Mahan confederacy


Mahan was a tribal grouping in southwestern Korea described in Chinese sources from the 3rd century. It was the largest of the 'three Hans', along with Byeonhan and Jinhan. During the 4th century, the kingdom of Baekje rose in the territory of Mahan and became one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Etymology

"Mahan" is believed to be a combination of the Old Korean words "ma", meaning "south", and "han", meaning "big". Together, the name could possibly be interpreted as "Big Nation of the South".
As part of the Samhan, Jinhan meant "Big Nation of the East" and Byeonhan meant "Big Nation of Shimmer".

History

Mahan probably developed from the existing bronze society of third to second centuries BCE, continuing to absorb migration from the north in subsequent centuries. King Jun of the kingdom of Gija Joseon in northern Korea, having lost the throne to Wiman, fled to the state of Jin in southern Korea around 194–180 BCE. He and his followers are thought to have established a base within Jin territory. It is not certain whether Mahan conquered or arose out of this entity, but Mahan was certainly influenced by this influx of northern culture.
Further migration followed the fall of Wiman Joseon and establishment of the Chinese commanderies in the Korean peninsula region in 108 BCE. It is described in the Chinese chronicle Records of the Three Kingdoms and the much later Korean chronicles Samguk Yusa and Samguk Sagi.
In the 1st century CE, the Wolji/Mokji state, that formed and led Mahan confederacy, was defeated in struggles with Baekje, another member of Mahan, and consequently losing whole region of present-day Han River basin. But the San Guo Zhi recorded the Han state fallen in struggles with the Lelang commandery and Daifang commandery in the 246. Under continuous pressure from Baekje, only 20 statelets of Mahan confederacy survived until the late 3rd century. Baekje eventually absorbed or conquered all of Mahan by the 5th century, growing into one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Silla and Goguryeo.

Politics

Kings of Mahan occasionally called themselves "King of Jin," referring to the earlier Jin state and asserting nominal sovereignty over all of Samhan. A wealth of bronze artifacts and production facilities indicate that Mahan was probably the earliest developed of the three Hans. At its height, Mahan covered much of the Han River Basin and the modern-day provinces of Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Jeolla, although political unity was strongest led by Mokji state in Cheonan, Chungcheong.

Legacy

Goryeo historians identified Mahan with Goguryeo, which was supported by their works like Samguk Sagi, Samguk Yusa and Jewang Ungi. That historical view was previously given by Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn, a noted Confucian scholar and historian in the late Silla period. Apart from the geographical location of Mahan, the Chinese historical record History of Song defines the ethnical origin of the Jeong-an kingdom, a successor state of Balhae, as Mahan.
In the late Joseon period, that historical notion came under criticism by early Silhak scholar Han Baek-gyeom, who emphasized the linkage between Mahan and Baekje in terms of the geographical location.

Monarchs of Mahan confederacy

Mahan was an ancient Korean confederacy established after the fall of Jin. The following list is based on the records of the Cheongju Han clan.
#WesternizedHanja/HangulPeriod of reign
1King Jun箕準（기준）220–193BCE
2King Gang康王（강왕）193–189BCE
3King An箕龕（기감）189–157BCE
4King Hye箕寔（기식）157–144BCE
5King Myung箕武（기무）144–113BCE
6King Hyo箕亨（기형）113–73BCE
7King Yang箕燮（기섭）73–58BCE
8King Won箕勳（기훈）58–33BCE
9King Gye箕貞（기정）33–17BCE

Statelets

According to the San Guo Zhi, Mahan consisted of 54 statelets of up to ten thousand families each: