| King Mu 武王 무왕 | |||||
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King Mu's tomb
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| King of Baekje | |||||
| Reign | 600–641 | ||||
| Coronation | 600 | ||||
| Predecessor | Beop of Baekje | ||||
| Successor | Uija of Baekje | ||||
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| Born | Around 581? Baekje | ||||
| Died | 641 Baekje | ||||
| Burial |
Iksan Ssangreung
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| Father | Beop of Baekje | ||||
| Mother | unknown | ||||
| Mu of Baekje | |
| Hangul | 무왕 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 武王 |
| Revised Romanization | Mu-wang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Mu-wang |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 장, also 무강or헌병 |
| Hanja | 璋, also 武康or獻丙 |
| Revised Romanization | Jang, also Mugang or Heonbyeong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chang, also Mugang or Hŏnbyŏng |
| Childhood name | |
| Hangul | 서동 |
| Hanja | 薯童 |
| Revised Romanization | Seodong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏdong |
| Monarchs of Korea |
| Baekje |
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King Mu of Baekje (581?–641) (r. 600–641) was the 30th kingofBaekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the 4th son of King Baekje.[1][2]
During his reign, the Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla) were at war with each other, as alliances shifted and the neighboring China also experienced a change of dynasties.
Because reliable historical sources are hard to find for the Three Kingdoms period, the specifics of Mu's policies are not known.
Early in his reign, Mu attacked Silla several times. He also requested assistance from the Sui dynasty of China to attack Goguryeo. Following the Goguryeo–Sui War, the Sui was replaced by the Tang dynasty in China in 618.
In 627, he attempted to recover land lost to Silla, but stopped when Tang intervened diplomatically. The same year, he sent the Buddhist monk Gwalleuk to Japan with texts on Buddhism, astronomy, history, and geography.
He formally established the Mireuksa temple in 602. He is also said to have ordered the repair of Baekje's Sabi Palace in 630, and the construction near his palace of the earliest known artificial lake in Korea.[3] His policies in the latter half of his reign, which emphasized construction projects at the expense of national defence, are often thought to have contributed to the fall of Baekje, which took place twenty years after his death.
There is reason to believe that he moved the capital of Baekje from SabiinBuyeo CountytoIksan, at least briefly. Archaeological evidence in Iksan, including tombs attributed to Mu and his wife Queen Seonhwa, appears to confirm this.[4]
Analysis of the human bones showed that King Mu died around the age of 60, his height was between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 7 inches (161-170.1 cm), and his year of death is estimated to be between 620 and 659.[5]
Mu retained close ties with Tang China, but Tang later allied with Silla in the wars that ultimately unified the Korean Peninsula under Silla's rule by 668.
The Samguk Yusa relates a legend regarding Mu's marriage to a princess of Silla, although historians consider it unlikely to be true, given the hostilities between the rival kingdoms. In this story, the young Seodong (Mu's childhood name) falls in love with Silla princess Seonhwa, and intentionally spreads a song about the princess and himself among the people.[6] Thanks to this song ("Seodong-yo," or "Seodong's Song"), King Jinpyeong of Silla banishes the princess, and Mu marries her and becomes the king of Baekje.
Content in this article was copied from Samguk Sagi Scroll 23 at the Shoki Wiki, which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license.Mu of Baekje Cadet branch of the House of Go Born: 580 Died: 641 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Baekje 600–641 |
Succeeded by |
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