Ancient Choson to Three Kingdoms Period

(Antiquity to 668)

POLITICAL CHANGE

Map of Korean Peninsula from UT Map Collection: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/korean_peninsula.gif

Ancient Choson: ca. 4^th-cent. BCE; federation of tribes, capital at modern Pyongyang.

Wiman: ruler of Choson ca. 194 BCE; overthrown by Han armies.

Han conquest of Korea, 108 BCE: Chinese influence declined with the fall of the Han Dynasty

The Three Kingdoms (57 BCE- AD 668): Koguryo, Silla, Paekche through constant warfare, developed strong central military systems.

INTELLECTUAL CHANGE

The Three Kingdoms developed sophisticated, individual cultures.

Buddhism: state religion for the protection and welfare of the state.

SOCIAL CHANGE

Strong Hereditary Monarchies evolve.

Local Korean aristocracy remains strong well after same class fades in China.

Local matrilineal customs gave women greater power.

Unified Silla & Koryo Korea

(ca. 676-ca. 1391)

Yi Korea

(1392-1910)

Introduction to Shamanism (yonngo): http://www.korea.net/koreanculture/imagesofkorean/image_22.asp

Korean Historical Maps from UMASS http://www.umass.edu/wsp/conferences/wswg/16/koreamap1.html

POLITICAL CHANGE

Silla Period: Maturing of Absolute Monarchy to "control" the nobility.

Chinese political model initially important to central rulers.  However, by late 8^th century the nobles return!

Wang Kon in 936 established a unified the Korean peninsula as the Koryo kingdom.

Koryo balanced relations between the Chinese (Sung) and the Khitan (Liao) quite successfully, but fell to Mongols in 1259. Puppets of Mongols until 1392.

General Yi Song-gye (1335-1408), with help from disgruntled low-level scholar-officials, established the Yi Dynasty in 1392, with territory under its control named Choson.  Yi received approval from the Ming emperor. Hanyang (now Seoul) was made the capital.

INTELLECTUAL CHANGE

Buddhism important as ideological backing for autocratic monarchy and the aristocracy.  For a survey of Buddhism, see: http://www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/kor-bud/korbud-overview.html

Neo-Confucianism popular with low-level scholar-officials (sadaebu), as tool for bureaucratic promotion.

By Koryo, powerful scholar-officials push for  Neo-Confucian principles.

General; and deep Sinification of Korean society.  Confucianism IN & Buddhism OUT.

Printing is increasingly important.

In 1443 the Korean phonetic alphabet Hangul was completed under King Sejong the Great's (1397-1450) direction.  For a Hangul script URL, see http://www.usu.edu/anthro/origins_of_writing/hangul/

SOCIAL CHANGE

Local aristocracy remains strong. Many peasants became serfs (nobi) to seek protection by aristocrats and to avoid the harsh state taxes.

Women continue to maintain higher social position while local aristocracy dictate social ranking.

A hereditary aristocratic class, the Yangban, dominated Yi society.

Women gradually lose status in Neo-Confucian-guided society.