South Korea

Three Kingdoms of Korea

Three Kingdoms of Korea

During the period known as the , the states of , , , and occupied the Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria. From them, , , and emerged to control the peninsula as the . Goguryeo, the largest and most powerful among them, was a highly militaristic state, and competed with various Chinese dynasties during its 700 years of history. Goguryeo experienced a golden age under and his son , who both subdued Baekje and Silla during their times, achieving a brief unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea and becoming the most dominant power on the Korean Peninsula. In addition to contesting for control of the Korean Peninsula, Goguryeo had many with various Chinese dynasties, most notably the , in which Goguryeo defeated a huge force said to number over a million men. Baekje was a great maritime power; its nautical skill, which made it the of East Asia, was instrumental in the dissemination of Buddhism throughout East Asia and continental culture to Japan. Baekje was once a great military power on the Korean Peninsula, especially during the time of , but was critically defeated by Gwanggaeto the Great and declined. Silla was the smallest and weakest of the three, but it used cunning diplomatic means to make opportunistic pacts and alliances with the more powerful Korean kingdoms, and eventually Tang China, to its great advantage.

The unification of the Three Kingdoms by Silla in 676 led to the , in which much of the Korean Peninsula was controlled by , while controlled the northern parts of Goguryeo. Balhae was founded by a and formed as a successor state to Goguryeo. During its height, Balhae controlled most of Manchuria and parts of the Russian Far East, and was called the "Prosperous Country in the East". was a golden age of art and culture, as evidenced by the , , and . Relationships between Korea and China remained relatively peaceful during this time. Later Silla carried on the maritime prowess of , which acted like the of medieval , and during the 8th and 9th centuries dominated the seas of East Asia and the trade between China, Korea and Japan, most notably during the time of ; in addition, Silla people made overseas communities in China on the and the mouth of the . Later Silla was a prosperous and wealthy country, and its metropolitan capital of was the fourth largest city in the world. Buddhism flourished during this time, and many Korean Buddhists gained great fame among Chinese Buddhists and contributed to Chinese Buddhism, including: , , , , and , a Silla prince whose influence made one of the Four of Chinese Buddhism. However, Later Silla weakened under internal strife and the revival of and , which led to the in the late 9th century.