The History of Korea (vol. 1 of 2)Hulbert, Homer B. (Homer Bezaleel)
History
The History of Korea (vol. 1 of 2)
Hulbert, Homer B. (Homer Bezaleel)
Korea -- History
could obtain a distant view of the islands of Japan. There she gave
herself up to grief until death put an end to her misery.
In 413 a new king came to the throne of Ko-gu-ryŭ. called Kö-ryŭn. As
China and Ko-gu-ryŭ had been kept apart by the intervening Yun, and had
acquired some power of sympathy through mutual fear of that power, we
are not surprised that the new king of Ko-gu-ryŭ condescended to receive
investiture from the Emperor, nor that the latter condescended in turn
to grant it. It was formally done, and the act of Ko-gu-ryŭ proclaimed
her vassalage to China. From that time on excepting when war existed
between them, the kings of Ko-gu-ryŭ were invested by the Emperor with
the insignia of royalty. Two years later the Emperor conferred the same
honor upon the king of Păk-je. It was always China’s policy to keep the
kingdoms at peace with each other so long as they all wore the yoke of
vassalage; but so soon as one or the other cast it off it was her policy
to keep them at war.
In 417 Nul-ji came to the throne of Sil-la and began a reign that was to
last well on toward half a century. He was a regicide. He had been
treated very harshly by the king and had more than once narrowly escaped
with his life. It is therefore the less surprising, though none the less
reprehensible, that when the opportunity presented of paying off old
scores he succumbed to the temptation. He ascended the throne not with
the title of I-sa-geum, which had been the royal title for centuries,
but with the new title of Ma-rip-kan. However doubtful may have been his
title to the crown his reign was a strong one. Among the far-reaching
effects of his reign the introduction of carts to be drawn by oxen was
the most important.
The friendly relations of Ko-gu-ryŭ with the Tsin dynasty were cut short
by the extinction of that dynasty in 419 but in 435 Ko-gu-ryŭ made
friendly advances toward the Northern Wei dynasty and, finding
sufficient encouragement, she transferred her allegience to that power.
Meantime Păk-je had transferred hers to the Sung dynasty which arose in
420.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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