Monarchs of Korea | |
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Sejong the Great, 4th ruler of Joseon
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Details | |
First monarch | Dangun (legendary) |
Last monarch | Sunjong |
Formation | 2333 BC (legendary) |
Abolition | August 29, 1910 |
Residence | Varies according to Dynasty, most recently the Changdeokgung in Seoul. |
This is a list of monarchs of Korea, arranged by dynasty. Names are romanized according to the South Korean Revised Romanization of Korean. McCune-Reischauer romanizations may be found at the articles about the individual monarchs.
Gojoseon (? – 108 BCE) was the first Korean kingdom. According to legend, it was founded by Dangun in 2333 BCE.
Bronze age archaeological evidence of Gojoseon culture is found in northern Korea and Liaoning. By the 9th to 4th century BCE, various historical and archaeological evidence shows Gojoseon was a flourishing state and a self-declared kingdom.
Both Dangun and Gija are believed to be mythological figures.
Buyeo (c. 2nd century BC – 494 CE) ruled in modern-day Northeast China. Although records are sparse and contradictory, it is speculated that in the 1st century BCE, Dongbuyeo (Eastern Buyeo) branched out, after which the original Buyeo is sometimes referred to as Bukbuyeo (Northern Buyeo). Its remnants were absorbed by the neighboring and brotherhood kingdom of Goguryeo in 494.
Galsa Buyeo
Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Goguryeo rulers may have used the title of Taewang (太王, "Greatest King"). [1]
Notes: [1] Some of Goguryeo's own records of individual kings, especially of the 19th (Gwanggaeto), use the title "Taewang" or "Hotaewang", roughly meaning Greatest King or Very Greatest King. Some argue that the title should be translated as "Emperor," equivalent of the Chinese title 皇帝.
[2] The king names generally derive from the location of the king's burial, and do not necessarily correspond to the Chinese concept of 諡號.
[3] Goguryeo kings had the surname Go, except for the second (Yuri) through fifth (Mobon), whose surnames are recorded as Hae. All of the kings are recorded to belong to the same patrilineal bloodline. It is not clear whether the two surnames are different transcription of the same name, or evidence of a power struggle.