Biography

Birth and early life

Gwangjong was born in 925 as Wang So, fourth son of King Taejo, who had founded Goryeo in 918. His mother was Queen Shinmyeongsunseong of the Chungju Yu clan, who also gave birth to princes Wang Tae, Wang Yo, Wang Jeong, and Jeungtong, and princesses Nangnang and Heungbang. Moreover, Gwangjong had twenty half-brothers and seven half-sisters from his father's other marriages.

As he had three older brothers, Mu, Tae and Yo, he was far from the succession to the throne; however, Wang Tae died early on, and Wang Mu died in 945, three years after being crowned king, leaving the throne to Wang Yo, who ruled Goryeo for four years as Jeongjong. Before dying, he decided to make Wang So his heir instead of his one and only son, prince Gyeongchunwon.

According to contemporary Choe Seungno, Gwangjong "was careful and laconic, but bold if he had to seize an opportunity." He had excellent appearance and qualities, and he received a special love from his father.

During his time as a prince, he gave a great contribution in the crowning of Wang Yo as Jeongjong, and played a big role in removing opposing forces to the sovereigns: one was Wang Gyu, who had helped King Taejo in the founding of Goryeo, climbing to the position of prime minister, and who, after King Hyejong was crowned, tried to carry out a coup to raise his grandson, prince Gwangju, to the throne. The second one was Park Sul-hee, a general who promoted the appointment of Hyejong to Crown Prince and continued to support him later, becoming a threat to Jeongjong's coronation.

Reign

When Gwangjong ascended the throne on April 13, 949, at the age of 25, the kingdom of Goryeo was unstable: to unify the Later Three Kingdoms, his father Taejo made alliances with powerful and influential families through marriages. Keeping them satisfied was paramount, as those families all had their own armies and could rebel at any time. For this reason, Gwangjong felt the need to consolidate the power of the king and made the creation of an absolute monarchy the purpose of his entire government. To avoid an increase in the power and in the influence of noble families, he refused to marry a woman from a noble clan, but instead married into the royal family: queen Daemok was his half-sister, whose mother came from the Hwangbo family of Hwangju (ko), while his second wife, princess Gyeonghwagung, was born by his elder half-brother Hyejong, second king of Goryeo, and his first wife, of the Im family of Chinju (ko). Along with studying Taizong of Tang's book Difan (帝範|l=Rules for an emperor) to better understand what to do, as he found many similarities between his situation and that of Taizong, Gwangjong rewarded all those who contributed to the progress of Goryeo, also making much effort to maintain good diplomatic relations with neighboring countries. This allowed him to concentrate power from within and without the court, and, seven years after the start of his reign, enact a series of reforms to promote a stable and royal-centered political system, and to expand economy and military.

His first reform was the law of emancipation of slaves in 956. The noble families had many slaves, mainly prisoners of war, who served as private soldiers; they numbered more than commoners and didn't pay taxes to the crown, but to the clan they worked for. By emancipating them, Gwangjong turned them into commoners, weakening the noble families' power, and gaining people who paid taxes to the king and could become part of his army. This reform won his government the support of the people, while nobles were against it; even queen Daemok tried to stop the king as the law affected her family, but to no avail.

In 957, scholar Shuang Ji was sent to Goryeo as an envoy, and, with his advice, Gwangjong instituted the national civil service examination in 958, with the goal to expel officials who gained court positions due to family influence or reputation rather than by merit. The examination, based on the Tang's civil service exam and the Confucian classics, was open to all male free-borns to give everyone, not only the rich and powerful people, the opportunity to work for the state, but in practice only sons of the gentry could gain the necessary education to take the exam; royal relatives of the five highest ranks were, instead, left out on purpose. In 960, the king introduced different colours for court robes to distinguish officials of different ranks.

During Gwangjong's reign, medical centers known as Daebi-won, which provided free medicines to poor patients, were set up in Kaesong and Pyongyang, later expanding in the provinces as the Hyeminguk. Taejo had established regional granaries to face the times of drought, and Gwangjong added jewibo, stores which charged interests on grain loans, which were then used for poor relief. These measures, even if in modified forms, kept on working for the next 900 years, parallel to better cultivation methods to keep up with the growth of population.

When emperor Shizong of Later Zhou died in 959, leaving the throne to his six-year-old son, the dynasty fell as the army, who was marching towards the northern border, defected and chose its commander Zhao Kuangyin as emperor. As Zhao decided to return from battlefield to found the Song dynasty, he left the mountains of Manchuria and the northern plains to Khitans and Jurchens. To improve Goryeo's defences, Gwangjong reorganized and expanded military, and built twelve garrisons along the northeast and northwest borders; also, under his reign, the kingdom moved the border beyond the Chongchon river, heading towards the Yalu river.

Gwangjong saw the association of religious institutions and the state as an aid to subdue local lords, and chose the abbot of Haeinsa Temple to promote Buddhism among the people. He took capable monks as advisers, and promoted the construction of temples: for example, he built the Yongjusa Temple in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, in 962, and the Cheongpyeongsa Temple in Chuncheon, Gangwon, in 973. The king also created an exam for Buddhist priests, called seonggwa, to link the government and the church, and he attempted to make peace between the Zen and textual schools to unify them under a single order, but he didn't have much success.

Other actions undertaken to reinforce the royal authority were naming Goryeo an empire and himself Emperor, thus ending tributary relationships with China; calling Kaesong the Imperial Capital and Pyongyang the Western Capital, and adopting the era name Gwangdeok from 949 to 951, and Junpung from 960 to 963. By placing himself in the position of the emperor, he tried to instill in his servants that he had an absolute power.

Gwangjong's reforms were not well-received by the nobles, especially by high military and civil officials who helped his father in the foundation of Goryeo. The dissent of the nobles led them to stage a rebellion, but this attempt failed. In his eleventh year of reign, 960, Gwangjong started a series of purges, killing off his opposers: among them, there were his brother Wang Won (ninth prince Hyoeun), who was suspected of treason and poisoned, king Hyejong's son prince Heunghwa, and king Jeongjong's son prince Gyeongchunwon. Gwangjong also mistrusted his eldest son Wang Ju, who was five years old at the time. At the end of the purges, only forty of Taejo's 3,200 meritorious subjects who helped him in unifying the Later Three Kingdoms were still alive.

Later years and death

In his later years, Gwangjong's reliance on Buddhism increased. In 968, after a nightmare, he convened a reunion and banned the slaughter of his family. In December 971, an earthquake occurred in Goryeo, and the nobles and the people blamed the king. Gwangjong managed to handle the situation, but a second earthquake occurred in February 972: during this time, he had a nightmare and granted amnesty to prisoners in August.

He developed a serious disease in July 975 (fifth month of the Lunar calendar) and died just a few days later at the age of 50. He was given the posthumous name of "Hongdoseon-yeolpyeongse sukheon-ui hyoganghye daeseong dae-wang", while his temple name Gwangjong means "shining emperor". His tomb, called Heolleung, is located on the north side of Mount Songak, in Kaepung County, North Korea. The site inspection in 1916 found a severely damaged tomb, but the stairway and the foundation stone are preserved.

He was succeeded by his only son Wang Ju, who became the fifth king of Goryeo, Gyeongjong. The reform policies to curb the power of the capital aristocracy were passed down to his successors, but they weren't able to pursue them; as a result, the bureaucracy turned from a meritorious aristocracy to a hereditary class. The law of emancipation of slaves was retracted during the sixth king's, Seongjong's reign.

Legacy

Gwangjong's bold reform policy weakened the nobles and stabilized the kingship. In addition, the national civil service examination caused the raise of a new wave of political forces, while a new cultural heritage was developed independently by taking inspiration from China. Though Hyejong and Jeongjong established their reigns by relying on strong power bases represented by general Park Sul-hee and uncle Wang Sik-ryeom, respectively, Gwangjong established his own power base, and, in order to restrain the power of wealthy people and influential vassals, he encouraged consanguineous marriages to avoid troubles with maternal relatives. He is regarded as the king who made the most strenuous and energetic efforts to strengthen the kingship in the early Goryeo.

His reforms contributed greatly to the formation of a new political order in the newborn kingdom of Goryeo, but they were mainly limited to politics; the restructuring of the local government, and the reorganization of national economy and social system were comparatively weak. He was always wary of the possibility of hostile acts, and killed nobles and relatives recklessly.

One of the most influential thinkers of the time was Choe Seungno, the son of a high-ranked official, who strongly opposed Gwangjong's autocracy. He believed that the privileges of the nobility were to be protected, and that having as officials the sons of provincial gentlemen with no power base at the court would put it in danger. Therefore, he condemned Gwangjong for his obsession with Buddhism and public projects, which, according to him, drove the kingdom into debt, and declared him a tyrant for his cruelty. In the memorial he drew up for the sixth king of Goryeo, Seongjong, he wrote:

Family

• Father: King Taejo (고려 태조; 31 January 877 – 4 July 943)

• Mother: Queen Sinmyeongsunseong of the Chungju Yu clan (신명순성왕후 유씨; 900 – 951)

• Consorts and their respective issue(s):

• Queen Daemok of the Hwangju Hwangbo clan (대목왕후 황보씨), half sibling

• #Wang Ju (왕주, 9 November 955 – 13 August 981), 1st son - Gyeongjong of Goryeo

• #Crown Prince Hyohwa (효화태자), died prematurely

• #Lady Cheonchujeon (천추전부인), first daughter, born Wang Aji. She married her cousin Cheonchujeon, son of Gwangjong's full younger brother Wang Jeong (Prince Munwon) and Lady Munhye, who was born from one of king Taejo's concubines

• #Lady Bohwa (보화궁부인), second daughter

• #Queen Mundeok (문덕왕후), third daughter. She married the sixth king of Goryeo, Seongjong

• Lady Gyeonghwa (경화궁부인), daughter of Hyejong of Goryeo and Queen Uihye (의화왕후)

• Royal Noble Consort Hyeon of the Kim clan (현비 김씨)

In popular culture

• Portrayed by Kim Sang-joong in the 2002 KBS TV series The Dawn of the Empire.

• Portrayed by Jung Seung-woo in the 2009 KBS2 TV series Empress Cheonchu.

• Portrayed by Jang Hyuk in the 2015 MBC TV series Shine or Go Crazy.

• Portrayed by Lee Joon-gi in the 2016 SBS TV series Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.

生平

高麗光宗是定宗的同母弟，但卻是由信州院夫人康氏撫養長大的。949年，定宗病危，召光宗入內禪位。時年25歲光宗繼承高麗王位，建年號光德。當時高麗政局不穩，太祖王建為了統一後三國，與許多豪族結盟，這些豪族為了掌控政權發生了激烈的競爭。光宗見證了兄弟爭位的一系列事件，覺得應該鞏固王權、獎勵對高麗發展有功之人，以及與鄰國建立良好外交關係。高麗光宗經常讀唐太宗的《貞觀政要》，發現自己的處境與唐太宗有頗多相似之處。在949年的稅務規範化之後，光宗開展了一系列改革，來推動穩定的、以王室為中心的政治體系，並發展經濟和軍事。

956年，光宗開始了第一項改革。他出臺了《》，沒收了富裕家庭的私奴。此項改革令朝廷贏得了百姓的支持，被釋放的奴隸成為平民，戰時成為士兵，而他們也要像平民一樣交稅，這增加了國家財政收入。隨後，光宗改組並發展軍隊，以面對北方的契丹和女真，在東北和西北建立了十二個座哨所，取消了都城和各地的領主，以朝廷任命的官員代之。

958年，光宗確立高麗的科舉制度，命令翰林學士雙冀開科取士，以科舉考試選拔出來的官員來取代世族勢力。960年，從中國引入百官公服制度，並以開京（今開城）為皇都，西京（今平壤）為西都。

光宗的改革受到士族的強烈阻撓，尤以開國功臣為甚。對此光宗非常強硬，他鼓勵告密，將這些敢於叛亂的士族投獄處決，不少功臣遭到殺戮。人們十分畏懼，不敢偶語。

在外交上，光宗確定了「外王內帝」的方針，對中原王朝自稱國王，在國內自稱皇帝。953年，後周太祖郭威派遣衛尉卿王演、將作少監呂繼贇出使高麗，冊封光宗為特進、檢校、大保使持節、玄菟州都督、充大義軍使兼御史大夫、高麗國王。光宗在949年至952年期間自行使用光德年號，之後，改用後周年號。960年至963年期間自行使用峻豐為年號，之後又改用北宋的年號。

光宗一生崇信佛教，將有才能的僧侶提拔為自己的顧問，僧人被他封為國師，被封為王師，參與政治事務。光宗在位期間建立了許多寺廟。光宗還開創了考試制度來測試僧人的佛學知識水平，使僧侶能夠在官府和寺院中得以晉升。他試圖藉此將眾多佛教宗派統一為一個思想，但最後失敗了。

光宗於975年7月病重，數日後死去，時年51歲。其子景宗王伷繼位，給他上廟號光宗，諡號大成大王，葬於。穆宗五年（1002年）四月加諡宣烈，顯宗五年（1014年）三月加平世，十八年（1027年）四月加肅憲，文宗十年（1056年）十月加懿孝，高宗四十年（1253年）十月加康惠，稱弘道宣烈平世肅憲懿孝康惠大成大王。

後世評價

• 《高麗史》：「王卽位之初，禮待臣下，明於聽斷，恤貧弱，重儒雅，夙夜孜孜，庶幾治平。中歲以後，信讒好殺，酷信佛法，奢侈無節。」

• 高麗儒學學者李齊賢評價：「光宗之用雙冀，可謂立賢無方乎？冀果賢也，豈不能納君於善，不使至於信讒濫刑耶？若其設科取士有以見光宗之雅，有用文化俗之意，而冀亦將順以成其美，不可謂無補也。惟其倡以浮華之文，後世不勝其弊雲。」

家庭

父母

• 父：高麗太祖 王建

• 母：神明順成王后 劉氏

兄弟姐妹

• 兄：太子 王泰

• 兄：高麗定宗 王堯 三王子

• 弟：文元大王 王貞 十四王子

• 弟：證通國師

• 姐妹：安貞淑儀公主王氏，又稱神鸞宮夫人、樂浪公主，新羅敬順王金傅之妻。

• 姐妹：興芳宮主，異母兄弟元莊太子之妻。

妻妾

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子女

影視形象

心疼

附註