Goryeo

For other uses, see Koryo (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Goguryeo.

Goryeo
高麗 (Hanja)
고려 (Hangul)
918–1392
Flag of Goryeo
Royal flag
Royal seal (1370–1392) of Goryeo
Royal seal
(1370–1392)
Map of Goryeo in 1389
Map of Goryeo in 1389
StatusIndependent state[1][a]
(918–1270, 1356–1392)

Vassal state of the Yuan dynasty
(1270–1356)
CapitalMain:
Gaegyeong[b][c]
Temporary:
Cheorwon
(918–919)
Ganghwa[d]
(1232–1270)
Hanyang[e]
(1382–1383, 1390–1391)[3]
Common languagesLate Old Korean,
Early Middle Korean,
Classical Chinese (literary)[4][5]
Religion
Buddhism (state religion),
Confucianism,
Taoism,
Shamanism[6]
Demonym(s)Korean
GovernmentMonarchy
King/Emperor[f] 
• 918–943
Taejo (first)
• 1389–1392
Gongyang (last)
Military dictator 
• 1170–1174
Yi Ui-bang (first)
• 1270
Im Yu-mu (last)
History 
• Coronation of Taejo
25 July 918
• Unification of the Later Three Kingdoms
936
993–1019
• Goryeo–Jurchen War
1104–1109
1170–1270
1231–1259
1270–1356
• Abdication of Gongyang
12 July 1392
Population
• N/A
3,000,000–5,000,000[10]
CurrencyGoryeo coinage
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Balhae
Later Baekje
Later Goguryeo
Unified Silla
Joseon
Today part ofNorth Korea
South Korea
Korean name
Hangul
고려
Hanja
高麗
Revised RomanizationGoryeo
McCune–ReischauerKoryŏ
IPA[ko.ɾjʌ]

Goryeo (Korean: 고려; Hanja: 高麗; MR: Koryŏ; [ko.ɾjʌ]) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392.[11] Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unification" by Korean historians as it not only unified the Later Three Kingdoms but also incorporated much of the ruling class of the northern kingdom of Balhae, who had origins in Goguryeo of the earlier Three Kingdoms of Korea.[12][13] According to Korean historians, it was during the Goryeo period that the individual identities of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla were successfully merged into a single entity that became the basis of the modern-day Korean identity.[14][15] The name "Korea" is derived from the name of Goryeo, also romanized as Koryŏ, which was first used in the early 5th century by Goguryeo;[14] Goryeo was a successor state to Later Goguryeo and Goguryeo.[16][17][18][19]

Throughout its existence, Goryeo, alongside Unified Silla, was known to be the "Golden Age of Buddhism" in Korea.[20] As the state religion, Buddhism achieved its highest level of influence in Korean history, with 70 temples in the capital alone in the 11th century.[21] Commerce flourished in Goryeo, with merchants coming from as far as the Middle East.[22][23] The capital in modern-day Kaesong, North Korea was a center of trade and industry.[24] Goryeo was a period of great achievements in Korean art and culture.[25]

During its heyday, Goryeo constantly wrestled with northern empires such as the Liao (Khitans) and Jin (Jurchens). It was invaded by the Mongol Empire and became a vassal state of the Yuan dynasty in the 13th–14th centuries,[26] but attacked the Yuan and reclaimed territories as the Yuan declined.[27] This is considered by modern Korean scholars to be Goryeo's Northern Expansion Doctrine (북진 정책) to reclaim ancestral lands formerly owned by Goguryeo.[28] As much as it valued education and culture, Goryeo was able to mobilize sizable military might during times of war.[29][30] It fended off massive armies of the Red Turban Rebels from China[31][32] and professional Japanese pirates[33][34] in its twilight years of the 14th century.[35] A final proposed attack against the Ming dynasty resulted in a coup d'état led by General Yi Sŏng-gye that ended the Goryeo dynasty.[36]

  1. ^ Bielenstein 2005, p. 184.
  2. ^ Korean History Society 2002, p. 15.
  3. ^ 김재명. 남경(南京). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  4. ^ Seth 2010, p. 92.
  5. ^ Lee 1984, p. 134.
  6. ^ Keith Pratt, Richard Rutt, James Hoare (1999). Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary. Routledge. p. 189. ISBN 0-7007-0464-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Breuker 2010, p. 147.
  8. ^ Em 2013, pp. 24–26.
  9. ^ Breuker 2010, p. 157.
  10. ^ Lee et al. 2014, p. 70.
  11. ^ "Koryŏ dynasty | Korean history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  12. ^ Kim 2012, p. 120.
  13. ^ Lee 1984, p. 103.
  14. ^ a b "고려". 문화콘텐츠닷컴 (in Korean). Korea Creative Contents Agency. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Kim 2012, pp. 120–122.
  17. ^ Seth, Michael (2019). A Concise History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 80.
  18. ^ Lee, Soon Keun (2005). "On the Historical Succession of Goguryeo in Northeast Asia". Korea Journal. 45 (1): 187–190.
  19. ^ history net. "Goryeo Drives Back the Khitan". History Net. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  20. ^ Johnston, William M. (2013). Encyclopedia of Monasticism. Routledge. p. 275. ISBN 978-1-136-78715-7.
  21. ^ Kim 2012, p. 148.
  22. ^ Till, Geoffrey; Bratton, Patrick (2012). Sea Power and the Asia-Pacific: The Triumph of Neptune?. Routledge. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-136-62724-8. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  23. ^ Lee 2017a, p. 52.
  24. ^ Ronald, Ma (1997). Financial Reporting in the Pacific Asia Region. World Scientific. p. 239. ISBN 978-981-4497-62-6. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Met was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Em 2013, p. 26.
  27. ^ Oh, Kiseung (2021). "Disputes in Goryeo-Mongol border area and Reclaim of the Ssangseong-Prefectures at fifth year of King Kongmin regined". ̈숭실사학. 46: 54 – via Korea Citation Index.
  28. ^ 북진정책(北進政策). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  29. ^ Kim, Nak Jin (2017). "Goryeo's Conquest of the Jurchen and Tactical Systems of Byeolmuban during the Reign of Sukjong and Yejong". ͕한국학논총. 47: 165 – via Kukmin University Korea Studies.
  30. ^ 세계한민족문화대전. Encyclopedia of Overseas Korean Culture. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  31. ^ Park, Jinhoon (2018). "On the Invasion of Red Turban Army (紅巾賊) in late Goryeo Dynasty and Military activities of Ahn-Woo (安祐)". Sahak Yonku: The Review of Korean History. 130: 97–135. doi:10.31218/TRKH.2018.06.130.97. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  32. ^ Lee, Jung Ran (2018). "Invasion by Red Turban Bandits in 1361 into Goryeo and King Gongmin's Politics of Evacuation in Chungcheong Region". 지방사와 지방문화. 21: 40 – via Korea Citation Index.
  33. ^ 왜구. terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  34. ^ 대마도정벌. terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  35. ^ Lee 2017b.
  36. ^ 요동정벌. terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2 April 2022.


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