Goryeo-Khitan Wars

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The Goryeo-Khitan Wars were a series of 10th- and 11th-century conflicts between the kingdom of Goryeo and Khitan forces near what is now the border between China and North Korea.

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Contents

1 Background
2 Timeline
3 Goryeo-Khitan Wars
4 External links

Background

After the fall of Goguryeo in 668 and the brief Chinese occupation, Kingdom of Balhae, composed of Koreans and Mohe, was established and ruled northeastern China, including today's Russian Maritime Province. Right after the fall of Goguryeo, the Turks(Gokturks) were divided and eventually driven out from most of Central Asia by Chinese Tang Dynasty. Another Turkic tribe, the Uyghurs, replaced Gokturks but their control was not very strong.

As all three of Balhae, Uyghur and Tang Dynasty weakened, the Tungusic people of Khitans emerged in the region what is now Inner Mongolia. Khitans began to expand their territory, and in 916, Liao Dynasty was found by Khitan chief Yelü Abaoji, replacing the Uyghurs as the dominator of what is now Mongolia. Khitans continued to grow and in 926, Khitan attacked Balhae, destroying and conquering the kingdom. 10 years later, in 936, the year that Koreans united under Goryeo rule, Liao took advantage of long civil war in China after the fall of Tang Dynasty in 907; Khitans take control of 16 Chinese provinces south of the Great Wall for helping the foundation of short-living Later Qin (晋) Dynasty, which ruled only small part of China. In 946, Khitans invaded China, tried to conquer entire China but failed; and eventually, as Song Dynasty Unified China in 960, and the inner conflict between Liao royal family members stopped the Khitan dream of Chinese conquest, for a brief period.

However, Khitans eventually regained power under the strong leadership of Emperor Shengzong (聖宗). He began to seek another opportunity for expansion, and eventually collided with Goryeo and Song. Meanwhile, Goryeo also encouraged the expansion policy through northern conquest, and also remained hostile to Khitans, who destroyed another Korean kingdom Balhae.

Timeline

The Decline of Balhae (907 – 926)

*907 : Liao Dynasty and Khitan Empire was founded by Yelü Abaoji (耶律阿保磯)

*911 : Threaten by Khitan expansion, Balhae seeked assistance from the declining Silla. Records stated that Balhae also requested Goryeo's help during the Later Three Kingdoms period just before its fall, but under the conflicting state between Balhae and Silla, the aggression of the Khitan into Balhae could not be blocked because Silla and Goryeo rather helped Khitan in spite of the treaty with Balhae because of the adherence of confrontation between the south and the north, along the Northern-Southern Kingdom period (Hangul : 남북국/남북시대, Hanja :南北國/南北時代). From that point, Goryeo and Khitan had not showed any hostility each other until the fall of Balhae in 926.

The Fall of Balhae : Goryeo-Khitan Relationship (926 – 983)

Many of Balhae's ruling class, who were mostly ethnically Koreans, moved south and joined the newly founded Goryeo Kingdom and took refuge in Goryeo after the fall of their kingdom, then later Baekje and Khitan approached together against Goryeo.

First Khitanese attacks

Khitans initiated against Goryeo attacks in 983, in 985 and in 989.

Goryeo-Khitan Wars

External links

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