Date of Birth: 8 September 1852
Parents: Heungseon Daewongun and Yeoheung
Royal House: Joseon
Spouse: Myeongseong
Reign: 1863 – 1907
Predecessor: Cheoljong, king of Korea
Summary: Gojong was king of Korea from the age of eleven, and so during his minority his father, Heungseon, ruled in his stead. Gojong early reign was one of isolationism, a policy that alienated the Catholic population causing a response from France, which resulted a counter-response from the United States in 1871. Within Korea, royal rule was centralized around the regency of Heungseon, though when Gojong took direct rule in 1873, the centralized state remained.
Warfare between China and Japan broke out on the Korean Peninsula due to a treaty signed between Japan and Korea in 1876. The Treaty of Ganghwa was an unequal treaty giving Japan vast powers over the Korean government. Things became worse in 1894 when the Korean government requested Japanese military aide to suppress the Donghak Peasant Revolution. When Gojong attempted to break Japanese control, his wife was assassinated within the royal palace. With few other choices, Gonjong fled his palace and stayed at the Russian embassy until he returned in 1897 only to declare the founding of the Korean Empire, thereby severing ties with the Chinese Empire to which it had so long pledged a nominal fealty. But the declaration failed to secure true independence from Japan. The Japanese victory over Russia in 1905 led to Japan taking real control over Korea, stripping it of its independence. Gojong was forced to abdicate two years later after expressing anti-Japanese sentiments at the Hague Peace Convention of 1907. His son, Sunjong, replaced him. Three years later, Japan formally annexed the Empire of Korea.
Warfare between China and Japan broke out on the Korean Peninsula due to a treaty signed between Japan and Korea in 1876. The Treaty of Ganghwa was an unequal treaty giving Japan vast powers over the Korean government. Things became worse in 1894 when the Korean government requested Japanese military aide to suppress the Donghak Peasant Revolution. When Gojong attempted to break Japanese control, his wife was assassinated within the royal palace. With few other choices, Gonjong fled his palace and stayed at the Russian embassy until he returned in 1897 only to declare the founding of the Korean Empire, thereby severing ties with the Chinese Empire to which it had so long pledged a nominal fealty. But the declaration failed to secure true independence from Japan. The Japanese victory over Russia in 1905 led to Japan taking real control over Korea, stripping it of its independence. Gojong was forced to abdicate two years later after expressing anti-Japanese sentiments at the Hague Peace Convention of 1907. His son, Sunjong, replaced him. Three years later, Japan formally annexed the Empire of Korea.
Date of Death: 21 January 1919
Successor: Sunjong, emperor of Korea
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Erchanger, duke of Swabia (917)
- Paschal II, pope of Rome (1118)
- Mustafa III, sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1774)
- Louis XVI, king of France (1793)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93llQ2C1QcQ
ReplyDeleteYou may at the above site see the last princess as the King Gojong's precious daughter at his late age. The site is expressing her life as a song with the title of her story.