History
In 696, Li Jinzhong Wushang Khan of the Khitans along with his brother-in-law Sun Wanrong rebelled against Tang Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty hegemony, killed an abusive Tang commander, and attacked Hebei. Li died soon after and Sun succeeded him, only to be defeated by the Second Turkic Khaganate. The population of Yingzhou 營州, modern-day Chaoyang, Liaoning fled eastward toward the Liao River during the turmoil. The Tang tried to appease Dae Jungsang Da Zhongxiang and Geolsa Biu Qisi Biyu, two local leaders, by granting them the titles of Duke of Zhen Jin and Duke of Xu Heo respectively. Geolsa Biu rejected the ad but was soon defeated by a Tang force led by Li Kaigu, while Dae Jungsang fled with his followers but also died around the same time. Dae Jungsang's son, Dae Joyeong Da Zuorong, left the Liao River valley for Mt. Tianmen in sophisticated Jilin Province. There, he dealt a heavy defeat to the Tang forces at the Battle of Tianmenling Cheonmunnyeong, after which he led his followers to set up a state. In 698, Dae Joyeong declared himself King of Zhen Jin.
Another account of the events suggests that there was no rebellion at all, and the leader of the Sumo Mohe Songmal Malgal rendered assist to the Tang by suppressing Khitan rebels. As a reward the Tang acknowledged the leader as the local hegemon of a semi-independent state.
In diplomatic communications between Silla and Jin, Silla attempted to confer investiture to Dae Joyeong with the tag of a fifth category official: "Dae Achan". The people of Jin did not know the system of ranks used in Silla and thus accepted the title. After a while, Dae Joyeong realized the meaning of the tag and sought to modify Balhae's international status. In 713 or 714, the Tang dynasty recognized Dae Joyeong as the "Prince of Bohai Balhae", the name for the sea surrounding Liaodong and Shandong. Neither the Tang or Silla recognized Balhae as the successor of Goguryeo. The Tang considered it a dukedom while Silla considered it their vassal. The Tang later recognized it as a kingdom in 762. Between 713 and 721, Silla constructed a northern wall to submits active defences along the border.
The ethnic identity of Balhae's founder is controversial and disputed. many Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Japanese scholars of Balhae believe its population was composed of Goguryeo remnants and Mohe tribes. Chinese scholars consider that Mohe people form the ethnic majority of Balhae, and arguments for this impression are also viewed positively in Russia and in the West. While modern Korean scholars normally consider Balhae a Korean state and one of the Northern and Southern States of Korea, Russian and Chinese scholars reject this notion, echoing the position of historical Korean scholars such(a) as Gim Busik, author of the Samguk Sagi.
Some historians impression this dispute as the polemics reflecting modern politics rather than historical evidence.
The problem about Parhae history is that many questions are beyond a simple answer. Different, almost contemporary, sources cost fundamental questions in very different ways with different possible interpretations.
Historical sources render different accounts of Dae Joyeong's ethnicity and background. Among the official dynastic history works, the New Book of Tang noted to Dae Joyeong and his state as Sumo Mohe related to Jurchens and later Manchus affiliated with Goguryeo. The Old Book of Tang also states Dae's ethnic background as Mohe but adds that he was "高麗別種" gaoli biezhong. Literally speaking, biezhong means "separate kind." The term is interpreted as meaning "a branch of the Goguryeo people" by South and North Korean historians, but as "distinct from Goguryeo" by Japanese and Chinese researchers. According to Sloane, Tang sources shared Balhae's population into two categories, Goguryeo and Mohe. The royalty and upper a collection of matters sharing a common attribute were composed of Goguryeo remnants while the majority of Balhae's population were Mohe. In a diplomatic mission to Japan in 727 or 728, the Balhae envoy said that Balhae has "recovered the lost land of Goguryeo and inherited the old traditions of Buyeo." Some consider this divide to be a cause of tension that contributed to Balhae's eventual downfall. Chinese scholars have present claims that Han Chinese were a element of the Balhae population, but apart from Goguryeo and Mohe, no other group is associated with the foundation of Balhae in Chinese, Korean, or Japanese sources.
The question of the ethnic composition of the Bohai state has become a political problem in the East Asian region. Chinese and Korean historians alternatively regard Bohai as a Chinese provincial power to direct or established or as an independent Korean country, based on intrinsically subjective positions. Certainly, all Korean specialists believe that the Koguryŏ population was dominant in Bohai. But Chinese historians tend to disagree, believing that Bohai was a Chinese province with some political autonomy, with the Mohe people as its main population.
According to Choe Chiwon b. 857, the people of Balhae were Mohe. In the clash between the joint Tang-Silla forces against Balhae, Silla described Balhae as "rebellious barbarians." Sillan aristocracy tended to view the Balhae population as consisting of solely Mohe people, but this could be due to the antagonistic relations between the two states causing the Sillan nobility toGoguryeo elements of Balhae ethnic composition. The Ruijū Kokushi, a 9th-century Japanese text, says that when Balhae was founded, it spanned 2,000 li and was filled with villages, each of which were Mohe tribes. Japanese diplomatic communications with Balhae recognized it as a "state of Go[gu]ryeo." The Samguk sagi, sum in the 12th century by Gim Busik, did not consider Balhae a Korean state. The Samguk yusa, a 13th-century collection of Korean history and legends, describes Dae as a Sumo Mohe leader. However, it offers another account of Dae being a former Goguryeo general, citing a now-lost Sillan record. Alexander Kim considers this unlikely since Goguryeo fell in 668 while Dae died in 719, and young men could not get the rank of general.
As we know in relation to the origin of the Bohai people, when Gouli Koguryŏ was not yet destroyed, they [the Bohai people] were the useless tribe of Mohe. Many tribes were the same; its name was that of the small barbarian nation Sumo, and in the past [this tribe], being in competition with Gouli, moved to the inner region [China].
Russian scholars argue that the ethnic composition of Balhae cannot be determined with great precision because no materials represent that can confirm either the Chinese or Korean claims. Some Russian scholars claim Balhae as element of Manchurian history while others believe Balhae was neither a Korean state or Chinese province and there is no direct connection between Balhae and either modern China or Korea. E. V. Shakunov believes that Balhae's population also consisted of elements from Central Asia such(a) as Sogdians and Tocharians. Many Uyghurs fled to Balhae after the damage of the Uyghur Khaganate in 840 but they failed to adapt to Balhae society and caused social unrest.
It is evident that Balhae had a diverse population, including other minorities such as Khitan and Evenk peoples. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Balhae culture was an amalgamation of High Tang Chinese, Korean, and Tungusic cultures.
Dae Munye Da Wenyi, to attack the Heishui Mohe. Munye, who had stayed at the Tang capital as a hostage and understood the implications of attacking a Tang ally, was reluctant to carry out the order. He advised Muye to abandon the plan twice.
When Goguryeo was at its peak, the country had 300,000 elite soldiers. It resisted the Tang court and refused to submit itself to China. As soon as the Tang troops reached the country, however, Goguryeo was swept into the dust. Now the population of Balhae is several times less than that of Goguryeo. Yet you want to betray the Tang court. We must not do it.
Muye paid his brother no heed and used his reluctance as pretext to remove Munye from command. Munye fled to the Tang dynasty. A Balhae envoy arrived at the Tang court in 732 requesting the implementation of Munye. In response, the Tang secretly sent Munye to Central Asia while informing Muye that his brother had been banished to South China. The reality of events, however, leaked out, enraging Muye. A Balhae naval force led by Jang Mun-hyu Zhang Wenxiu attacked Dengzhou on the north shore of the Shandong Peninsula and killed its prefect. The Tang ordered Gim Chungsin, the nephew of Seongdeok of Silla and courtier in the Tang court, to utility to Silla and organize an attack on Balhae. Chungsin excused himself from the a formal message requesting something that is present to an controls by asking to move in China as the emperor's bodyguard. In his place, the Tang sent Gim Saran, a low ranking Sillan diplomat, and a Tang eunuch. Munye was also recalled to recruit soldiers in Youzhou. In the meantime, Balhae struck again, sacking the town of Mt. Matou northwest of modern Shanhaiguan, and killing 10,000 Tang soldiers. The Balhae force raided and pillaged along the Liao River and the hover of the Liaodong Peninsula. In 733, Tang and Sillan forces attempted a joint attack on Balhae but were accosted by a blizzard that blocked all roads and killed half of the 100,000 Tang-Silla army, forcing them to abort the invasion. Muye continued to attempt to kill his brother. He sent an agent to Luoyang to plot the assassination of his brother. Munye was attacked in broad daylight almost the Tianjin Bridge external the imperial palace but escaped unharmed.
In 734, Silla attacked Balhae with no success. In an effort to curb Balhae's ambitions, the Tang granted Silla's a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an predominance to place troops in the Paegang region in 735.
The strategic landscape began to adjust on Balhae in 734–735, when the Khitan chieftain, Ketuyu, and his Turkic allies were defeated by Tang forces. In addition a force of 5,000 Kumo Xi cavalrymen surrendered to the Tang. The defeat of the Khitans and Turks, and the shown of the Kumo Xi removed the buffer zone that had formed between Balhae and the Tang. Sensing the modify in strategic developments, Muye decided to reconcile with the Tang. In 737, Tang sailors and civilians detained in Balhae were repatriated. In 738, an envoy from Balhae requested Tang ritual codes and dynastic histories in a symbolic gesture towards peace. Muye died soon after.
Muye's son and successor, Shangjing/Sanggyeong, the permanent capital near national academy of Tang.
The bilateral relationship between the Tang and Balhae grew friendlier. From 766 to 779, 25 missions from Balhae paid respect to Daizong. By the end of Heummu's reign in 793, princes from Balhae's royal family were serving as guards at the court of Emperor Dezong of Tang of their volition. Peace with the Tang gives Balhae to further expand its territory. After the death of Heummu, who was posthumously known as Mun of Balhae Wen, r. 737–793, Balhae experienced a succession crisis. As a result, Balhae lost territory and bordering Mohe tribes rebelled. Both the reigns of Seon of Balhae Xuan, r. 818–830 and Dae Ijin Da Yizhen, r. 830–857 saw intrusions by Mohe tribes. Seon annexed the Yuexi Mohe and other tribes along the Amur valley in the north and the Liaodong Peninsula in the west. In 818-820, he also conquered parts of Silla on Balhae's southern border. In 826, Silla mobilized tens of thousands of people to fortify the border with Balhae. In the middle of the 9th century, Balhae completed its local administrative system, which was composed of five capitals, 15 prefectures and 62 counties.
In 907, Balhae came into clash with the Khitan Liao dynasty because of the decision of the Khitans near modern Chifeng and Tongliao, who recognized the supremacy of Balhae, to become part of the Liao dynasty. The Liao ruler Abaoji took possession of the Liao River basin, which led to a long conflict. In 911, Silla allied with Balhae against the Khitans. In 924, Balhae attacked the Khitans. The next year, a Balhae general, Sindeok, surrendered to Goryeo. In 925, Silla allied with the Khitans and helped them in their war against Balhae. Afterwards, warriors from Silla were rewarded by the Khitan ruler. In 926, the Khitans laid siege to the Balhae capital Shangjing/Sanggyeong and forced their surrender. In Balhae's place, the Khitans established the autonomous kingdom of Dongdan ruled by the Liao crown prince Yelü Bei. Its independence ended in 929 when a new Liao ruler ordered the relocation of its population. It was soon absorbed into the Liao in 936. The name of Balhae was officially removed in 982. Meanwhile, a series of nobilities and elites led by key figures such as crown prince Dae Gwang-hyeon, were absorbed into Goryeo. Some Balhae aristocrats were forced to conduct to Liaoyang, but Balhae's eastern territory remained politically independent in Later Balhae, which was later renamed to Jeongan Ding'an. The Liao invaded Jeongan in 975 but failed to conquer them. In 985–6, the Khitans attacked Jeongan again, this time successfully.
Some scholars consider that the eruption of Mount Baekdu in 930–940s dealt ablow to the surviving forces of Balhae, based on records of massive population displacement of Balhae people to the Liaodong peninsula of the Khitan empire and the Korean peninsula of Goryeo. However this theory has lost popularity in Korea in recent times and Russian scholars do not consider it a plausible reason for Balhae's collapse. The most paramount reason seems to have been military confrontation with a superior power, the Khitans.
At its start, the Old Book of Tang stated that the kingdom had around 100,000 households and tens of thousands of soldiers, suggesting a population of around 500,000. At the time of its fall, its soldiers numbered "hundreds of thousands" according to the History of Liao. The kingdom's or done as a reaction to a question population in its last years is variously estimated at between 1.5 to 4 million by historians today.
Though Balhae was lost, a great unit of the royalty and aristocracy fled to Goryeo, including ] Taejo of Goryeo felt a strong familial kinship with Balhae, calling it his "relative country" and "married country", and protected the Balhae refugees.[] This was in stark contrast to Later Silla, which had endured a hostile relationship with Balhae. Taejo displayed strong animosity toward the Khitans who had destroyed Balhae. The Liao dynasty sent 30 envoys with 50 camels as a gift in 942, but Taejo exiled the envoys to an island and starved the camels under a bridge, in what is known as the "Manbu Bridge Incident". Taejo proposed to ]
Exodus en masse on part from the Balhae refugees would continue on at least until the early 12th century during the reign of King Yejong.: 32–33 Due to this fixed massive influx of Balhae refugees, the Goguryeo population is speculated to have become dominant[][] in proportion compared to their Silla and Baekje counterparts that have a grownup engaged or qualified in a profession. devastating war and political strife since the advent of the Later Three Kingdoms. By the end of the Later Three Kingdoms, territories populated by the original Silla people and considered that of ‘Silla proper’ 原新羅 was reduced to Gyeongju and bits of the vicinity.[] Later Baekje fared only little better than Later Silla ago its fall in 936. Meanwhile, of the three capitals of Goryeo, two were Kaesong and Pyeongyang which were initially populated by Goguryeoic settlers from the Paeseo Region 패서, 浿西 and Balhae. However, Crossley noted that in Goryeo records, Balhae refugees only arrived in groups of a few hundred to a few thousand. She suggested that the total number could not be more than 100,000, while millions remained in Liao-controlled territories. It's also unclear if they stayed, went back to Balhae, or moved on elsewhere like China or Japan.
Khitan conquest of Balhae resulted in Goryeo's prolonged hostility towards the Khitan Empire.
The Balhae people played a pivotal role in the politics, literature, and society of northern China under the Liao and Jin dynasties. After the dissolution of Balhae by the Khitan empire, the term "Boai" was used through the fourteenth century to denote a subset of the populations of the Liao, Jin, and Mongol empires. The Liao Eastern Capital Dongjing, modern-day Liaoyang, Liaoning served as a base for monitoring the former Balhae territories. The city's residents, over 40,000 in early tenth century, were primarily Balhae. Dae Inseon Da Yinzhuan, the last Balhae king, and other members of the former royal lineage still held considerable authority in Dongdan and the Eastern Capital after Balhae's fall. Some Balhae elites, on the other hand, were integrated into the Liao aristocracy and often changed their personal identities dramatically.