Gongyang of Goryeo

Summary

Gongyang of Goryeo (9 March 1345 – 17 May 1394)[1] was the 34th and final ruler of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. He was the descendant of Duke Yangyang, brother of King Huijong. He was deposed by Yi Seong-gye, who then established the new Joseon Dynasty.[2]

Gongyang of Goryeo
고려 공양
高麗 恭讓
King of Goryeo
Reign1389–1392
Coronation1389
PredecessorChang of Goryeo
SuccessorDynasty abolished
(Taejo of Joseon as the first King of Joseon)
BornWang Yo
9 March 1345
Goryeo
Died17 May 1394 (1394-05-18) (aged 49)
Samcheok-hyeon, Gangwon Province, Joseon
Burial
Goryeo:
Goreung tomb
San 65–6, Wondang-dong, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Joseon:
Gongyang Royal Tomb
178, Gungchon-ri, Geundeok-myeon, Samcheok-si, Gangwon Province, South Korea
Spouse
(before 1389)
IssuePrince Jeongseong
Princess Suknyeong
Princess Jeongsin
Princess Gyeonghwa
Regnal name
  • Before ascended the throne:
    • Prince Jeongchang (정창군; 定昌君)
    • Internal Prince Jeongchang (정창부원군; 定昌府院君)
  • After dethroned and ended of the Goryeo period:
    • Prince Gongyang (공양군; 恭讓君)
  • In the exile place:
    • King Ganseong (간성왕; 杆城王)
  • After Yi Bang-won ascended the throne:
    • King Gongyang (공양왕; 恭讓王)
Posthumous name
King Gongyang The Great
공양대왕
恭讓大王
HouseWang
FatherWang Gyun, Internal Prince Jeongwon
MotherGrand Consort Wang of Samhan State
ReligionBuddhism
Gongyang of Goryeo
Hangul
공양왕
Hanja
恭讓王
Revised RomanizationGongyang Wang
McCune–ReischauerKongyang Wang
Birth name
Hangul
왕요
Hanja
王瑤
Revised RomanizationWang Yo
McCune–ReischauerWang Yo

Biography edit

Background and early life edit

He was born as the second and youngest son of Wang Gyun, 6th-generation descendant of King Sinjong from his youngest son, Duke Yangyang. His mother was Princess Boknyeong, a great-granddaughter of King Chungnyeol. He had an older brother, Wang U, Prince Jeongyang. Due to this, the future King had the Goryeo royal family's bloods from both of paternal and maternal line.

At a young age, he was honoured as Prince Jeongchang (정창군; 定昌君) and then married the daughter of No Chaek, Internal Prince Changseong from the Gyoha No clan. His niece, Lady Kang, married Yi Seong-gye as his second wife.

Reign edit

Although he did everything to prove that he had no political ambitions, Yi Seong-gye's faction used him as a bloodless propaganda tool. In 1389, Yi's supporters forced King Chang from the throne and enthroned King Gongyang in his stead.[3] This faction went on to oversee the events of King Gongyang's brief reign, including the assassinations of King U and King Chang. After the murder of Jeong Mong-ju, the last major supporter of the Goryeo kings, King Gongyang was deposed in 1392 by Yi Seong-gye, his son (Yi Bang-won), Jeong Do-jeon and others, which brought the Goryeo dynasty to an end.[4]

Life after deposition edit

The former king was initially exiled to Wonju and granted the title of Prince Gongyang (공양군; 恭讓君), but was later moved to Samcheok, where he was assassinated via strangulation in 1394 alongside his son, Crown Prince Wang Seok in Gungchon.[5] In 1416, King Taejong honored him as King Gongyang (공양왕; 恭讓王) and sent an envoy to inspect his tomb.

Family edit

Parents

Consorts and their respective issue(s):

Ancestry edit

In popular culture edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ In Lunar calendar, he was born on 5th days 2nd months 1345 and died on 17th days 4th months 1394.
  2. ^ Kim, Joo Won (June 23, 2021). "King Gongyang, the last king of Goryeo and Yi Seong-gye, founder of Joseon". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  3. ^ Kim, Joo Won (June 23, 2021). "King Gongyang, the last king of Goryeo and Yi Seong-gye, founder of Joseon". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  4. ^ Kim, Joo Won (June 23, 2021). "King Gongyang, the last king of Goryeo and Yi Seong-gye, founder of Joseon". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  5. ^ Park, Eugene Y. (2019). A Genealogy of Dissent: The Progeny of Fallen Royals in Chosŏn Korea. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-1503602083.
  6. ^ There are debates about this unnamed son. Goryeosa Biographies vol. 91 has it that King Gongyang just had 1 son, Wang Seok. But Taejo Sillok vol. 5 says that King Gongyang had 2 sons whom were killed in 1394 under King Taejo's command.
Gongyang of Goryeo
Born: 9 March 1345 Died: 17 May 1394
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Goryeo
1389–1392
Succeeded by
none