Geunchogo of Baekje

Geunchogo of Baekje
Hangul	근초고왕
Hanja	近肖古王
Revised Romanization	Geunchogo-wang
McCune–Reischauer	Kǔnch'ogo-wang

Monarchs of Korea Baekje

Onjo 18 BCE–28 CE Daru 28–77 Giru 77–128 Gaeru 128–166 Chogo 166–214 Gusu 214–234 Saban 234 Goi 234–286 Chaekgye 286–298 Bunseo 298–304 Biryu 304–344 Gye 344–346 Geunchogo 346–375 Geungusu 375–384 Chimnyu 384–385 Jinsa 385–392 Asin 392–405 Jeonji 405–420 Guisin 420–427 Biyu 427–455 Gaero 455–475 Munju 475–477 Samgeun 477–479 Dongseong 479–501 Muryeong 501–523 Seong 523–554 Wideok 554–598 Hye 598–599 Beop 599–600 Mu 600–641 Uija 641–660

Geunchogo of Baekje (324-375, r. 346-375) was the 13th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He reigned over the apex of Baekje's powers.

Geunchogo was the second son of the 11th king Biryu and became king upon the death of the 12th king Gye. His reign seems to have marked the permanent ascendancy of the descendants of the 5th king Chogo (reflected in Geunchogo's name) over those of the 8th king Goi, and ended the alternating kingship of the two lines.

Upon ascending the throne, he set out to solidify the royal power within the Baekje state. He reduced the power of the and set up a system of local government with regional heads appointed by the court. He married a wife from the Jin clan, setting a precedent for his successors, and he moved the capital to Hansan, today's southeast Seoul.

Under Geunchogo, the kingdom reached its greatest geographic extent and political power. The remaining tribes of Mahan were annexed in 369, completing Baekje's control over all of present-day Jeolla-do. Gaya confederacy states west of the Nakdong River were also made Baekje dependencies.

In 369, Baekje was invaded by Goguryeo, but counterattacked in force at the battle of Chiyang. In 371, the Baekje army of 30,000, led by Crown Prince Geungusu, took the fortress of Pyongyang and killed Gogugwon of Goguryeo.

At the end of these conquests, Baekje ringed the Yellow Sea, and controlled much of the Korean peninsula, including all of Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Jeolla and parts of Gangwon and Hwanghae provinces.

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