23rd King of Goryeo (r. 1213–1259)
Gojong of Goryeo (1192–1259), personal name Wang Ch'ŏl, was the 23rd king of the Korean Goryeo dynasty, ruling from 1213 to 1259. Gojong's reign was marked by prolonged conflict with the Mongol Empire, which sought to conquer Goryeo, ending only to settle peace in 1259. During his reign actual power rested with the Choe family of military dictators.
Biography
Although ascending to the throne in 1213, Gojong did not wield much power due to decades of miltary rule over Goryeo.[2] In 1216, the Khitan invaded Goryeo but was defeated. In August 1232, Gojong moved the capital of Goryeo from Songdo to the island of Ganghwa and started the construction of significant defenses there, in order to better defend from the Mongol threat. Gojong resisted the Mongol invasion for nearly thirty years before the kingdom was forced to make peace with the Mongols in 1259; Gojong died soon after.[3]
In 1251, the carving of the Tripitaka Koreana, a collection of Buddhist scriptures recorded on some 81,000 wooden blocks, was completed. The work was perhaps motivated by Gojong's hopes to change fortunes through the act of religious devotion; however the originals were later destroyed by the Mongols — the existing Tripitaka is a replica of Gojong's original, and was commissioned around one hundred years after the originals were lost.
Gojong was married to Queen Anhye, daughter of Huijong, the twenty-first king of Goryeo. His tomb is located near the city of Incheon.
