Taebong (; ) was a state established by Kung Ye () on the

Korean Peninsula 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 divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

in 901 during the Later Three Kingdoms.

Name

The state's initial name was Goryeo, after the official name 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 ...

, a previous state in

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 ...

and the northern

, from the 5th century. After suggestion by Ajitae, Kung Ye changed the state's name to Majin (from maha jindan) in 904, and eventually to Taebong in 911. When Wang Kon overthrew Kung Ye’s regime and founded 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 ...

, he restored its original name. To distinguish Kung Ye's state from Wang Kon's state, later historians call this state Later Goguryeo (Hugoguryeo) or Taebong, its final name.

History

Taebong was established with the support of the rebellious nobles of Goguryeo origin. According to legend, Kung Ye was a son of either King Heonan or King Gyeongmun of Silla. A soothsayer prophesied that the newborn baby would bring disaster to

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 ...

state, so the king ordered his servants to kill him. However, his nanny hid Kung Ye and raised him secretly. He joined Yang Kil's rebellion force in 892. Silla, after nearly a millennium as a centralized kingdom, was quickly declining, and Kung Ye instigated his own rebellion and absorbed Wang Kon's forces at Songak. In 898, He set up the capital in Songak. He eventually defeated Yang Kil and other local military lords and warlords in central Korea to proclaim himself king in 901. Kung Ye transferred the capital from Songak to Cheorwon in 905. Taebong at its peak consisted of territory in the present-day provinces of

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Hwanghae South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaenamdo; , lit. "south Yellow Sea province") is a Administrative divisions of North Korea, province in western North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North Hwa ...

, Gyeonggi, Gangwon/ Kangwon,

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 ...

, North Chungcheong and the southern part of South Jeolla. In his later days, Kung Ye proclaimed himself a

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

and became a tyrant who sentenced death to anyone opposing him, including his own wife. Lady Gang. As a result, in 918 four of his own generals— Hong Yu, Pae Hyŏn-gyŏng, Sin Sung-gyŏm and Pok Chigyŏm—overthrew Taebong and installed Wang Kon as King Taejo.궁예, 디지털한국학 Soon thereafter,

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 ...

was established. Taebong influenced Goryeo culturally. Kung Ye was originally a Buddhist monk. He encouraged

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and changed the manners of national ceremonies Buddhist, including the Palgwanhoe (팔관회, 八關會) and Seokdeungnong (석등롱, 石燈籠, Stone lantern). These changes survived the death of Kung Ye and the fall of Taebong.

References

{{Authority control 918 disestablishments Former countries in East Asia Former countries in Korean history History of Korea Former monarchies of East Asia Later Three Kingdoms Former theocracies States and territories disestablished in the 910s

Name

History

See also

References