King Micheon (died 331, r. 300–331) was the 15th ruler 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 ...
, the northernmost 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 ...
.
Background and rise to the throne
He was the grandson of the 13th king
Seocheon
Seocheon County () is a county in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It is famous for its seafood and location near the mouth of the Geum River.
Administrative divisions
Seocheon county has two major centers, Janghang-eup and Seocheon-eup. Seocheo ...
, and the son of the '' gochuga'' Go Dol-go, who was killed by his brother, the 14th king Bongsang.
Korean historical records say that Micheon fled and hid as a servant in a miserable life, doing menial tasks such as throwing stones into a pond throughout the night to keep his master from being awakened. It is said a year later he left that house to become salt peddler but failed to gain huge asset. Meanwhile, King Bongsang became increasingly unpopular, and court officials, led by Prime Minister
Chang Jo-Ri
Ch'ang Chori (; ?-?) was the prime minister of Goguryeo during the reigns of Kings Bongsang and Micheon.
Background
Ch'ang Chori's origins or ancestry is not mentioned in historical records. It can be inferred that Prime Minister Ch'ang C ...
, carried out a coup that overthrew King Bongsang, and placed King Micheon on the throne.
Reign
Micheon continuously developed the Goguryeo army into a very powerful force. During the disintegration of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
's
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) ...
, he expanded Goguryeo's borders into the
Liaodong Peninsula
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 ...
and the other Chinese commanderies. Since the commanderies were nuisances to be eliminated for Goguryeo's stability, the first military campaign in 302 headed against 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. ...
, with conquering
Daedong River
The Taedong River () is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening the Soviet Con ...
basins of current
Pyongyang
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
. Consolidating cut-off between commanderies and Chinese mainland, Goguryeo also annexed the
Lelang commandery
The Lelang Commandery was a Commandery (China), commandery of the Han dynasty established after it had conquered Wiman Joseon in 108 BC and lasted until Goguryeo conquered it in 313. The Lelang Commandery extended the rule of the Four Commande ...
in 313 and
Daifang commandery
The Daifang Commandery was an administrative division established by the Chinese Han dynasty on the Korean Peninsula between 204 and 220. It was conquered by Goguryeo in 314.
History
Gongsun Kang, a warlord in Liaodong, separated the southern ...
in 314 after attacked Seoanpyeong (西安平; near modern
Dandong
Dandong ( zh, s=丹东 , t=丹東 , p=Dāndōng; lit. "Red East"), formerly known as Andong, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, in the northeastern region of the People's Republic of China.
It is the largest ...
) 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 ...
. The series of subjugation around northern Korean peninsula and Manchuria held its significance given that 400-year presence of Chinese forces was completely cleared out of Korean peninsula.
In his reign, Goguryeo was faced with growing
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 ...
influence in the west, particularly the Murong tribe in Liaodong. Micheon allied with other Xianbei Duan and
Yeo Noja () was taken captive by the Murong. Throughout this period, Goguryeo and the Murong attacked each other's positions in Liaodong, but neither was able to secure regional hegemony. Since both sides were at stake, Micheon sent an ambassador to the
Later Zhao dynasty
Zhao, briefly known officially as Wei (衛) in 350 AD, known in historiography as the Later Zhao (; 319–351) or Shi Zhao (石趙), was a dynasty of China ruled by the Shi family of Jie ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Among the S ...
in 330 with a view to making a diversion against the Murong.三十一年, 遣使後趙石勒, 致其楛矢.
Death and aftermath
Micheon died and was buried in 331 at Micheon-won, literally the "garden with beautiful stream". Twelve years later, in the reign of King Gogugwon, his remains were dug up by 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, ...
invaders, and held for ransom.
Family
*Father: Prince Dolgo ()
**Grandfather: King Seocheon ()
**Grandmother: ''Queen'', of the U clan ()
*Wife: ''Queen'', of the Ju clan (); taken as a hostage alongside the king's corpse in 342 when Mo Yong-hwang () invaded Goguryeo until able to return in 355.
**Son: Prince Sayu (사유, 斯由; d. 371)
**Son: Prince Mu ()
See also
*
History of Korea
The Lower Paleolithic era on the Korean Peninsula and in Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago.
Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825.
The earl ...
*
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 ...
*
List of Korean monarchs
This is a list of monarchs of Korea, arranged by dynasty. Names are romanized according to the South Korean Revised Romanization of Korean. McCune–Reischauer romanizations may be found at the articles about the individual monarchs.
Gojoseon
G ...