King Taejo of Goguryeo
| Taejodae of Goguryeo | |
| Hangul | (), |
|---|---|
| Hanja | (), |
| Revised Romanization | Taejo(dae)wang, Gukjo-wang |
| McCune–Reischauer | T'aecho(tae)wang, Kukcho-wang |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | or |
| Hanja | or |
| Revised Romanization | Go Gung or Eosu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ko Kung or Ǒsu |
King Taejodae of Goguryeo (Claimed AD 47 – 165; 118 years) (r. 53 – 146; 93 years) was the sixth monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is sometimes called King Gukjo. He rose to the throne following the assassination of King Mobon. Under his reign, the young state expanded its territory and developed into a centrally ruled kingdom. His 93-year reign is thought to be the second longest of any monarch in the world, although this is disputed.
Taejo was the grandson of Goguryeo's second king, Yuri, and the son of Go Jaesa (재사, 再思), the head of the Go house of the Gyeru lineage, one of the five powerful houses of the royal court. His mother was from Buyeo.
Although the unpopular Mobon had named his son Ik as the crown prince, after Mobon's death in 53, the Goguryeo court nominated Jaesa to be the next king. Citing his advanced age, Jaesa declined, and his seven-year-old son Gung became king. The queen dowager acted as regent for the young king.
During the first year of his reign, he centralized the kingdom by turning the five clans into five provinces ruled by a governor from that clan, who were under the direct control of the king. He thereby firmly established royal control of the military, economy, and politics.
He conquered the states of Eastern Okjeo in 56, Galsa in 68, Jona in 72, and Juna in 74. He absorbed regional forces into the central bureaucracy, and traveled throughout his territories to strengthen royal control.
He fought on various occasions with China's Han Dynasty and disrupted trade between Lelang and Han. In 55, he ordered the construction of a fortress in the Liaodong commandery. He attacked Chinese border regions in 105, 111, and 118. In 122, Taejo allied with the Mahan confederacy of central Korea and the neighboring Yemaek tribe to attack Liaodong, greatly expanding the realm of Goguryeo. He launched another major attack in 146.
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