King U of Goryeo
| U of Goryeo 고려 우왕 |
|
|---|---|
| King of Goryeo | |
| Reign | 1374 – 1388 |
| Predecessor | Gongmin of Goryeo |
| Successor | Chang of Goryeo |
| Born | 25 July 1365 |
| Died | 31 December 1389 (aged 24) |
| Consort | Royal Consort Geun-Bi |
| Issue | Chang of Goryeo |
| House | House of Wang |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| U of Goryeo | |
| Hangul | 우왕 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | U-wang |
| McCune–Reischauer | U-wang |
| Childhood name | |
| Hangul | 모니노 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Monino |
| McCune–Reischauer | Monino |
U of Goryeo 우, often written Woo, (25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389) ruled Goryeo (Korea) from 1374 until 1388.
In the thirteenth century, Mongol forces had invaded China and established the Yuan dynasty in 1271. After a series of Mongol invasions, Goryeo eventually capitulated and entered into a peace treaty with the Yuan dynasty, in which Goryeo was subordinate tributary state to China. The Ming dynasty in China had grown extremely powerful during the 14th century; however, it began to beat back the Yuan forces, so that by the 1350s Goryeo had managed to regain its northern territories and took back the Liaodong region.
According to the records, U was reportedly born to slave girl Han Ban Ya, a maid of the monk Shin Don, and King Gongmin. Because Gongmin initially denied the child as his son and refused to name him, Shin Don took it upon himself and named the boy Monino (meaning "servant of Buddha"). As a result of the King's refusal to recognize the child, intense debate and speculation surrounding the lineage of the boy ensued and Monino was not permitted to enter or live inside the palace.
Soon after the death of Shin Don in 1371, King Gongmin summoned Monino to the palace to formally recognize and proclaim the boy as his son and sole heir to the throne. Gongmin officially pronounced Monino to the Royal Court as Crown Prince and renamed him "U."
In 1374, a military hero and high official named Yi In-Im led a small, yet strong, anti-Ming faction that assassinated King Gongmin.
The anti-Ming group enthroned the eleven-year-old boy, as King Gongmin's successor. Suspicious about Gongmin's sudden and unexplained death, the Chinese doubted the legitimacy of the adolescent King U.
Tensions over this crucial foreign policy protocol had not been resolved when, the Ming Dynasty proclaimed its intention to establish a command post headquartered in the Ch'ollyŏng pass at the southern end of the Hamgyŏng Plain in 1388.
Goryeo's senior military commander, General Choi Young, consulted with General Yi Seong-gye, and determined that removal of the anti-Ming faction from power in Kaesŏng was essential to reducing the perceived threat from Ming China. Supported by Seong-gye, Choi removed Yi In-Im and his group accordingly in a coup d'état and took personal control of the government.
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Wikipedia