Taebong

Later Goguryeo 후고구려 (後高句麗) Hugoguryeo 고려 (高麗) Goryeo 마진 (摩震) Majin 태봉 (泰封) Taebong
901–918
Taebong at its height in 915.
Capital	Songak (901–905), Cheorwon (905–918)
Common languages	Old Korean, Classical Chinese (literary)
Religion	Buddhism (state religion), Confucianism, Taoism, Shamanism
Government	Buddhist Theocratic monarchy
King
• 901–918	Kung Ye
History
• Establishment	901
• Fall	918
Preceded by Succeeded by Unified Silla Goryeo Dynasty
Today part of	South Korea North Korea

Part of a series on the
History of Korea
Prehistoric period Jeulmun 8000 BC–1500 BC Mumun 1500 BC–300 BC
Ancient period Gojoseon 2333 BC–108 BC * Dangun * Gija * Wiman Jin 4th–2nd century BC Yemaek
Proto–Three Kingdoms period Takri Dongye Buyeo Eastern Galsa Okjeo Samhan Ma Byeon Jin Goguryeo Tamna Four Commanderies of Han
Three Kingdoms period Goguryeo 37 BC–668 AD Baekje 18 BC–660 AD Silla 57 BC–935 AD Gaya confederacy 42–562
Northern and Southern period United Silla (Unified Silla) 668–935 Balhae 698–926
Later Three Kingdoms period Later Baekje 892–936 Taebong (Later Goguryeo) 901–918 Unified Silla (Later Silla) 668–935
Dynastic period Goryeo 918–1392 Joseon 1392–1897 Korean Empire 1897–1910
Colonial period Japanese rule 1910–1945 Provisional Government 1919–1948
Modern period Military governments 1945–1948 North-South division 1945–present * North 1948–present * South 1948–present
By topic Architecture Art Cuisine Currency Education Geography Historiography Language Military (List · Goguryeo) Monarchs (Family tree) Names (Era names) Naval Newspapers Politics (Joseon · North · South) Religion Buddhism Christianity Islam Science and technology Women World Heritage Sites (North · South)
Timeline
Korea portal
v t e

Taebong (Korean: 태봉; Hanja: 泰封; RR: Taebong; MR: T'aebong; Korean pronunciation: [tʰɛ.boŋ]) was a state established by Kung Ye (Korean: 궁예; Hanja: 弓裔) on the Korean Peninsula in 901 during the Later Three Kingdoms.^[1]

Name[edit]

The state's initial name was Goryeo, after the official name of Goguryeo, a previous state in Manchuria and the northern Korean Peninsula, 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 and founded the Goryeo dynasty, 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[edit]

Taebong was established with the support of the rebellious Silla people, the mixed Goguryeo-Lelang people.

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, so the king ordered his servants to kill him. However, his nurse hid Kung Ye and raised him secretly.^[2] 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 lords 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 and South Hwanghae, Gyeonggi, Gangwon/Kangwon, Pyongyang, North Chungcheong and the southern part of South Jeolla.

In his later days, Kung Ye proclaimed himself a Buddha 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.^[3]

Soon thereafter, Goryeo was established. Taebong influenced Goryeo culturally. Kung Ye was originally a Buddhist monk. He encouraged Buddhism 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.

See also[edit]

• History of Korea

References[edit]