Musok Deities Codexery

Taejo of Joseon

Founder of Joseon, overthrew Goryeo, abdicated after six years.

Taejo of Joseon, born Yi Sŏnggye, founded the Joseon dynasty in 1392 after forcing King Gongyang to abdicate.[1] He emphasized continuity over change, creating no new institutions and conducting no massive purges during his reign.[2] The same families and officials who had served the prior regime continued to dominate the new dynasty.[2]

Quick Facts

Reign
13 August 1392 – 22 October 1398
Coronation
Main Hall, Suchanggung
Predecessor
Dynasty established (Gongyang as King of Goryeo)
Issue
Jeongjong of Joseon; Taejong of Joseon
Era dates
Adopted the era name of the Ming dynasty
House
Jeonju Yi
Father
Yi Chach'un
Mother
Lady Ch'oe

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

His father Yi Chach'un was a Korean official serving the Mongol-led Yuan, and his mother Lady Ch'oe came from a family originally from Deungju.[3] Yi Sŏnggye started his military career in 1360 and killed the rebel Pak Ŭi in October 1361.[4] He helped recapture the capital Gaegyeong from the Red Turbans with 3,000 men that same year.[5] During the late 1370s and early 1380s, General Yi gained prestige by pushing Mongol remnants off the peninsula and repelling Japanese pirates.[4]

He established the new capital at Hanseong in 1394.[6] After his son Yi Pang-wŏn killed prime minister Chŏng To-jŏn and two half-brothers in the First Strife of Princes in 1398, Taejo abdicated and named his second son Yi Pang-gwa as successor.[7] During 1356, the Yi household switched allegiance to Goryeo and assisted in taking control of Ssangseong Prefecture.[3] After being given a command position in 1362, Yi Sŏnggye overcame the invading General Naghachu.[5]

The name of the dynasty was altered to Joseon in 1393.[1] Following his abdication, Taejo passed away a decade later on 27 June 1408 at Changdeokgung.[8]

What the cited sources add

The same source states that Taejo was hesitant to name Yi Bang-won as crown prince because of his violent predisposition.[9] The article reports that some historians imagine Taejong as "smaller in physique, far from looking rough and wild"[9] The Taejo Sillok records that the king could hear his wife "weeping outside after hearing" a minister say the crown prince should be the one that contributed a lot.[9] Per the article, before dispatching his son as an envoy to the Ming, Taejo cried and hugged him, describing his son's appearance as "pale and weak".[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Taejo of Joseon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: 태조실록 1권, 태조 1년 7월 17일 병신 1번째기사; 태조실록 3권, 태조 2년 2월 15일 경인 1번째기사 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Taejo of Joseon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Seth, "A Brief History of Korea: Isolation, War, Despotism and Revival: The Fascinating Story of a Resilient But Divided People", Tuttle Publishing, 2019; "Korea–Japan Relations → Early Modern Age → Foreign Relations in Early Joseon"; Hussain, "Diamond Dilemma: Shaping Korea for the 21st Century", Seoul Selection USA, 2006, p. 45; Hodge, "Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914", Greenwood Press, 2008, p. 401 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Taejo of Joseon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Taejo Sillok vol. 5, 28 April 1394, entry 3; Encyclopedia of Korean Culture; Robinson, "Empire's twilight: northeast Asia under the Mongols", Harvard University Asia Center for the Harvard-Yenching Institute : Distributed by Harvard University Press, 2009, p. 127–128 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Taejo of Joseon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Seth, "A Brief History of Korea: Isolation, War, Despotism and Revival: The Fascinating Story of a Resilient But Divided People", Tuttle Publishing, 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Taejo of Joseon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: 하현강, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Taejo of Joseon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Seoul municipality website"; "About Seoul → History → General Information → Center of Korean Culture" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Taejo of Joseon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Yim, "KBS can't resist another telling of King Taejong's tale", Korea JoongAng Daily, 16 January 2022 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Taejo of Joseon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty", 29 July 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Yim, "KBS can't resist another telling of King Taejong's tale", Korea JoongAng Daily, 16 January 2022. facts only, no text reused. koreajoongangdaily.joins.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Taejo of Joseon (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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SillyeongCh'oe YŏngChang PogoChilseongsinDanjong of JoseonGongmin of GoryeoGongsimGunungsinGyeongsun of SillaHaneunimIm Gyeong-eopJeoseung Saja

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