Gogugwon of Goguryeo

Gogugwon
Taewang
Man from Anak Tomb No.3, presumed to be a depiction of king Gogugwon in North Korean academia.
King of Goguryeo
ReignFebruary 331 – 16 November 372 A.D.
CoronationFebruary 331 A.D.
PredecessorMicheon
SuccessorSosurim
Crown Prince of Goguryeo
Crown PrinceJanuary 314 – February 331 A.D.
CoronationJanuary 314 A.D.
PredecessorSangbu
SuccessorGubu
BornGo Sayu/Yu/Soe
?
Gungnae Seong
Died16 November 371 A.D.
Pyongyang Seong
Burial
Gogugwon
IssueGubu
Iryeon
Regnal name
Guggangsang Taewang
Posthumous name
Gogugwon Taewang
HouseGo
DynastyGoguryeo
FatherMicheon
MotherLady Ju
OccupationKing
Gogugwon of Goguryeo
Hangul
고국원왕, 국강상왕[1]
Hanja
故國原王, 國岡上王
Revised RomanizationGogugwon-wang, Gukgangsang-wang
McCune–ReischauerKogugwŏn-wang, Kukkangsang-wang
Birth name
Hangul
고사유, 유, or 쇠
Hanja
高斯由, 劉, or 釗
Revised RomanizationGo Sayu, Yu, or Soe
McCune–ReischauerKo Sayu, Yu, or Soe

King Gogugwon (?–371, r. 331–371)[2] was the 16th king of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the son of King Micheon and Lady Ju.[2]

Goguryeo faced devastation by the Murong Xianbei people who attacked Goguryeo. Hwando was destroyed again by them in 341. Buyeo was also destroyed by the Xianbei in 346.[3]

The reign of Gogukwon suffered severely from continuous foreign invasions, not only those of Chinese forces including Xianbei but also of Baekje, southwestern part of Korean peninsula. Particularly, the Xianbei state of Former Yan invaded the capital in 342, capturing Queen Ju, the mother of Gogukwon and his concubines and also digging up the corpse of his father, Micheon. Since the capital was thoroughly destroyed, Gogukwon firstly constructed Guknae seong as an alternative fortress in northern sphere[4] and temporarily moved the capital to Pyongyang, present-day capital of North Korea.[5] While he could get back the corpse of his father, it took about 13 years for his mother to return to Goguryeo.[2]

In 369, Gogukwon personally led expedition of more than 20,000 troops.[6] Without success, Geunchogo's son Geungusu overtook, counterattacked and killed Gogugwon in battle, at Pyongyang Castle, the only ruler of Goguryeo to die on a battlefield.[2] He was buried in Gogugwon.

  1. ^ 고국원왕 (in Korean). Doopedia. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  2. ^ a b c d "King Gogukwon". KBS Radio. Korean Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  3. ^ Chun, Ho-tae (2007). Koguryŏ = Koguryo, the origin of Korean power & pride. Sŏul-si: Tongbuga Yŏksa Chaedan. pp. 19–21. ISBN 9788991448834.
  4. ^ Kim, Bushik (1145). Samguk Sagi. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  5. ^ Kim, Bushik (1145). Samguk Sagi. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  6. ^ Yoon, Nae-hyun; Lee, Hyun-hee; Park, Sung-soo (2005). New history of Korea. Paju: Jimoondang. p. 150. ISBN 9788988095850.