- Wideok of Baekje
Infobox Korean name
hangul=위덕왕
hanja=威德王
rr=Wideok-wang
mr=Widŏk-wang
hangulborn=창
hanjaborn=昌
rrborn=Chang
mrborn=Ch'angWideok of Baekje (525-598, r. 554-598) was the 27th king of
Baekje , one of theThree Kingdoms of Korea . He was the eldest son of King Seong, and rose to the throne upon his father's death.Background
During Seong's reign, Baekje had led an alliance with the neighboring
Silla and theGaya confederacy to attack the powerful northern kingdom ofGoguryeo . In 551, Baekje successfully reclaimed from Goguryeo the present-daySeoul region, which was Baekje's capital from its founding until 538. However, Silla betrayed the alliance and, under a secret agreement with Goguryeo, claimed the territory for itself.As crown prince, Wideok organized the reprisal attack on Silla, despite opposition by the aristocracy. He participated in the
Battle of Gwansan fortress , in which his father and nearly 30,000 men died fighting the Silla army. That disastrous campaign led to the aristocracy of Baekje taking some power away from the kings.Reign
Baekje under Wideok was inimical with both Silla and Goguryeo, launching various battles and border incursions against the rival kingdoms.
To avoid isolation, and to strengthen the royal position against the power of the aristocracy, he maintained friendly relations with the Chinese dynasties of Chen, Northern Qi and Sui. Although ties had been largely broken following the cataclysmic events of the 550s, he sent missions to the Chen court in 567, 577, 584, and 586 (it fell to Sui shortly thereafter). In 567, he sent Baekje's first mission to Northern Qi; this may have been facilitated by an improved relationship with
Goguryeo . In 570, the Northern Qi granted him titles including "Duke ofDaifang commandery ", and he sent another tribute mission in 572. After Northern Qi was conquered byNorthern Zhou in 577, Baekje also sent a congratulatory mission including musicians to the Zhou court. The following year a second and final embassy was sent to Northern Zhou, which was conquered by Sui in 581.Wideok sent an immediate congratulatory mission to the Sui court in 581, and another in 582. In 589 Sui conquered Chen and united China. In the same year, a Sui warship happened to run aground on
Jeju Island , which was ruled by the Baekje dependency ofTamna . Wideok provided the crew with an official escort (bearing tribute and congratulations) to the Chinese court. In 598 he sent an embassy offering to assist in the Sui expedition against Goguryeo that year. The expedition, however, had already been completed.Yeongyang of Goguryeo launched punitive attacks on Baekje's northern border when he learned of this.Continuing the legacy of his father, Wideok sent various
Buddhist missions toYamato period Japan.Relics
In 1995, a stone relic box was found in a Baekje-era Buddhist temple in
Buyeo County ,Chungcheongnam-do . Inscriptions on its face say it was made in 567 under Wideok's order. In 1996, the South Korean government designated as theSouth Korean national treasure No. 288. It is held by theBuyeo National Museum . [http://kdaq.empas.com/tkn/knowhow_view.html?num=64203&ps=kl&type=kdb&pq=cn%3D171%26type%3Dkdb]ee also
*
Rulers of Korea
*History of Korea
*Three Kingdoms of Korea
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