Goryeo: Map & History
Goryeo was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
Goryeo was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unification" by Korean historians, as it not only unified the Later Three Kingdoms but also incorporated much of the ruling class of the northern kingdom of Balhae, who had origins in Goguryeo of the earlier Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to Korean historians, it was during the Goryeo period that the individual identities of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla were successfully merged into a single entity that became the basis of the modern-day Korean identity. The name Korea is derived from the name of Goryeo, also romanized as Koryŏ, which was first used in the early 5th century by Goguryeo; Goryeo was a successor state to Later Goguryeo and Goguryeo.
Modern Countries Once Part of Goryeo
At its mapped extent, Goryeo covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Goryeo's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Goryeo in Depth
History
In the late 7th century, the kingdom of Silla unified the Three Kingdoms of Korea and entered a period known in historiography as "Unified Silla" or "Later Silla". Later Silla implemented a national policy of integrating Baekje and Goguryeo refugees called the "Unification of the Samhan", referring to the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Silla organized a new central army called the Ku-sŏdang (구서당; 九誓幢) that was divided into 3 units of Silla people, 3 units of Goguryeo people, 2 units of Baekje people, and 1 unit of Mohe people. However, the Baekje and Goguryeo refugees retained their respective collective consciousnesses and maintained a deep-seated resentment and hostility toward Silla.
Government
ntil 1270, when Koryŏ capitulated to the Mongols after thirty years of resistance, early Koryŏ rulers and most of its officials had held a "pluralist" (tawŏnjŏk) outlook that recognized greater and equal empires in China and in Manchuria, while positing Koryŏ as the center of a separate and bounded world ruled by the Koryŏ emperor, who claimed a ritual status reserved for the Son of Heaven.
Goryeo positioned itself at the center of its own "world" (천하; 天下) called "Haedong". Haedong, meaning "East of the Sea", was a distinct and independent world that encompassed the historical domain of the "Samhan", another name for the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The rulers of Goryeo, or Haedong, used the titles of emperor and Son of Heaven.
Culture
The official histories of early Korea such as the Samguk sagi and Samguk yusa, written in Classical Chinese, remain some of the most important historical works in Korean historiography.
Various writing systems that utilized the phonetic value of Hanja characters were used to transcribe Old Korean, Idu being the most notable of them as it was used for administrative purposes and recordkeeping. This script originates in Goguryeo and was designed for a very specific sort of syntax that made use of postpositional particles, such as the Old Korean accusative marker *-ul/*-ur ending represented by 尸 'corpse' and 乙 '2nd Heavenly stem'. It was eventually phased out once it became too impractical upon the invention of Hangeul.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Goryeo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Goryeo: Key Facts
| Capital | Kaesong |
|---|---|
| Official language | Korean |
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 918 CE |
| Dissolved | 5 August 1392 |
Preceded by
Facts from Wikidata Q28208 (CC0).
Goryeo Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Goryeo appears, with the other states of the time.
Goryeo Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 208,184 km² in 1390 CE.
Goryeo: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Goryeo exist?
Goryeo is dated to 922 CE – 1394 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Goryeo?
The capital of Goryeo was Main: Gaegyeong), Hwangdo, Junggyeong, Songak, Songdo, Songgyeong, Wanggyeong, Temporary: Cheorwon, (918–919), Ganghwa), (1232–1270), Hanyang), Yangju, (1382–1383, 1390–1391).
How large was Goryeo at its peak?
At its peak in 1390 AD Goryeo covered about 208,184 km².
How did the map of Goryeo change over time?
Goryeo appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1000 CE to 1200 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Middle Ages • Capital: Constantinople
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram