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Goryeo, also known as Koryŏ, was a Korean kingdom lasting from [[918]] until [[1392]].
Goryeo, also known as Koryŏ, was a Korean kingdom lasting from [[918]] until [[1392]].
Goryeo was first established by Wang Geon, aka [[King Taejo of Goryeo]], in 918, and conquered United [[Silla]] in [[935]]. Beginning in the 10th century, Goryeo adopted a system akin to the [[Chinese imperial examinations]] to find and appoint officials.
Goryeo was first established by Wang Geon, aka [[King Taejo of Goryeo]], in 918, and conquered United [[Silla]] in [[935]].
The dynasty saw the first carving of woodblocks for a printing of the complete Buddhist Tripitaka, in [[1011]]-[[1087]].
Goryeo adopted a system akin to the [[Chinese imperial examinations]] to find and appoint officials, in the 10th century; however, its political culture was far more dominated by Buddhist notions and rituals than by Confucian ones. The dynasty saw the first carving of woodblocks for a printing of the complete Buddhist Tripitaka, in [[1011]]-[[1087]].
To the extent that Goryeo did perform Chinese/Confucian political rituals, it did so in ways that were often at odds with its subordinate, [[tribute|tributary]] status within the [[Sinocentric world order]]. Goryeo sent tributary embassies to [[Song Dynasty]] China from [[968]] to [[1020]]. But, the Goryeo Court practiced many things which Chinese models would have dictated were restricted only to the [[Emperor of China]], and which should not be performed by a tributary [[king]]. These included referring to the rulers of Goryeo, at times, as ''hwangje'' (C: ''huangdi''), ''p'yeha'' (C: ''bixia'', J: ''[tennô] heika''), or as “Son of Heaven of/on the East Sea” (東海天子), all terms implying an Imperial, rather than a kingly, status. Further, the kings of Goryeo often wore Imperial yellow, and referred to their realm as "all under Heaven" (K: ''cheonha'', C: ''tianxia'', J: ''tenka''). They emulated the Chinese model in granting their kings temple names ending in ''-jong'' (宗, C: ''-zong'') or ''-jo'' (祖, C: ''-zu''), performed sacrifices to Heaven and other rituals which were only supposed to be performed by an Emperor, and even claimed other peoples as tributaries, at times. Historian [[Evelyn Rawski]] describes all of these practices as a display of how a country like Korea can perform a role within the China-centered regional order, while simultaneously asserting a distinctive identity.<ref>Evelyn Rawski, ''Early Modern China and Northeast Asia: Cross-Border Perspectives'', Cambridge University Press (2015), 135-136.</ref>
Goryeo sent [[tribute|tributary embassies]] to [[Song Dynasty]] China from [[968]] to [[1020]]. Goryeo was then invaded by the [[Liao Dynasty]] ([[Khitans]]) in the 990s, and by the [[Mongols]] beginning in [[1231]].<ref>Evelyn Rawski, ''Early Modern China and Northeast Asia: Cross-Border Perspectives'', Cambridge University Press (2015), 130.</ref> The kingdom fell under Mongol control in [[1259]], but the dynasty is considered to have continued until 1392, when it was succeeded by the [[Joseon Dynasty]].
The height of production of Goryeo [[celadon]] wares, and the invention of moveable type, took place in the 12th-13th centuries.
Goryeo was invaded by the [[Liao Dynasty]] ([[Khitans]]) in the 990s, and by the [[Mongols]] beginning in [[1231]].<ref>Rawski, 130.</ref> The kingdom fell under Mongol control in [[1259]], but the dynasty is considered to have continued until 1392, when it was succeeded by the [[Joseon Dynasty]].
In [[1370]], two years after the founding of China's [[Ming dynasty]], [[King Gongming]] became the first king of Goryeo to receive investiture from the Ming.<ref>Tomiyama Kazuyuki, ''Ryûkyû ôkoku no gaikô to ôken'', Yoshikawa Kobunkan (2004), 34.</ref>
In [[1370]], two years after the founding of China's [[Ming dynasty]], [[King Gongming]] became the first king of Goryeo to receive investiture from the Ming.<ref>Tomiyama Kazuyuki, ''Ryûkyû ôkoku no gaikô to ôken'', Yoshikawa Kobunkan (2004), 34.</ref>