Yeon Gaesomun
Yeon Gaesomun (594–666) was a powerful military dictator in the waning days of the Goguryeo kingdom, which was one of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea. He is remembered for his successful resistance against Tang China under Emperor Taizong and his son Emperor Gaozong.
Yeon Gaesomun | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Yeon Gaesomun (Portrait painted by guessing) | |
| Dae Magniji (Grand Prime Minister) of Goguryeo | |
| In office 642–666 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Yeon Nam-saeng |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 594 |
| Died | 666 |
| Children | Yeon Nam-saeng Yeon Nam-geon Yeon Nam-san |
| Parent |
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 연개소문 |
| Hanja | 淵蓋蘇文 |
| Revised Romanization | Yeon Gaesomun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yŏn Kaesomun |
Traditional Korean histories from Joseon painted Yeon Gaesomun as a despotic leader, whose cruel policies and disobedience to his monarch led to the fall of Goguryeo. However, his achievements in defending Goguryeo against Chinese onslaughts have inspired early Korean nationalist historians, most notably the 19th-century Korean historian and intellectual Sin Chaeho, to term Yeon Gaesomun the greatest hero in Korean history. In popular culture Yeon Gaesomun is often remembered as an exceptional soldier-statesman without equal in Korean history.