Later Baekje

Later Baekje 후백제 (後百濟) Hubaekje 백제 (百濟) Baekje
892–936
Later Baekje (in green) in 915
Capital	Wansanju
Common languages	Old Korean, Classical Chinese (literary)
Religion	Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shamanism
Government	Monarchy
King
• 892–935	Kyŏn Hwŏn (first)
• 935–936	Kyŏn Sin-gŏm (last)
History
• Establishment	892
• Fall	936
Preceded by Succeeded by Unified Silla Goryeo Dynasty
Today part of	South Korea

Later Baekje
Hangul	후백제
Hanja	後百濟
Revised Romanization	Hu-baekje
McCune–Reischauer	Hu-paekche

Later Baekje (Korean: 후백제; Hanja: 後百濟; RR: Hubaekje, Korean pronunciation: [hu.bɛk̚.t͈ɕe]) was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Taebong and Silla. Later Baekje was a Korean dynastic kingdom founded by the disaffected Silla general Kyŏn Hwŏn in 900, whom led the local gentry and populace that were in large Baekje descent holding onto their collective consciousness until the twilight days of Later Silla. With the former Silla general declaring the revival of the Baekje kingdom of old, the Baekje refugees from the old territories and a portion of the Rank Six Nobility from Silla seeking the opportunity of rising up the ranks gathered under his leadership. Led by the charismatic and capable Kyŏn Hwŏn who was also a competent field commander, Later Baekje in its early days was advantageous in the power game against the newly found kingdom Goryeo and the declining Silla. However, despite its fertile territories in the Jeolla Province and capable military prowess, it eventually fell to Wang Kŏn's Goryeo army in 936 due to political strife and Kyŏn Hwŏn 's defection towards Goryeo. Its capital was at Jeonju, in present-day North Jeolla province.

Background

Baekje Refugees of Later Silla

With Silla defeating the Tang Dynasty during the Silla-Tang Wars and finalizing the unification of the Three Kingdoms, an opportunity was provided for the culture of the three kingdoms to converge and for the residents to be integrated. When it came to Baekje, the vast majority of its populace including the ruling class was admitted to the polities of Silla onwards. However, Later Silla adhered to its Bone-Rank System that was highly exclusive towards the Goguryeo and Baekje refugees. In the case for those that came from Baekje, the discriminatory treatment was more severe. This was due to the fact that Baekje people resisted against Silla during its revival movement from 660 to 663. After the revival movement, Baekje refugees that were cooperative to the Silla government joined the ranks of the Nine Legions as part of the Blue and White Legion; fighting the Tang armies during the Silla-Tang Wars. Some, portion of the former royals and nobles of Baekje, were granted titles and positions by Munmu of Silla himself. However, despite these measures, there was a limit to embracing the people of Baekje by Silla when it came to fully integrating them.

Many of the former Baekje ruling class became ordinary people after the fall of Baekje. As evidenced by this, the Eight Great Families of Baekje was lost to history with many of them discarding their surnames. Though some were awarded, hence granted prestigious titles by Silla, the prizes that were bestowed upon them was far lesser of the old status back in Baekje. The Baekje people and that of their descendants' political success was bound to be limited. This eventually led to the dissatisfaction of the residents of the former Baekje region and the perception that they were in fact descendants of Baekje residents as a whole; holding an antipathic attitude against the Silla and preserving their collective consciousness.

Decline of Later Silla

After the Unification of the Three Kingdoms, Later Silla reigned as an powerhouse in the Eastern World, enjoying its heyday of more than 220 years. However, as it proceeded to decline, the local gentries across the country known as hojok began to have a desire to revolt, feeling that the central government's control over the provinces it held gradually weakened due to the endless struggle for the throne amongst the True Bone-class nobility.

In the era of Queen Jinseong (887-897), the newly crowned queen of Silla, collected taxes were not efficient due to Silla's weakened grip over its territories beyond its capital and the vicinity of it. Thus, officials were sent by the central government to urge the peasants and farmers across the country to have their taxes paid, infuriating them in the process. What came after were a series of rebellion with the Rebellion of Wŏnjong and Aeno in the Sabeol Province being the most famous of them. Though the rebellion led by Wonjong and Aeno (889) was put down to an end by Silla's army, it signaled the beginning of the Later Three Kingdoms period that was to severely weaken Silla in the following years.

When it began with his attack on Mujinju in 892, Kyŏn Hwŏn's rebellion was only one among numerous rebellions which sprouted up against the weak Silla rulers in the late 9th century. Many of these rebellions were initially triggered by the Silla decision to use force to collect taxes on the peasantry in 889 (Lee, 1984, p. 98). At this time most of the power on the peninsula was held by local gentry, who lacked strong loyalty to the central government. It was thus fairly easy for rebellions led by disaffected military officials to gain steam.

Rise to Power

Kyŏn Hwŏn, who was originally a military officer in Silla, was deployed in the southwest sea (South Jeolla Province) to wipe out pirates. However, his course of thinking that Silla was gradually declining resulted in his revolt in Mujinju (today's Gwangju) in 892. The Samguk-sagi records as many as 5,000 people participating in his revolt. Kyŏn Hwŏn would march his army to occupy Mujinju and Wansanju (Jeonju). Afterwards, he ruled the area and internally referred to himself as the King of Baekje in 900. Having the country named (Later) Baekje was part of his plan to establish the state as an authentic successor to the ancient kingdom of Baekje, which dominated the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula until it was conquered by Silla in 660. Additionally, Kyŏn Hwŏn having the country named after the old kingdom was with the justification of solving Uija's long-cherished grudge towards Silla and inheriting the old kingdom itself. These measures were advantageous in the sense of gaining support from the Baekje refugees living in the area and rationalizing the rebellion against Silla above all else. The capital was later moved to Wansanju (now Jeonju) as well, which was closer to the central realms of old Baekje. Government offices were established in various parts of the country from this point on.

Afterwards, envoys were sent to Wuyue across the sea to establish diplomatic relations while territorial expansion policies were being implemented to subdue local gentries and independent castellans beyond. The confrontation with Taebong, the northern counterpart of the Later Three Kingdoms founded by Kung Ye and the Goguryeo refugees, would begin when both states confronted each other in the Ungju province (now South Chungcheong Province).

Internal affairs

For all but the last year of its existence, Later Baekje was ruled by Kyŏn Hwŏn , and his personal style of rule played a key role in the kingdom's fate.

After declaring himself king, Kyŏn Hwŏn took numerous wives, and is said to have had 10 sons by them in addition to the eight borne by his first wife. This laid the groundwork for the strife which ended the kingdom's existence.

In 935, Kyŏn Hwŏn chose his fourth son Kŭm-gang over the elder sons as the crown prince of Later aekje. At this the eldest son, Kyŏn Sin-gŏm, conspiring with his brothers, had his father confined to Geumsansa in Gimje. Kyŏn Sin-gŏm killed Crown Prince Kŭm-gang and took the throne for himself. However, Kyŏn Hwŏn escaped to Goryeo.

Military affairs

For much of its existence, Later Baekje was troubled by Wang Kŏn's naval raids in Naju region. These worked to disrupt trade and diplomatic ties with Southern Chinese kingdoms.

Later Baekje possessed considerable military strength. South Korean historian Ki-baik Lee writes of Kyŏn Hwŏn that "Had Kungye and Wang Kŏn not stood in his way, he surely would have had little difficulty in toppling Silla." Later Baekje showed its greatest strength in 927. In that year its armies attacked and pillaged the Silla capital at Gyeongju, slaying King Gyeongae and establishing King Gyeongsun as the ruler. Before the attack, Silla had sent for aid from Goryeo, and Wang Kŏn arrived with a large army shortly after Gyeongju was taken. The two armies met near Palgong Mountain in present-day Daegu. Wang Kŏn's forces in the battle reportedly numbered 10,000 men. Later Baekje triumphed, and Wang Kŏn himself only escaped through the daring self-sacrifice of his general Sin Sung-gyŏm and Kim Nak.

However, when the two armies met again at the Battle of Gochang near Andong in 930, Goryeo scored a decisive victory. Later Baekje was pushed back into its heartland, and there suffered a further crippling defeat at Hongseong in 934.

Diplomatic ties

As Wang Kon sought to maintain legitimacy through diplomatic ties with northern China, Kyŏn Hwŏn strove to do the same by maintaining ties with the rulers of southern China, particularly Wuyue. However, because Later Baekje's existence largely coincided with the turbulent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China, neither side was able to parlay these ties into military support.

Fall

After he was deposed by his sons in 935 and fled to Goryeo, Kyŏn Hwŏn himself came to lead the armies against Later Baekje. Together with Wang Kŏn, the Samguk Yusa reports that he led an army of 100,000 against his former kingdom. The Goryeo and Later Baekje armies met at Seonsan, today part of Gumi in North Gyeongsang province, and the Later Baekje forces were destroyed. Later Baekje thus finally fell in 936, one year after King Gyeongsun had surrendered Silla to Wang Kŏn. The battle of Seonsan thus marked the end of the Later Three Kingdoms period.

In his own characteristically open-handed style, Wang Kŏn conferred a title upon the defeated leader Sin-gŏm. Sin-gŏm's younger brothers Yang-gŏm and Yong-gŏm, who were judged to have been to blame for the coup d'etat, were sent into exile.

See also

• History of Korea

References

• Lee, K. (1984). A new history of Korea. Trans. by E. W. Wagner & E. J. Schulz, based on Korean rev. ed. of 1976. Seoul: Ilchogak. ISBN 89-337-0204-0