Mongol invasions of Korea

The Mongol invasions of Korea consisted of a series of campaigns by the Mongol Empire against Korea, then known as Goryeo, from 1231 to 1259. There were six major campaigns at tremendous cost to civilian lives throughout the Korean peninsula, ultimately resulting in Korea becoming a tributary ally of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty for approximately 80 years.

The initial campaigns

Gojong of Goryeo (reigned 1213-1259) was the twenty-third king of Goryeo. In 1225, the Mongol Empire demanded tribute from Goryeo, but Goryeo refused, and the Mongol envoy Chu-ku-yu was killed.

In 1231, Ögedei Khan ordered the invasion of Korea as part of a general campaign to conquer China. The Mongols reached Chungju in central Korean peninsula, but after costly concessions, Korea convinced the Mongols to withdraw.

In 1232, the royal court of Goryeo moved from Songdo to Ganghwa Island in the Bay of Gyeonggi, and started the construction of significant defenses to prepare for the Mongol threat.

The Mongols protested the move, and immediately launched a second attack. Although they reached parts of the southern peninsula, the Mongols failed to capture Ganghwa Island, and were repelled in Gwangju. The Mongol leader Sartai (撒禮塔) was killed by a monk in strong civilian resistance at Yongin, forcing the Mongols to withdraw again. It was an only known occasion where the commander of Mongol Army was killed in battle.

Third campaign and treaty

In 1235, the Mongols began a campaign that ravaged parts of Gyeongsang and Jeolla Provinces. Civilian resistance was strong, and the royal court at Ganghwa attempted to strengthen its fortress, but the Korean military could not withstand the waves of invasions. In 1236, Gojong ordered the re-creation of the Tripitaka Koreana, destroyed during the 1232 invasion. This collection of Buddhist scriptures took 15 years to carve on some 81,000 wooden blocks, and is preserved to this day.

In 1238, Goryeo relented, and sued for peace. The Mongols withdrew, in exchange for Goryeo's agreement to send the royal family as hostages. However, Goryeo sent an unrelated member of the royal line. Incensed, the Mongols demanded clearing the seas of Korean ships, sending of hostages, and the arrest and hand-over of anti-Mongol bureaucrats, and, again, the royal family as hostages. In response, Korea sent a distant princess and ten children of nobles, rejecting the other demands.

Fourth and fifth campaigns

In 1247, the Mongols began the fourth campaign against Goryeo, again demanding the return of the capital to Songdo and royal family as hostages. With the death of Guyuk Khan in 1248, however, the Mongols withdrew again.

Upon the 1251 ascension of Mongke Khan, the Mongols again repeated its demands. When Goryeo refused, the Mongols began a large campaign in 1253. Gojong finally agreed to move the capital back to the mainland, and sent one of his sons, Prince Angeyonggong (安慶公) as a hostage, and the Mongols withdrew.

Sixth campaign and peace

The Mongols later learned that top Goryeo officials remained on Ganghwa Island, and had punished those who surrendered to the Mongols. Between 1253 and 1258, the Mongols under Jalairtai launched four devastating invasions in the final successful campaign against Korea.

Korea suffered tremendous losses in civilian lives, and the Mongols surrounded the court on Ganghwa Island. Goryeo finally relented in December 1258, ending the military hostilities. The Ganghwa fortresses were dismantled and the crown prince was sent as a hostage.

Aftermath

Internal struggles within the royal court continued regarding the peace with the Mongols until 1270.

Since Choe Chung-heon, Goryeo had been a military dictatorship, actually ruled by the private army of the powerful Choe family. Some of these military officials formed the Sambyeolcho Rebellion (1270-1273) and resisted in the islands off the southern shore of the Korean peninsula.

Beginning with King Wonjong, for approximately 80 years, Korea was a tributary ally of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. The Goryeo dynasty survived under Mongolian influence until King Gongmin began to push Mongolian forces back around 1350.

External links

Goryeo | Wars of Korea | Wars of the Mongols | Монгольские вторжения в Корею