Korean History › Early Joseon › Joseon
Yi Seong-gye (King Taejo of Joseon)
1335–1408; r. 1392–1398· Person· Rulers & states
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
A Goryeo general who seized power in 1388 and founded the Joseon dynasty in 1392, ruling as King Taejo.
See it on the Korean History map →What happened
Yi Seong-gye (이성계) came from a military family on the northeastern frontier. He won fame beating Red Turban invaders (1361–62) and Japanese pirates, notably at Hwangsan in 1380. Ordered to attack Ming-held Liaodong in 1388, he turned back at Wihwado island and took over the government. With reformist scholars such as Jeong Do-jeon he pushed a land reform (1391), took the throne in 1392 and moved the capital to Hanyang (Seoul) in 1394. After his sons fought over the succession in 1398, he abdicated.
Why it matters
He ended Goryeo and founded Joseon, which ruled Korea for over five centuries, one of the longest-lasting dynasties anywhere.
Legacy and how we know
The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (Joseon wangjo sillok), starting with his reign, and the Goryeosa (History of Goryeo, 1451), both written by his own dynasty and favorable to him.
Still debated
How much he planned the takeover himself, versus being pushed by his son Bang-won and Jeong Do-jeon, is hard to judge from records his dynasty wrote.
Connections (5)
▸Wihwado Retreat was led by Yi Seong-gye (King Taejo of Joseon)Well documented
The connection
In 1388 Goryeo's court ordered General Yi Seong-gye to attack Ming-held Liaodong. He had already given four reasons the campaign was unwise; halted by floods at Wihwado, an island in the Yalu River, he turned his army around. He marched on the capital, ousted the commander Choe Yeong and King U, and became Goryeo's real power.
When and how
Summer 1388 on Wihwado island in the Yalu, then the capital Gaegyeong (Kaesong); Yi Seong-gye and Jo Min-su against Choe Yeong and King U.
How we know
The Goryeosa and the Taejo sillok record Yi's 'four reasons' against the campaign and the coup that followed.
Debates and open questions
These accounts were written by Yi's own dynasty; whether the retreat was a principled stand or a planned power grab is debated.
▸Yi Seong-gye (King Taejo of Joseon) founded JoseonWell documented
The connection
In 1392 Yi Seong-gye took the throne as King Taejo. He kept the name Goryeo at first; in 1393, after the Ming emperor chose between two proposed names, the state became Joseon. He moved the capital to Hanyang in 1394, while his chief minister Jeong Do-jeon drafted the new state's Neo-Confucian framework.
When and how
Summer 1392 in Gaegyeong (Kaesong); new name 1393; capital moved to Hanyang (Seoul) 1394. Key figures: Yi Seong-gye and Jeong Do-jeon.
How we know
The Taejo sillok, Ming records of the naming request, and Jeong Do-jeon's 1394 Joseon gyeonggukjeon, a blueprint for the state.
Debates and open questions
How sharply the new dynasty broke with Goryeo is debated; many of the same elite families held office before and after 1392.
▸Yi Seong-gye (King Taejo of Joseon) deposed the last king of GoryeoWell documented
The connection
After Wihwado, Yi Seong-gye's faction removed King U (1388) and his young son King Chang (1389), claiming they were not true royal heirs, and installed King Gongyang. In 1392 Yi's allies deposed Gongyang and offered Yi the throne, ending Goryeo after 474 years.
When and how
1388–1392 in Gaegyeong (Kaesong); Yi Seong-gye, Jeong Do-jeon and allies against Kings U, Chang and Gongyang.
How we know
The Goryeosa, compiled under Joseon in 1451, and the Taejo sillok record the depositions and the reasons given for them.
Debates and open questions
The claim that U and Chang descended from the monk Sin Don, used to justify removing them, is widely doubted by modern historians.
▸King Taejong (Yi Bang-won) was a son of Yi Seong-gye (King Taejo of Joseon)Well documented
The connection
Bang-won was Yi Seong-gye's fifth son by his first wife and the most active in founding the dynasty. When his father named a young half-brother heir, Bang-won's 1398 coup killed that brother and another. The grieving Taejo abdicated and withdrew to his home region; father and son only partly reconciled before Taejo died in 1408.
When and how
1398–1408 in Hanyang (Seoul) and Hamheung; Yi Bang-won, his father, and half-brothers Bang-beon and Bang-seok, both killed in 1398.
How we know
The Taejo, Jeongjong and Taejong sillok record the coup, the abdication and Taejo's later return to the capital.
Debates and open questions
The famous tale of the 'Hamheung envoys' (Hamheung chasa), messengers the angry Taejo supposedly killed, is mostly legend.
▸Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in Hanyang (Seoul) for Yi Seong-gye (King Taejo of Joseon)Well documented
The connection
After moving his capital to Hanyang in 1394, Yi Seong-gye had Gyeongbokgung built as the main palace, with the royal ancestral shrine (Jongmyo) to its east and the altar to the land and grain spirits (Sajik) to its west, following classic Chinese capital plans. Jeong Do-jeon named the palace and its halls.
When and how
Built 1394–1395 in Hanyang (Seoul) at the foot of Bugaksan; overseen by Jeong Do-jeon for King Taejo.
How we know
The Taejo sillok record the construction and Jeong Do-jeon's naming of the palace and halls.
Debates and open questions
The layout was contested: tradition says the monk Muhak favored a different orientation, and geomancy debates about the site continued for centuries.