Bohai
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Template:Chinesename koreanname
- Alternate meaning: Bohai Sea
Bohai (Chinese) or Balhae (Korean) was a kingdom in northeast Asia from AD 698 to 926, occupying parts of Manchuria, northern Korea, and Russian Far East. Bohai was founded by Da Zuorong of the Sumo Mohe tribe and integrated several Mohe tribes and Goguryeo remnants. It was conquered by the Khitan in 926.
In the confusion of the Khitan rebellion against the Tang in 696, Sumo Mohe tribe, led by Qiqi Zhongxiang (Korean: Geolgeol Jungsang) and Qisi Piyu (Korean: Geolsa Biu), escaped eastward to their homeland. The two leaders died but Da Zuorong, the son of Qiqi Zhongxiang, established the State of Zhen (震 or 振, Korean: Jin). Da Zuorong established his capital at Dongmu Mountain in the south of today's Jilin province. Since it gained power under protection of the northern nomadic empire of Gokturk, Tang gave Da Zuorong the title of "Prefecture King of Bohai" in 713. Bohai had been a Chinese prefecture, but since then referred to the kingdom. The title was upgraded to "State King of Bohai" in 762.
The second king Da Wuyi (King Wu), who felt encircled by Tang, Silla and Black Water Mohe along the Amur River, attacked Tang and his navy briefly occupied a port on the Shandong Peninsula in 732. Later, a compromise was forged between Tang and Bohai, which resumed tributary mission to Tang. He also sent a mission to Japan in 728 to threaten Silla from the rear. Bohai kept diplomatic and commercial contacts with Japan until the end of the kingdom. Because of its proximity to many powerful states, Bohai became a buffer zone for the region.
The third king Da Jinmao (King Wen) expanded its territory into the Amur valley in the north and the Liaodong Peninsula in the west. He also established the permanent capital near Lake Jingpo in the south of today's Heilongjiang province around 755.
After destroying Bohai in 926, the Khitan established the puppet Dongdan Kingdom, which was soon followed by the annexation by Liao in 936. Bohai aristocrats were moved to Liaoyang but small fragments of the state remained semi-independent. Some Bohai people fled southward to Goryeo, including a son of the last king. Some descendants of the royal family live in Korea, changing their family name to Tae (太). The Jurchen Jin Dynasty favored the Bohai people as well as the Khitans. The fourth, fifth and seventh emperors were mothered by Bohai concubines. The 13th century census of Northern China by the Mongols distinguished Bohai from other ethnic groups such as Goryeo (Korean), Khitan and Jurchen. This suggests that the Bohai people still preserved their identity.
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Characterization and political exploitation
The kingdom that straddled the current borders of the PRC, North Korea and Russia has been positioned and politically exploited in various ways.
Bohai was once likened to Manchukuo for its friendly relationship with Japan. Currently Japanese scholars oppose both the Korean and Chinese political exploitations and try to treat Bohai as itself. Template:History of Korea In North and South Korea, Bohai is regarded as a Korean state and is positioned in the "North-South period" (with Silla) today, although such a trend has been marginal for a long time. Based on their belief that Goguryeo was a Korean state, they emphasize its connection with Goguryeo and degrade that with the Mohe. While South Korean historians think ruling class was of Goguryeo and the commoners were Mohe, North Korean historians think Bohai ethnography was mostly Goguryeo.
The PRC projects the current border to history. It treat everything that happened in its territory as part of its history. Today the Chinese historians consider Bohai as a local government of the Tang, and think it was ruled by the Bohai ethnic group, which was mostly based on the Mohe. They stress the importance of the Bohai-Tang relationship.
Russian scholars think of Bohai as an independent Mohe state, with Central Asian and Chinese influence. They put weight on archaeology.
The genealogy of the royal family is also disputed. Koreans and traditional Chinese historians claim that the founder Da Zuorong was of Goguryeo-kind. The Old Book of the Tang says that Da Zuorong of the the [Goguryeo] kind (高麗別種), while the New Book of the Tang states that he is "from the Sumo Mohe region of the former realm of Goguryeo." New Chinese historians argue that Sumo Mohe is not a region, but an ethnic non-Korean tribe.
Sovereigns of Bohai/Parhae 698-926
The names in this table are given in McCune-Reischauer romanisation, Hangŭl/Chosŏn’gŭl, Chinese characters and Pinyin.
| Posthumous Names (Shi Hao 諡號) | Personal Names | Period of Reigns | Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their according range of years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kowang 고왕 高王 Gāowáng | Tae Joyŏng 대조영 大祚榮 Dà Zuòróng | 698-718 | did not exist |
| Muwang 무왕 武王 Wǔwáng | Tae Muye 대무예 大武藝 Dà Wǔyì | 718-737 | In’an 인안 仁安 Rěn’ān |
| Munwang 문왕 文王 Wénwáng | Tae Hŭngmu 대흥무 大欽茂 Dà Qīnmào | 737-793 | Taehŭng 대흥 大興 Dàxīng (Poryŏk 보력 寶曆 Bǎolì 774-?) |
| none (disposed) | Tae Wŏnŭi 대원의 大元義 Dà Yuányì | 793-794 | Chunghŭng 중흥 中興 Zhòngxīng |
| Sŏngwang 성왕 成王 Chéngwáng | Tae Hwahŭng 대화흥 大華興 Dà Huáxīng | 794 | ? |
| Kangwang 강왕 康王 Kāngwáng | Tae Sŭngrin 대승린 大嵩璘 Dà Sōnglín | 794-808 | Chŏngryŏk 정력 正曆 Zhènglì |
| Chŏngwang 정왕 定王 Dìngwáng | Tae Wŏnyu 대원유 大元瑜 Dà Yuányú | 808-812 | Yŏngdŏk 영덕 永德 Yǒngdé |
| Hŭiwang 희왕 僖王 Xīwáng | Tae Ŏnŭi 대언의 大言義 Dà Yányì | 812-817? | Chujak 주작 朱雀 Zhūqiǎo |
| Kanwang 간왕 簡王 Jiǎnwáng | Tae Myŏngch’ung 대명충 大明忠 Dà Míngzhōng | 817?-818? | T’aesi 태시 太始 Tàishǐ |
| Sŏnwang 선왕 宣王 Xuānwáng | Tae Insu 대인수 大仁秀 Dà Rénxiù | 818?-830 | ? |
| ? | Tae Ijin 대이진 大彝震 Dà Yízhèn | 830-857 | ? |
| ? | Tae Kŏnhwang 대건황 大虔晃 Dà Qiánhuǎng | 857-871 | ? |
| ? | Tae Hyŏnsŏk 대현석 大玄錫 Dà Xuánxí | 871-895 | ? |
| ? | Tae Wigye 대위계 大瑋瑎 Dà Wěixié | 895-907? | ? |
| ? | Tae Insŏn 대인선 大諲譔 Dà Yīnzhuàn | 907?-926 | ? |
An important source of cultural information on Bohai was discovered at the end of the 20th century at the Ancient Tombs at Longtou Mountain, especially the Mausoleum of Princess Zhenxiao.
See also
External links
- Britannica Concise Encyclopedia article on Parhae (Barhae/Bohai) (http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article?eu=399871)