Editing History of Korea (section)

==Three Kingdoms of Korea==
{{Main|Three Kingdoms of Korea}}

===Goguryeo===
{{Main|Goguryeo}}
{{See also|Military history of Goguryeo}}

[[File:History of Korea-476.PNG|thumb|left|Goguryeo at its height, in 476 AD]]
[[File:Korean ambassadors to the Tang court, 7th century CE.jpg|thumb|Painting of envoys from the Three Kingdoms of Korea to the [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] court: Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo. ''[[Portraits of Periodical Offering]]'', 7th century Tang dynasty]]
[[File:Korean ambassadors during a audience with king Varkhuman of Samarkand. 648-651 CE, Afrasiyab, Samarkand.jpg|upright=0.8|thumb|Korean ([[Goguryeo]]) ambassadors during an audience with King [[Varkhuman]] of [[Samarkand]]. They are identified by the two feathers on top of their head.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Library |first1=British |title=The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War and Faith |year=2004 |publisher=Serindia Publications, Inc. |isbn=978-1-932476-13-2 |page=110 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ArWLD4Qop38C&pg=PA110 |language=en}}</ref> 648–651 AD, [[Afrasiab murals]], Samarkand.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baumer |first1=Christoph |title=History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume set |date=18 April 2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-83860-868-2 |page=243 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DhiWDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA243 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grenet |first1=Frantz |title=Maracanda/Samarkand, une métropole pré-mongole |journal=Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales |date=2004 |volume=5/6 |page=Fig. C |url=https://www.cairn.info/journal-annales-2004-5-page-1043.htm}}</ref>]]
[[Goguryeo]] was founded in 37 BC by [[Jumong]] (posthumously given the royal title Dongmyeongseong).<ref>{{in lang|ko}} [https://archive.today/20120707121433/http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=12449 Goguryeo] at [[Doosan Encyclopedia]]</ref> Later, [[Taejodae of Goguryeo|King Taejo]] centralized the government. Goguryeo was the first Korean kingdom to adopt Buddhism as the state religion in 372, in [[Sosurim of Goguryeo|King Sosurim]]'s reign.{{sfn|Lee|Park|Yoon|2005|pp=199–202}}<ref>{{in lang|ko}} [https://archive.today/20120710001657/http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=722626 Buddhism in Goguryeo] at [[Doosan Encyclopedia]]</ref>

Goguryeo (also spelled as ''Koguryŏ'') was also known as Goryeo (also spelled as ''Koryŏ''), and it eventually became the source of the modern name of Korea.<ref>Fan Ye, ''Book of the Later Han'', volume 85; the ''Dongyi Liezhuan''</ref>

The 3rd and 4th centuries were characterized by territorial competition with the Chinese and Xianbei, resulting in both losses and gains. Goguryeo initiated the [[Goguryeo–Wei War]] by attacking a Chinese fortress in 242 in an attempt to cut off Chinese access to its territories in Korea. [[Cao Wei]] of the [[Three Kingdoms|Three Kingdoms of China]] retaliated by invading and destroying [[Hwando]] in 244. This forced the king to flee with Cao Wei in pursuit and broke Goguryeo's rule over the Okjeo and Ye, damaging its economy. The king eventually settled in a new capital, and Goguryeo focused on rebuilding and regaining control. In the early 4th century Goguryeo once again attacked the Chinese (now [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Sima Jin]]) to cut off their access to Korea and this time succeeded, and soon afterward conquered Lelang and Daifang ending the Chinese presence in Korea. However Goguryeo's expansion led to confrontation with the rising Xianbeis. The Xianbeis devastated Goguryeo's capital in the mid 4th century and the king retreated. Goguryeo eventually regrouped and began striking back in the late 4th century by King Gogukyang, culminating with the conquests of Gwanggaeto the Great.<ref name=tennant>{{cite book |year=1996|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SlGnq9flYdMC&pg=PA22 |isbn=0-7103-0532-X |publisher=Kegan Paul International|title=A history of Korea|author=Charles Roger Tennant |author-link = Roger Tennant|page=22}}</ref><ref name="byington93-96">Byington, Mark E. [https://web.archive.org/web/20111005153543/http://english.historyfoundation.or.kr/Data/Jnah/J4_1_S4.pdf "Control or Conquer? Koguryŏ's Relations with States and Peoples in Manchuria,"] ''Journal of Northeast Asian History'' volume 4, number 1 (June 2007):93. pages 93–96</ref>

Goguryeo reached its zenith in the 5th century, becoming a powerful empire and one of the great powers in East Asia,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Roberts|first1=John Morris|last2=Westad|first2=Odd Arne|title=The History of the World |year=2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-993676-2|page=443|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A2cfZkU5aQgC&q=koguryo+powerful+empire|access-date=15 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Gardner|first1=Hall|title=Averting Global War: Regional Challenges, Overextension, and Options for American Strategy|date=27 November 2007|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-60873-3|pages=158–159|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=acvGAAAAQBAJ&q=great+powers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417203941/https://books.google.com/books?id=acvGAAAAQBAJ&q=great+powers|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2021|access-date=15 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Laet |first1=Sigfried J. de |title=History of Humanity: From the seventh to the sixteenth century |year=1994 |publisher=UNESCO |isbn=978-92-3-102813-7 |page=1133 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PvlthkbFU1UC&pg=PA1133 |access-date=10 October 2016 |url-status=live |archive-date=17 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117061404/https://books.google.com/books?id=PvlthkbFU1UC&pg=PA1133}}</ref>{{sfn|Walker|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GBvRs-za0CIC&pg=PA6 6–7]}} when [[Gwanggaeto the Great]] and his son, [[Jangsu of Goguryeo|Jangsu]], expanded the country into almost all of Manchuria, parts of Inner Mongolia,{{sfn|Kim, Jinwung|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA35 35]}} parts of Russia,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kotkin|first1=Stephen|last2=Wolff|first2=David|date=2015-03-04 |title=Rediscovering Russia in Asia: Siberia and the Russian Far East: Siberia and the Russian Far East |publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-46129-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t_DqBgAAQBAJ&q=Koguryo+Siberia+Russia%27s|access-date=15 July 2016}}</ref> and took the present-day city of [[Seoul]] from Baekje.{{sfn|Kim, Jinwung|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA35 35]}} Goguryeo experienced a golden age under Gwanggaeto and Jangsu,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yi |first1=Hyŏn-hŭi |last2=Pak |first2=Sŏng-su |last3=Yun |first3=Nae-hyŏn |title=New history of Korea |publisher=Jimoondang |isbn=978-89-88095-85-0 |page=201 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KO8MAQAAMAAJ |quote=He launched a military expedition to expand his territory, opening the golden age of Goguryeo. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204071809/https://books.google.com/books?id=KO8MAQAAMAAJ |archive-date=2016-12-04 |year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Hall|first1=John Whitney |title=The Cambridge History of Japan |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-22352-2|page=362 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A3_6lp8IOK8C&q=%22The+reign+of+King+Kwanggaet%27o+is+thought+of+as+Koguryo%27s+golden+age+of+political+might+and+Buddhist+splendor.%22|access-date=29 July 2016|year=1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Embree |first1=Ainslie Thomas|title=Encyclopedia of Asian history|publisher=Scribner|isbn=978-0-684-18899-7 |page=324|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LtwpAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Nevertheless%2C+the+reigns+of+Kwanggaet%27o+and+his+successor+Changsu+%28413-491%29+constituted+the+golden+age+of+Koguryo.%22|access-date=29 July 2016|year=1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Cohen|first1=Warren I.|title=East Asia at the Center: Four Thousand Years of Engagement with the World |publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-50251-1|page=50 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Okjd2rDwb8IC&q=%22Koguryo%27s+Golden+Age%22|access-date=29 July 2016 |date=2000-12-20}}</ref> who both subdued Baekje and Silla during their times, achieving a brief unification of the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea]] and becoming the most dominant power of the Korean peninsula.{{sfn|Lee|Park|Yoon|2005|pp=199–202}}{{sfn|Kim, Jinwung|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA35 35]}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Kings and Queens of Korea |url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/archive/program/program_dynasty.htm?no=10039827 |website=KBS World Radio |publisher=Korea Communications Commission |access-date=7 October 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828051916/http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/archive/program/program_dynasty.htm?no=10039827 |archive-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref> Jangsu's long reign of 79 years saw the perfecting of Goguryeo's political, economic and other institutional arrangements.{{sfn|Lee, Ki-baik|1984|pp=38–40}}

Goguryeo was a highly militaristic state;{{sfn|Lee, Ki-baik|1984|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&pg=PA23 23–24]}}{{sfn|Walker|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GBvRs-za0CIC&pg=PA104 104]}} in addition to contesting for control of the Korean Peninsula, Goguryeo had many [[Military history of Goguryeo|military conflicts]] with various Chinese dynasties,{{sfn|Walker|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GBvRs-za0CIC&pg=PA161 161]}} most notably the [[Goguryeo–Sui War]], in which Goguryeo defeated a huge force traditionally said to number over a million men,<ref group=note>modern historians including Graff consider such a figure greatly exaggerated{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}</ref> and contributed to the [[Sui dynasty]]'s fall.<ref>{{cite book|last1=White|first1=Matthew|title=Atrocities: The 100 Deadliest Episodes in Human History|date=7 November 2011|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-08192-3|page=78|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-fQHlaIpR4C&pg=PA78|access-date=8 November 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Grant |first1=Reg G.|title=1001 Battles That Changed the Course of World History|year=2011|publisher=Universe Pub.|isbn=978-0-7893-2233-3|page=104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s4njwZGrZg4C&pg=PA104|access-date=8 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bedeski|first1=Robert|title=Human Security and the Chinese State: Historical Transformations and the Modern Quest for Sovereignty|date=12 March 2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-12597-5|page=90 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iNl9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA90|access-date=8 November 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Lee, Ki-baik|1984|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&pg=PA47 47]}}, "Koguryŏ was the first to open hostilities, with a bold assault across the Liao River against Liao-hsi, in 598. The Sui emperor, Wen Ti, launched a retaliatory attack on Koguryŏ but met with reverses and turned back in mid-course. Yang Ti, the next Sui emperor, proceeded in 612 to mount an invasion of unprecedented magnitude, marshalling a huge force said to number over a million men. And when his armies failed to take Liao-tung Fortress (modern Liao-yang), the anchor of Koguryŏ's first line of defense, he had a nearly a third of his forces, some 300,000 strong, break off the battle there and strike directly at the Koguryŏ capital of P'yŏngyang. But the Sui army was lured into a trap by the famed Koguryŏ commander Ŭlchi Mundŏk, and suffered a calamitous defeat at the Salsu (Ch'ŏngch'ŏn) River. It is said that only 2,700 of the 300,000 Sui soldiers who had crossed the Yalu survived to find their way back, and the Sui emperor now lifted the siege of Liao-tung Fortress and withdrew his forces to China proper. Yang Ti continued to send his armies against Koguryŏ but again without success, and before long his war-weakened empire crumbled."</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Nahm|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/panoramaof5000ye0000nahm/page/18 18]}}: "China, which had been split into many states since the early 3rd century, was reunified by the Sui dynasty at the end of the 6th century. Soon after that, Sui China mobilized a large number of troops and launched a sagiwar against Koguryŏ. However, the people of Koguryŏ were united and they were able to repel the Chinese aggressors. In 612, Sui troops invaded Korea again, but Koguryŏ forces fought bravely and destroyed Sui troops everywhere. General Ŭlchi Mundŏk of Koguryŏ completely wiped out some 300,000 Sui troops which came across the Yalu River in the battles near the Salsu River (now Ch'ŏngch'ŏn River) with his ingenious military tactics. Only 2,700 Sui troops were able to flee from Korea. The Sui dynasty, which wasted so much energy and manpower in aggressive wars against Koguryŏ, fell in 618."</ref>

In 642, the powerful general [[Yeon Gaesomun]] led a coup and gained complete control over Goguryeo. In response, [[Emperor Taizong of Tang|Emperor Taizong of Tang China]] led a [[First conflict of the Goguryeo–Tang War|campaign against Goguryeo]], but was defeated and retreated.{{sfn|Walker|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GBvRs-za0CIC&pg=PA161 161]}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tucker|first1=Spencer C.|date=2009-12-23|title=A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East [6 volumes]: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-672-5 |page=406|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h5_tSnygvbIC&q=%22In+645+he+led+Tang+forces+to+conquer+Koguryo+but+was+defeated.+Again+in+647+and+648+he+sent+out+expeditionary+forces+to+invade+Koguryo%2C+but+these+attacks+were+also+repulsed+by+the+Korean+kingdom.%22|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref>{{sfn|Lee|Park|Yoon|2005|pp= 214–222}}{{sfn|Kim, Jinwung|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA50 50]}} After the death of Taizong, his son [[Emperor Gaozong of Tang|Gaozong]] allied with the Korean kingdom of [[Silla]] and invaded Goguryeo again, but was unable to overcome Goguryeo's stalwart defenses and was defeated in 662.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ring|first1=Trudy|last2=Watson|first2=Noelle|last3=Schellinger|first3=Paul |title=Asia and Oceania: International Dictionary of Historic Places|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-63979-1|page=486|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=voerPYsAB5wC&q=stalwart+defenses|access-date=16 July 2016|language=en|date=2012-11-12}}</ref><ref name="Maps">{{cite book |last1=Injae |first1=Lee |last2=Miller |first2=Owen |last3=Jinhoon |first3=Park |last4=Hyun-Hae |first4=Yi |title=Korean History in Maps |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-09846-6 |page=29 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=46OTBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 |access-date=17 July 2016 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117103513/https://books.google.com/books?id=46OTBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 |archive-date=17 January 2017 |date=2014-12-15 }}</ref> However, Yeon Gaesomun died of a natural cause in 666 and Goguryeo was thrown into chaos and weakened by a succession struggle among his sons and younger brother,{{sfn|Kim, Jinwung|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA51 51]}}{{sfn|Kim, Djun Kil|2014|p=49}} with his eldest son defecting to [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] and his younger brother defecting to Silla.{{sfn|Lee, Ki-baik|1984|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&pg=PA67 67]}} The Tang–Silla alliance mounted a fresh invasion in 667, aided by the defector Yeon Namsaeng, and [[Goguryeo–Tang War|was finally able to conquer Goguryeo]] in 668.{{sfn|Lee|Park|Yoon|2005|pp=224–225}}<ref>{{harvnb|Lee, Ki-baik|1984|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=g2mdVwXpMzwC&pg=PA67 67]}}, "Loath to let slip such an opportunity, T'ang mounted a fresh invasion under Li Chi in 667 and Silla launched a coordinated offensive. This time the T'ang army received every possible assistance from the defector Namsaeng, and although Koguryŏ continued to hold out for another year, the end finally came in 668."</ref>

After the collapse of Goguryeo, Tang and Silla ended their alliance and fought over control of the [[Korea|Korean Peninsula]]. Silla succeeded in gaining control over most of the Korean Peninsula, while Tang gained control over Goguryeo's northern territories. However, 30 years after the fall of Goguryeo, a Goguryeo general by the name of [[Go of Balhae|Dae Jo-yeong]] founded the Korean-Mohe state of [[Balhae]] and successfully expelled the Tang presence from much of the former Goguryeo territories.

===Baekje===
{{Main|Baekje}}

[[File:백제 금동대향로.jpg|upright=0.8|thumb|[[Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje]]]]

Baekje was founded by [[Onjo of Baekje|Onjo]], a Goguryeo prince and the third son of Jumong, the founder of Goguryeo, in 18 BC.<ref>Jonathan W. Best, ''A History of the Early Korean Kingdom of Paekche, together with an annotated translation of "The Paekche Annals" of the "Samguk sagi"'' (Harvard East Asian Monographs, 2007).</ref> Baekje and Goguryeo shared founding myths and originated from [[Buyeo]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=The National Folk Museum of Korea (South Korea)|title=Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Literature: Encyclopedia of Korean Folklore and Traditional Culture Vol. III|date=2014|publisher=길잡이미디어|isbn=978-89-289-0084-8|page=41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DsR3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA41|access-date=10 September 2017|language=en}}</ref> The [[Records of the Three Kingdoms]] mentions Baekje as a member of the [[Mahan confederacy]] in the [[Han River (Korea)|Han River]] basin (near now [[Seoul]]). It expanded into the southwest ([[Chungcheong Province|Chungcheong]] and [[Jeolla Province|Jeolla]] provinces) of the peninsula and became a significant political and military power. In the process, Baekje came into fierce confrontation with Goguryeo and the Chinese commanderies in the vicinity of its territorial ambitions.

At its peak in the 4th century during the reign of [[Geunchogo of Baekje|King Geunchogo]], Baekje absorbed all of the Mahan states and subjugated most of the western Korean peninsula (including the modern provinces of [[Gyeonggi Province|Gyeonggi]], [[Chungcheong Province|Chungcheong]], and [[Jeolla Province|Jeolla]], as well as part of [[Hwanghae Province|Hwanghae]] and [[Gangwon Province, South Korea|Gangwon]]) to a centralized government. Baekje acquired Chinese culture and technology through maritime contacts with the [[Northern and Southern dynasties|Southern dynasties]] during the expansion of its territory.{{sfn|Lee|Park|Yoon|2005|pp= 202–206}}

Baekje was a great maritime power;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ebrey|first1=Patricia Buckley|last2=Walthall |first2=Anne|last3=Palais|first3=James B.|title=East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-618-13384-0|page=123|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0entAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Paekche+was+probably+the+most+important+maritime+nation+in+the+late+fourth+century%22 |access-date=12 September 2016|year=2006}}</ref> its nautical skill, which made it the [[Phoenicia]] of East Asia, was instrumental in the dissemination of Buddhism throughout East Asia and continental culture to Japan.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kitagawa|first1=Joseph|title=The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-87590-8|page=348|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9fyzAAAAQBAJ&q=%22Of+vital+importance+for+the+dissemination+of+Buddhism+throughout+East+Asia%2C+however%2C+was+Paekche%27s+nautical+skill%2C+which+made+the+kingdom+the+Phoenicia+of+medieval+East+Asia.%22|access-date=29 July 2016 |date=2013-09-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ebrey |first1=Patricia Buckley |last2=Walthall |first2=Anne |last3=Palais |first3=James B. |title=East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, Volume I: To 1800 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-1-111-80815-0 |page=104 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CWE8AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104 |access-date=12 September 2016 |year=2013}}</ref> Baekje played a fundamental role in transmitting cultural developments, such as [[Chinese characters]], [[Buddhism]], iron-making, advanced [[pottery]], and ceremonial burial to ancient [[Japan]].{{sfn|Walker|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GBvRs-za0CIC&pg=PA6 6–7]}}<ref>[http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=580 Korean Buddhism Basis of Japanese Buddhism] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165952/http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=%2FST%2Fdb%2Fread.php%3Fidx%3D580 |date=2016-03-03 }}, Seoul Times, 2006-06-18</ref><ref>[http://www.asiasocietymuseum.org/buddhist_trade/koreajapan.html Buddhist Art of Korea & Japan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233011/http://www.asiasocietymuseum.org/buddhist_trade/koreajapan.html |date=2016-03-03 }}, Asia Society Museum</ref><ref>[http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2046.html Kanji] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510085157/http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2046.html |date=2012-05-10 }}, JapanGuide.com</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Pottery – MSN Encarta |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568150_4/Pottery.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029161656/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568150_4/Pottery.html |archive-date=2009-10-29 |url-status=dead }} "The pottery of the Yayoi culture (300? BC-AD 250?), made by a '''Mongol people''' who came from Korea to Kyūshū, has been found throughout Japan. "</ref><ref>[http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=359&pID=334&cName=Japanese History of Japan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031432/http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=359&pID=334&cName=Japanese |date=2016-03-04 }}, JapanVisitor.com</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091029161656/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568150_4/Pottery.html Archived] 2009-10-31.</ref> Other aspects of culture were also transmitted when the Baekje court retreated to Japan after Baekje was conquered by the Silla–Tang alliance.

Baekje was once a great military power on the Korean Peninsula, especially during the time of [[Geunchogo of Baekje|Geunchogo]],<ref>{{cite book|title=A Brief History of Korea|publisher=Ewha Womans University Press|isbn=978-89-7300-619-9|pages=29–30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-WlUd3cjh0C&pg=PT29|access-date=21 November 2016|language=en|date=January 2005}}</ref> but was critically defeated by Gwanggaeto the Great and declined.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yu |first1=Chai-Shin |title=The New History of Korean Civilization |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-1-4620-5559-3 |page=27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYKNdiDCGLAC&pg=PA27 |access-date=21 November 2016 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117110714/https://books.google.com/books?id=TYKNdiDCGLAC&pg=PA27 |archive-date=17 January 2017 |year=2012 }}{{self-published source|date=December 2017}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}} Ultimately, Baekje was defeated by a coalition of Silla and [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] forces in 660.<ref>[http://baekje.chungnam.net/english/index.jsp Baekje history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214055517/http://baekje.chungnam.net/english/index.jsp |date=2009-02-14 }}, Baekje History & Culture Hall</ref>

===Silla===
{{Main|Silla}}
[[File:Hwangnyongsa Pagoda miniature.jpg|upright=0.8|thumb|Downsized replica of the famous 80-meter-tall [[pagoda]] at [[Hwangnyongsa]] Temple which was destroyed by the Mongols]]
[[File:Korea-Gyeongju-Bunhwangsa-Three story stone pagoda-02.jpg|thumb|The [[pagoda]] of [[Bunhwangsa]] temple, 634 AD, which once stood seven to nine stories in height, yet these collapsed to its current state of three stories]]
According to legend, the kingdom of [[Silla]] began with the unification of six chiefdoms of the [[Jinhan confederacy]] by [[Hyeokgeose of Silla|Park Hyeokgeose]] in 57 BC, in the southeastern area of Korea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Silla(新羅) |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0032800 |website=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]]}}</ref> Its territory included the present-day port city of [[Busan]], and Silla later emerged as a sea power responsible for destroying Japanese pirates, especially during the [[Unified Silla]] period.{{sfn|Lee|1997|pp=48–49}}

Silla artifacts, including unique gold metalwork, show influence from the northern nomadic steppes and [[Iranian peoples]] and especially [[Persians]], with less Chinese influence than are shown by Goguryeo and Baekje.{{sfn|Nelson|1993|pp=243–258}} Silla expanded rapidly by occupying the [[Nakdong River]] basin and uniting the city-states.

By the 2nd century, Silla was a large state, occupying and influencing nearby city-states. Silla gained further power when it annexed the [[Gaya confederacy]] in 562. Silla often faced pressure from Goguryeo, Baekje and Japan, and at various times allied and warred with Baekje and [[Goguryeo]].

Silla was the smallest and weakest of the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea]], but it used cunning diplomatic means to make opportunistic pacts and alliances with the more powerful Korean kingdoms, and eventually Tang China, to its great advantage.{{sfn|Kim, Jinwung|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA44 44–45]}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wells |first1=Kenneth M. |title=Korea: Outline of a Civilisation |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-30005-7 |pages=18–19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6zoLCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 |access-date=12 September 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203232114/https://books.google.com/books?id=6zoLCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 |archive-date=3 December 2016 |date=2015-07-03 }}</ref>

In 660, King [[Muyeol of Silla]] ordered his armies to attack Baekje. General [[Kim Yu-sin|Kim Yu-shin]], aided by [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] forces, conquered Baekje. In 661, Silla and Tang moved on [[Goguryeo]] but were repelled. King [[Munmu of Silla|Munmu]], son of Muyeol and nephew of Kim, launched another campaign in 667 and Goguryeo fell in the following year.{{sfn|Lee|Park|Yoon|2005|pp= 222–225}}

===Gaya===
{{Main|Gaya confederacy}}
[[Image:Gold Crown access NT138.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Gold crown and accessories. National Treasure No.138.]]
[[Gaya confederacy|Gaya]] was a confederacy of small kingdoms in the [[Nakdong River]] valley of southern [[Korea]] since AD 42, growing out of the [[Byeonhan confederacy]] of the [[Samhan]] period. Gaya's plains were rich in iron, so export of iron tools was possible and agriculture flourished. In the early centuries, the Confederacy was led by [[Geumgwan Gaya]] in the [[Gimhae]] region. However, its leading power changed to [[Daegaya]] in the [[Goryeong County|Goryeong]] region after the 5th century.

Constantly engaged in war with the three kingdoms surrounding it, Gaya was not developed to form a unified state, and was ultimately absorbed into [[Silla]] in 562.{{sfn|Lee|Park|Yoon|2005|pp= 159–162}}