Since Silla, the Korean Peninsula has barely entered the history of North Korea and South Korea. The division and separatism in the late Silla period caused setbacks and blows to the immature centralized state system. The important task of the feudal centralized state in the history of the Korean Peninsula fell on the Goryeo Dynasty
"If we divide for a long time, we must unite. "It will be divided for a long time" is a general trend in the historical development of feudal dynasties. Since ancient times, from the dynasty with the surname Liu to the dynasty with the surname Li, although there were peasant uprisings in the middle, it was just a change of dynasties, not a "revolutionary decree"
When someone named "Si" was overthrown by someone named "Zi", one slave dynasty entered the next. To put it nicely, it was euphemistically called "Shang Revolution Xia Ming" or "Zhou Revolution Shang Ming" , the essence is just a change of dynasty
When the feudal masters overthrew the rule of the slave owners, this was a "revolution" of social progress. After entering the feudal era, the Central Plains Dynasty has been trapped in the cycle of dynasty replacement for thousands of years. Whether it is the conflict between Chu and Han or the Sui Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, it is all of the same nature
So some people like it Comparing the ancient feudal dynasty to a wheel, he said: "The wheel of history rolls forward, leaving behind ruts that continue to cycle."
However, during the thousands of years of feudal times, the civilization and society of the Central Plains dynasties were still developing forward, so "while the wheels of history left repeated ruts, they also pushed the carriage forward. Running wildly"
This was true in the historical changes of the ancient Central Plains dynasties, and the same was true in the history of the Korean Peninsula, which was deeply influenced by the Central Plains civilization. In the midst of divisions, turbulence and reunification time after time, the entire Korean Peninsula gradually learned from the civilization of the Central Plains and formed its own unique civilization
The most typical embodiment of this civilization and the most representative early one is what we have today. Protagonist - The Goryeo Dynasty
We talked about the Goryeo Dynasty in the last issue that unified the Korean Peninsula in 936, ending the previous division of the Korean peninsula between Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo. In today’s issue, we will continue to talk about the above article
The Goryeo Dynasty is also called Wang’s Goryeo, which is the Goryeo of the bloodline of the founding monarch Wang Jian. The main reason is to distinguish it from the previous Goguryeo, so Goguryeo is also called "Goguryeo".
Of course, after Goguryeo, there was a "post-Goguryeo" regime on the Korean Peninsula. Regardless of whether it is Goguryeo, post-Goguryeo, or the Goryeo dynasty, these three have basically no direct relationship except that their names are very similar and easy to confuse. Goguryeo is not even the history of Korea, but a part of Chinese history
< p> Of course, we are mainly talking about the Goryeo Dynasty in this issue, that is, the Goryeo Dynasty after the unification of the Korean Peninsula. It has nothing to do with the first two. After the reunification, the Goryeo Dynasty had to face the historical task and challenge of "ruling the world"Friends who are familiar with ancient Chinese history know that "ruling the world" and "ruling the world" are very different. It's okay to meet two generations of monarchs: the old emperor died suddenly after conquering the world, and the young emperor immediately entered the mode of "ruling the world". At most, the emperor and the courtiers left a group of heroes and generals idle
But if you encounter monarchs like Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang who both conquer and govern the world, it will be troublesome: the basic result is "the cunning rabbit dies and the lackeys are cooked, and the flying birds use their good bows and hide them". Of course, monarchs like Liu Xiu, Zhao Kuangyin, and Li Shimin were isolated cases. They made smooth and smooth operations to make this group of veterans and generals happy and stable, and returned home to retire.
But more emperors after gaining control of the world We often have to deal with the meritorious veterans around us who "do not listen to propaganda", "are proud of their merits", and "have superior achievements". This was true for Liu Bang, and even more so for Zhu Yuanzhang (in ancient China, it seems that the founding monarchs with relatively low backgrounds loved to kill heroes, and some nobles or those with some status were often better able to "harmoniously" solve the problems of heroes [laughing] I don't know who can do this well) Research this question and give me an answer)
This is especially true in the Koryo Dynasty on the Korean Peninsula! Why? Because we mentioned in the previous two issues that the founding monarch of the Goryeo Dynasty, Wang Jian, was himself a general of the previous Taifeng Kingdom. Goryeo was established through a rebellion that overthrew Taifeng. Therefore, Wang Jian knew that after unifying Korea, he must carry out internal "rectification" to ensure that The political power was stable
And this became the beginning of the bloody storm after the unification of the Goryeo Dynasty, that is, the beginning of the turmoil in the early Goryeo Dynasty...
After the founding of the Goryeo Dynasty, the establishment of Wang Jian began to restore order internally. Of course, Wang Jian still followed the rules and regulations of Silla at first. After all, the cost was low and the profit was high.
It is far more "affordable" to tinker and upgrade on the basis of the original mature system than to create a new one from scratch.
In terms of ideology and culture, Koryo mainly established the state religion of Buddhism. status to strengthen the ideological rule of society. After all, since Buddhism was introduced to the Korean Peninsula from the Central Plains, regimes and countries of all sizes have loved to use this ideological and theoretical system for almost hundreds of years (of course, Buddhism in the Korean Peninsula must have been closely related to the original Indian The spread of Buddhism is very different), Buddhism has a broad mass base in the Korean Peninsula
In addition, in terms of culture, Goryeo has absorbed a lot of Central Plains culture. This is not surprising, after all, starting from Jizi Korea in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, a large number of advanced Central Plains civilizations continued to pour into the Korean Peninsula. By the time of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, it was even more like "all nations came to the DPRK". The Tang Dynasty was undoubtedly a super super super power for North Korea and surrounding countries.
However, while the Korean Peninsula absorbed the culture of the Central Plains culturally, it was far from the highly centralized monarchy of the Central Plains regime politically. The Goryeo Dynasty in North Korea was still a form of political compromise with the powerful families that maintained the coalition power of the powerful families.
The most representative wealthy families in the Goryeo Dynasty at that time were the Huangzhou Huangfu family, the Chungzhou Liu family, the Zhenzhou Liu family, the Pingzhou Park family, the Pingzhou Yu family, the Guangzhou Wang family, and those from the previous dynasty. Gyeongju Kim family, Gyeongju Choi family, etc. of Silla.
This situation is even more serious than in the early Tang Dynasty (if you are interested, you can search to see how many important officials in the Tang Dynasty were named "Cui" and how many were named "Pei". The Tang Dynasty The powerful families, aristocratic forces and local big families are still very powerful. Of course, it was only after Tang Gaozong, Wu Zetian and later Huang Chao and Zhu Wen that the powerful families in Chinese history for hundreds of years were suppressed) < /p>
Therefore, the autocratic royal power and centralization of power in the early Goryeo Dynasty were quite fragile. The king was theoretically supreme, but in reality he ruled by doing nothing because he had no real power. Therefore, the monarchs of the Goryeo Dynasty starting from Wang Jian were committed to developing centralized power and autocratic royal power
And war seemed to be the best way (in a state of war, the king temporarily had greater power) power), so the Goryeo Dynasty during the Wangjian period actively expanded northward, designated Pyongyang as Xijing, and gradually extended Goryeo's northern territory from the Daedong River Basin to the Cheongcheon River Basin.
Wang Jian even tried to unite the Central Plains (Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period) to fight against the powerful Khitan in the north. In 934 AD, Wang Jian accepted Da Guangxian, the prince of Bohai Kingdom who was destroyed by Khitan. However, Wang Jian died before his ambition was fulfilled, and Wang Jian, who had not yet completed the great cause of centralization of power, died in 943 AD. After his death, his temple was named Taejo, and the crown prince Wang Mu succeeded him to the throne, namely Goryeo Hyejong.
Although the king during the Wang Jian period was "unable to defeat" these powerful families, his abilities, skills, qualifications, and achievements were still able to intimidate these heroic families. When Huizong Wang Wu succeeded to the throne, he was completely The bleak scene of "the king's power has fallen by the wayside", and this new successor is still weak and sick, making this group of heroes and wealthy families even more unscrupulous
In the end, a conflict broke out within the Goryeo Dynasty due to the competition between various forces for power, that is, The "Wanggui Rebellion" in 945 (of course today many scholars question the Wanggui Rebellion, believing that it was a frame-up and a scapegoat, a victim and scapegoat in the process of others seizing power. We will not go into details here) Just)
The Wanggui Rebellion was eventually put down, and Wang Yao, who rose up due to the pacification process, became the next monarch of the Goryeo Dynasty, namely Goryeo Jungjong. Of course, this Wang Yao is also the son of Taizu Wang Jian, so there is nothing wrong with him in terms of blood.
After Dingzong Wang Yao came to power, he relied on his uncle Wang Shilian and tried to move the capital to Xijing. However, this touched the vested interests of the hero's wealthy family, so he was replaced by his younger brother Guangzong Wang Zhao in 949 AD.
The political purposes behind many capital relocation events in Chinese history are also very similar. For example, the famous Wu Zetian "moved" the sacred capital to Luoyang was to avoid the center of power of the Li Tang Dynasty and instead transfer from the old ministers of the Li Tang Dynasty. Luoyang, which was weak in power, started;
Later, Zhao Kuangyin's "attempt to move the capital to Luoyang" also had the intention of weakening the power of his younger brother Zhao Guangyi, but he had to give it up because too many vested interests were touched. Then it may be Zhao Guangyi Be vigilant, and then there will be "the sound of candle shadow and axe" (of course, the cause of Zhao Kuangyin's death is still an unsolved mystery, Zhao Guangyi is only a suspect at best [laughing and crying], so there are many folk opinions, everyone can analyze and understand by yourself)
Guangzong, the successor of Jeongjong, later became one of the most important monarchs of the Goryeo Dynasty. Eight years after he took the throne, he began to fully transform the "inaction" of Goryeo politics into "doing", that is, taking the initiative. Strengthening the royal power
During Guangzong's reign, he promulgated the "law for slaves to be inspected"; implemented the imperial examination system; formulated public uniforms for all officials... These policies to strengthen royal power not only strengthened the monarch's "right to speak", On the other hand, it is the purge of the heroes and powerful families (the story behind this is wonderfully described in many Korean dramas and novels. If you are interested, you can read it).
Under the iron-fisted methods and policies of Goryeo Guangzong, the royal power of the Goryeo Dynasty was stabilized, and the entire Goryeo Dynasty seemed to be gradually embarking on the right path of centralized development...
In 975 AD, Guangzong died, and his son Wang Nian succeeded to the throne, namely Jingzong of Goryeo. At this time, the Central Plains Dynasty had entered the Northern Song Dynasty (coincidentally! Zhao Kuangyin, the founding monarch of the Northern Song Dynasty, also died in 975)
After Jingzong came to the throne, he suspended his father Guangzong's great purge, turned the purge into appeasement, and established the The Tianchai Ke system laid the economic foundation for the centralized system of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Of course, Jingzong's reign was also very short. In 981 AD, when Jingzong was dying, he passed down the throne to his cousin Wang Zhi, who was known as Goryeo Chengzong. And this Chengzong can be compared to "Xiaoguangzong". During his reign, the Goryeo Dynasty formally established a centralized system (however, Goose had lagged behind the Central Plains Dynasty for hundreds of years [face covering])
During the reign of King Seongjong, he actively introduced the Chinese Tang and Song Dynasties The laws and regulations were also modeled on the Central Plains in setting up the Twelve Shepherds, dispatching officials to local areas, stipulating tax laws economically, establishing Imperial College in culture, and implementing the policy of "ruling the country with Confucianism"...
Yes It is said that the entire Goryeo state system was finally formally formed until King Seongjong, which shows King Seongjong’s historical status. Of course, the attack on the wealthy families, heroes, and nobles and the establishment of centralization were the product of the joint efforts of several generations of monarchs
But just as Goryeo's domestic development was booming, a powerful force appeared outside the Korean peninsula. The enemy - Khitan. Marked by the Khitan invasion in 993 AD, the Korean Peninsula quickly entered a turbulent period of internal and external troubles.
The previous Goryeo Dynasty successively claimed vassalage from the Central Plains dynasties of Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, Later Zhou, and Northern Song Dynasty. However, after the Khitan invasion, the subject of the Goryeo Dynasty changed from the Song Dynasty to the Khitan.
In 997 AD, Emperor Chengzong of Goryeo passed away, and King Jingzong’s son Wang Song came to the throne as Emperor Muzong of Goryeo. During Mu Zong's reign, his mother, Queen Mother Qianqiu, was regent of the Huangfu family. The old Queen Mother's concubine (similar to a male favorite who had an extramarital affair [face-covering]) had Jin Zhiyang's dictatorial power, which led to chaos in the government.
This phenomenon has never been seen in Chinese history. It is common to see it in the Internet, such as the dictatorship of Lao Ai, the male favorite of Qin Shihuang's mother Zhao Ji; and the domineering behavior of Wu Zetian's male favorites Xue Huaiyi, Zhang Yizhi, Zhang Changzong, etc.
And the Korean Peninsula's Goryeo Dynasty is also the same So: Jin Zhiyang attempts to make his illegitimate son with Queen Mother Qianqiu the new king. As a counterattack, in 1009 AD, Mu Zong wanted to establish Wang Xun, grandson of Taizu Wang Jian, as the crown prince (this could make a 36-episode large-scale ancient costume palace battle series [laughing and crying])
In order to fight against Jin Zhiyang, Mu Zong summoned Kang Zhao, who was guarding Xijing, entered the guard. Unexpectedly, Kang Zhao not only killed Jin Zhiyang, but also took it with Mu Zong. In the end, Mu Zong was deposed and killed. Kang Zhao then supported Wang Xun as king, namely Xianzong of Goryeo (Dong Zhuo's direct name). Expert [cover face])
Of course, the news in Goryeo soon spread to Khitan. The Khitan Holy Sect Yelu Longxu, who had just taken charge of the government, decided to launch an expedition to Goryeo after careful consideration. Kang Zhao was no match for the Khitans. In the end, Kang Zhao died in battle, and the Kaijing of Goryeo was captured and burned by the Khitans. King Xianzong of Xianzong had to flee south to Luozhou.
After the Khitans achieved their goal of occupying Kaijing, they immediately faced continuous harassment by the Goryeo army. After obtaining "favorable fees" and Xianzong's promise through "negotiations" through powerful inducements, the Khitans immediately withdrew their troops.
However, after Xianzong returned to the capital, he immediately broke his promise on the grounds of illness (what a "little man is sick" [face covering]) and refused to enter the Khitan Dynasty, and also restored the suzerain-vassal relationship with the Song Dynasty. , reused the Song Dynasty title to form a "deterrence" to the Khitan.
Of course, how could the Khitan people be willing to suffer this dumb loss? In the end, the conflict between the two sides became more and more serious, and in 1018 AD, the famous Third Koryo-Khitan War broke out. The result of the war was that Goryeo won and severely damaged the Khitan army.
However, out of fear of the Khitan, the suzerain-vassal relationship with the Khitan was finally restored in 1022 AD.
At this time, the Northern Song Dynasty regime in the Central Plains Dynasty was also on the verge of collapse. The entire Central Plains situation was about to undergo major changes, and Goryeo on the Korean Peninsula was also involved in greater chaos...
In After the early development and turmoil of the Goryeo Dynasty, the entire East Asia entered the 12th century, and a series of major changes were about to occur on this "overlord's continent". The Goryeo Dynasty on the Korean Peninsula was about to face new crises and challenges
So what happened to the Goryeo Dynasty after that? How did the Central Plains situation at the turn of the Song Dynasty affect the development of Korean history? How did the Goryeo Dynasty face the powerful Khitans, Jurchens, and even the Mongols in the north?