasi ...

. He had an older brother, Wang U, Prince Jeongyang. Due to this, the future King had the Goryeo royal family's bloods from both of paternal and maternal line. At a young age, he was honoured as Prince Jeongchang () and then married the daughter of No Ch'aek, Internal Prince Changseong from the

Gyoha No clan The Gyoha No clan () is a Korean clan. Its bon-gwan is Paju, Gyeonggi Province. According to census research in 2015, the number of Gyoha No clan members was 61,747. The clan's founder is , the 2nd son of , who hailed from T'ang China. No O was d ...

. His niece, Lady Kang, married Yi Sŏnggye as his second wife.

Reign

Although he did everything to prove that he had no political ambitions, Yi Sŏnggye's faction used him as a bloodless propaganda tool. In 1389, Yi's supporters forced King Chang from the throne and enthroned King Gongyang in his stead. This faction went on to oversee the events of King Gongyang's brief reign, including the assassinations of King U and King Chang. After the murder of

Chŏng Mong-ju Chŏng Mong-ju (, January 13, 1337 – May 4, 1392), also known by his art name P'oŭn (), was a Korean statesman, diplomat, philosopher, poet, calligrapher and reformist of the Goryeo period. He was a major figure of opposition to the transit ...

, the last major supporter of the Goryeo kings, King Gongyang was deposed in 1392 by Yi Sŏnggye, his son ( Yi Pangwŏn),

Chŏng Tojŏn Chŏng Tojŏn (; October 6, 1342 – October 6, 1398), also known by his art name Sambong (), was a prominent Korean scholar-official during the late Goryeo to the early Joseon periods. Chŏng Tojŏn was an adviser to the Joseon founder Yi Sŏ ...

and others, which brought the Goryeo dynasty to an end.

Life after deposition

The former king was initially exiled to

Wonju Wonju (; ) is the most populous Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gangwon Province, South Korea, with a population of 364,860 as of 2023. The city is located approximately east of Seoul. History During the time of Joseon, Gr ...

and granted the title of Prince Gongyang (), but was later moved to

Samcheok Samcheok (; ) is a city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. To the west are the Taebaek Mountains, which form a high flat plain of more than 1,000 meters, and to the east the coastal plain slopes sharply. Samcheok borders Donghae in the north, ...

, where he was assassinated via strangulation in 1394 alongside his son, Crown Prince Wang Sŏk in Gungchon. In 1416, King Taejong honored him as King Gongyang () and sent an envoy to inspect his tomb.

Family

*Father: Wang Kyun, Internal Prince Jeongwon (정원부원군 왕균) **Grandfather: Wang Yu, Marquess Sunhwa (순화후 왕유) **Grandmother: Consort Myeongye of the Mahan State of the Sin clan (마한국명예비 신씨) *Mother: Grand Consort of Samhan State of the Wang clan (삼한국대비 왕씨) **Grandfather: Wang Hun, Grand Prince Yeondeok (연덕부원대군 왕훈) **Grandmother: Consort Anui of the Cho clan (안의비 조씨) Consorts and their Respective Issue(s): # Royal Consort Sun of the Gyoha No clan ## Crown Prince Wang Sŏk, ''1st son'' ## Princess Suknyeong, ''1st daughter'' ## Princess Jeongsin, ''2nd daughter'' ## Princess Gyeonghwa, ''3rd daughter'' #Unknown ##''2nd son''There are debates about this unnamed son. ''

Goryeosa ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is an extensive historical record of the Goryeo dynasty, compiled by the officials of Goryeo's successor state, Joseon. Its compilation started during the reign of Taejo of Joseon, Taejo (the founding ...

'' Biographies vol. 91 has it that King Gongyang just had 1 son, Wang Seok. But '' Taejo Sillok'' vol. 5 says that King Gongyang had 2 sons whom were killed in 1394 under King Taejo's command.

Ancestry

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Kim Jin-hae in the 1983 KBS TV series '' Foundation of the Kingdom''. *Portrayed by Kim Woong-chul in the 1983 MBC TV series '' The King of Chudong Palace''. *Portrayed by Kim Young-sun in the 1996–1998 KBS TV series '' Tears of the Dragon''. *Portrayed by Kim Byung-choon in the 2012–2013 SBS TV series ''

The Great Seer ''The Great Seer'' (, also known as ''The Great Geomancer'') is a 2012 South Korean historical television series, starring Ji Sung, Ji Jin-hee, Song Chang-eui, Kim So-yeon and Lee Yoon-ji. Set during the turbulent decline of Goryeo, it is ...

''. *Portrayed by Nam Sung-jin in the 2014 KBS TV series ''

Jeong Do-jeon Jeong (the Revised Romanization spelling of ) may refer to: *Jeong (surname) *Jeong (given name) *Qing (concept) In Chinese philosophy, ''qing'' ( zh, c=, p=qíng) is a concept translated variously as "emotion", "feeling", "sentiment", or "passion" ...

''. *Portrayed by Lee Do-yup in the 2015–2016 SBS TV series ''

Six Flying Dragons ''Six Flying Dragons'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Ah-in, Kim Myung-min, Shin Se-kyung, Byun Yo-han, Yoon Kyun-sang and Chun Ho-jin. It aired on SBS on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 50 episodes beginning on Oc ...

''. *Portrayed by Park Hyung-joon in the 2021

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

TV series ''

The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won ''The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won'' () is a South Korean television series starring Joo Sang-wook in the title role. With this series, KBS revived its historical drama series after 5 years, as the last KBS historical series '' Jang Yeong-sil' ...

''.

Notes

References

* {{Authority control 1345 births 1394 deaths Executed Korean people 14th-century Korean monarchs People executed by strangulation Korean Buddhist monarchs House of Wang Dethroned monarchs