Three Kingdoms of Korea

Categories: History of Korea

Three Kingdoms of Korea
Image:Three Kingdoms of Korea Map.png
Korean name
Hangul:	삼국
Hanja:	三國
Revised Romanization:	Samguk
McCune-Reischauer:	Samguk

The Three Kingdoms of Korea were Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE. The Three Kingdoms period in Korea is usually considered to run from the 1st century BCE (overlapping with the Samhan period in southern Korea) until Silla's triumph over Goguryeo in 668 (resulting in Unified Silla and Balhae states). The name "Samguk", or "Three Kingdoms", was used in the Korean titles of the classic texts Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, both written in the 12th century.

Contents 1 Three Kingdoms 1.1 Goguryeo 1.2 Baekje 1.3 Silla 1.4 Other Small Kingdoms 2 Unification 3 See also 4 References

Three Kingdoms

History of Korea
Gojoseon Samhan Three Kingdoms :  Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla Unified Silla and Balhae Later Three Kingdoms Goryeo Joseon 1900-1950 Divided Korea :  N. Korea, S. Korea

A minority of scholars treat the Three Kingdoms period as properly beginning around 300 AD, when evidence suggests profound changes in systematic political organization as well as daily life, and entities such as Mahan and Jinhan may have played major roles. In the fourth century, the three kingdoms begin to appear with regularity in contemporaneous Chinese records. Most Korean historians, however, find the Samguk Sagi more credible, especially as recent archeological and astronomical research confirmed many dates and details of this record.

During the Han dynasty, four commanderies were established in northern parts of the Korean peninsula (the exact locations are disputed). The last to fall, Lelang commandery, was absorbed by Goguryeo in 313. Thus the early Three Kingdoms period was marked by the removal of direct Chinese influence and a realignment of power relations in the peninsula.

All three kingdoms shared similar cultures and language. Their original religions appear to have been shamanistic, but later absorbed increasing Chinese influence (particularly Confucianism and Taoism) over time, although to different degrees. In the 4th century, Buddhism was introduced to the peninsula and spread rapidly, briefly becoming the official religion of all three kingdoms.

Goguryeo

Goguryeo, meanwhile, emerged on the north and south banks of Yalu River (Amnok River in Korean), as a separate entity from Buyeo. The first reference to the name "Goguryeo" in Chinese records was in 75 BC, and evidence indicates Goguryeo was the most advanced, and likely the first established of the three kingdoms.

Goguryeo, the largest of three kingdoms, had two capitals in alternation. Nangnang (nowadays Pyongyang) and Kungae, located upon the Yalu river. At the beginning the state was located on the border with China; it conquered little by little vast territories of Manchuria and finally destroyed the Chinese colony Nangnang in 313. The cultural influence of the Chinese remained until Buddhism was adopted as the official religion in 372.

The kingdom was at its zenith in the fifth century when occupying the Liaodong Plains in Manchuria and today's Seoul area. The Goguryeo kings controlled not only Koreans but also Chinese and other Tungusic tribes in Manchuria and North Korea. Since the establishment of the Sui Dynasty in China, the kingdom continued to suffer from Chinese invasion until conquered by the allied Silla-Tang forces in 668.

Baekje

Korean sources recorded 18 BC as the establishment of Baekje; two Goguryeo princes fled out of conflict to be the successor, and established Baekje in the southwest of the peninsula. Baekje absorbed or conquered the existing confederation of Mahan. The capital was first located near today's Seoul, later further south at Ungjin (nowadays Gongju) and later still further south at Sabi (nowadays Buyeo).

In the 4th century Baekje was very prosperous and dominated the southern part of the peninsula. Baekje played a fundamental role in transmitting cultural developments, including Chinese characters and Buddhism, into ancient Japan. The kingdom of Baekje was conquered by the Silla-Tang forces in 660.

Silla

According to Korean records, in 57 BC, the kingdom of Seorabeol (or Saro, later Silla) in the southeast of the peninsula unified and expanded the confederation of city-states known as Jinhan. Although the Samguk-sagi records that Silla was the earliest-founded of the three kingdoms, the pro-Silla bias of the writer, as well other written and archeological records, indicate that Silla was likely the latest of the three to establish a centralized government.

Renamed from Saro to Silla in 503, the kingdom of Silla absorbed the whole kingdom of Gaya (which in turn had absorbed Byunhan earlier) on their border in the first half of the 6th Century. Goguryeo and Baekje responded by forming an alliance. To cope with invasions from Goguryeo and Baekje, Silla deepened its relations with the Tang Dynasty, with her newly-gained access to the Yellow Sea making direct contact with the Tang possible. After the conquering of Goguryeo and Baekje with her Tang allies, the Silla kingdom drove the Tang forces out of the peninsula and occupied the lands south of Pyongyang.

The capital of Silla was Seorabeol (now Gyeongju). Buddhism became the official religion in 528. The remaining material culture from the kingdom of Silla including unique gold metalwork shows influence from the northern nomadic steppes, differentiating it from the culture of Goguryeo and Baekje where Chinese influence was more pronounced.

Other Small Kingdoms

Other smaller kingdoms and tribal states existed in Korea before and during this period, including Gaya (until annexed by Silla), Dongye, Okjeo, Buyeo (all three conquered by Goguryeo), Usan (Ulleung-do), and Tamna (Jeju-do) (both tributaries of Silla).

Unification

Allied with China under the Tang dynasty, Silla conquered Goguryeo in 668, after having already conquered Baekje in 660, thus ushering in the period of Unified Silla to the south and Balhae to the north.

See also

• History of Korea
• Rulers of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics

References

• Best, J.W. (2003). Buddhism and polity in early sixth-century Paekche. Korean Studies 26(2), 165-215.
• Lee, K. (1984). A new history of Korea. Tr. by E.W. Wagner & E.J. Schulz, based on 1979 rev. ed. Seoul: Ilchogak.
• Na H.L. (2003). Ideology and religion in ancient Korea. Korea Journal 43(4), 10-29.[1]

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