Gyeon Hwon (867?-936, reigned 900-935) was the king and founder of Hubaekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Some records render his name as "Jinhwon" (진훤). He was also the progenitor of the Hwanggan Gyeon clan . Substantial accounts of his life are preserved in the Samguk Sagi, which presents a single narrative, and the Samguk Yusa, which presents excerpts about him from various sources.
Most accounts agree that Gyeon Hwon's father was Ajagae, a farmer of the Lee clan, and that he was born in what is today Gaeun-eup in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang province. His mother was from the Gwangju area. Agajae later led a local peasant revolt and declared himself a general.
Gyeon Hwon is said to have left home at 15 to join the Silla army, at which time he changed his family name from Lee to Gyeon. After becoming the commander of Silla forces in the Jeolla area, he marshalled local peasants to his cause and attacked the southwestern perimeter of Gyeongju, the Silla capital. That attack was beaten back, and he turned back to Jeolla where he seized the city of Gwangju in 892.
In 900, Gyeon Hwon declared himself the king of Hubaekje ("later Baekje") and established his capital at Jeonju. He swore to avenge King Uija, the last king of Baekje. From that time forth, his life largely coincides with the history of his short-lived kingdom. Sending an embassy to the Chinese kingdom of Wuyue, he was confirmed by the Wuyue court as a legitimate ruler.
Gyeon Hwon took numerous wives after becoming king, and had numerous children by them in addition to the eight sons and a daughter borne by his first wife. In 935, as his kingdom reeled from military defeats, he decided that his fourth son Geumgang should succeed him, rather than his firstborn son Singeom. Singeom, together with his brothers Yanggeom and Yonggeom, imprisoned Gyeon Hwon and killed Geumgang. Gyeon Hwon escaped from prison and fled to his old enemy Wanggeon in Goryeo, who welcomed him and provided him with land and slaves. At Gyeon Hwon's request, the following year he and Wanggeon led the massive Goryeo army which defeated Hubaekje at Seonsan .
Later in 936, Gyeon Hwon died of an inflamed tumor.
See also
Last updated: 10-10-2005 05:34:39
