Yi Ŭibang


Yi Ŭibang was a military ruler of Korea during the Goryeo period. He was one of many military dictators of Goryeo in the aftermath of the 1170 warrior rebellion.

Early life

Yi Ŭibang’s ancestral home was Jeonju. In the late reign of King Uijong, while holding the junior 8th-rank post of san-won, he served as gyeonnyong haengsu.

Mushin Revolt

In August 1170, he joined the Goryeo warrior rebellion, which occurred in defiance against the typically minister ruled Korea. Primary leaders of this rebellion was Chŏng Chung-bu and Yi Ko who found that warrior-class treatment was truly unfair and planned a coup d'état to establish a warrior government.
At this time, tensions ran high between the civil officials and the military officers in Goryeo. Although the official rank system was the same for both up to the 3rd rank, the highest positions—those of jaechu —were reserved exclusively for civil officials. Civil servants, especially those who had passed the state examinations, enjoyed far higher social prestige and privileges.
Goryeo’s civil governance made this arrangement seem reasonable, but in practice, it led to some civil officials openly belittling and insulting military officers. King Uijong’s indulgence in pleasure with his civil-official favorites only deepened resentment. Meanwhile, the common soldiers lived in poverty. The coup was thus the product of a mix of political, social, and economic grievances.
Before the coup, Yi Ŭibang and Yi Ko are said to have approached other military officers to plan a revolt. Records in the Goryeosa tell how, in August 1170, while King Uijong was on an outing drinking and composing poetry with civil officials, his escorting soldiers grew hungry and resentful. Yi Ŭibang and Yi Ko used this moment to enlist Chŏng Chungbu in their plot.
Not long after, on the king’s return journey, the royal party stopped at Bohyeonwon outside Gaegyeong. Here, Yi Ŭibang and the others finally drew their swords. They had already assembled the Sungeom-gun and moved to arrest and execute the king’s close civil aides. The Goryeosa describes corpses piled “like mountains,” attesting to the bloodshed.
After detaining the king outside the capital, Yi Ŭibang and Yi Ko led elite troops to seize Gaegyeong before the gates could be closed and the crown prince mobilized. They stormed the palace, the crown prince’s residence, and key government offices, shouting, “Any wearing the civil official’s hat—clerks included—kill them all!” Around 50 civil officials were slaughtered.
To pacify the mutineers, King Uijong promoted them to higher posts. Yi Ǔibang was appointed Jungnangjang of the Eungyang Yongho, and his elder brother Yi Jun-ui was appointed Seungseon. On August 30, they returned him to the palace, and the situation seemed to subside.
But on September 1, court eunuch Wang Gwang-chwi attempted to raise forces to suppress the coup. The plan leaked, and some military leaders, including Yi Ko, sought to kill the king. This was stopped by other officers. The following day, Yi Ŭibang and his allies deposed Uijong, exiling him to Geoje Island, and enthroned his younger brother as King Myeongjong.
Myeongjong rewarded the coup leaders, naming Yi Ŭibang Daejanggun Jeonjunggwan, and Jibju. Though officially appointments of the new king, they were in reality self-assigned spoils of victory. Yi had thus leapt from junior 8th rank to the second-highest military rank of senior 3rd class in a single stroke.
With Myeongjong’s accession, Chŏng Chungbu became Chamji Jeongsa, while Yi Ŭibang and Yi Ko became grand generals. Many others involved in the coup also rose sharply in rank and position, filling high offices far above their previous station. The three leaders even divided between themselves three of Uijong’s private residences, and were honored as Byeoksang Gongsin, their portraits hung in the Hall of Meritorious Subjects.

Governance

The military regime formed immediately after the revolt. This regime was an alliance between those who had taken a moderate stance during the uprising and those who had led it. Chŏng Chungbu, Yang Suk, Yi Soeung, and Gi Takseong were among the moderates, while Yi Ko, Yi Ŭibang, and Chae Won were leaders of the revolt. In reality, however, the key power seems to have been held by those who had led the uprising. This is suggested by the fact that the subsequent power struggles occurred mainly between Yi Ŭibang, Yi Ko, and Chae Won—excluding Chŏng Chungbu. When King Myeongjong ascended the throne, he appointed the following officers to these positions:
  • Chŏng Chungbu: Chamji Jeongsa
  • Yang Suk: Chamji Jeongsa
  • Yi Soeung: Jwasangi Sangsi
  • Yi Ko: Daejanggun, Wiwi-gyeong, Jipju
  • Yi Ŭibang: Daejanggun, Jeonjunggam, Jipju
  • Gi Takseong: Eosadaesa
  • Chae Won: Janggun

Consolidating his power

In 1171, when Grand General Han Sun and Generals Han Gong, Shin Dae-ye, Sa Jik-jae, and Cha Jung-gyu spoke ill of him, Yi Ŭibang—though on friendly terms with Cha Jung-gyu—exiled him and executed the rest. He also began to resent Yi Ko, who had formed ties with rogues and Buddhist monks such as Suhye of Beopunsa Temple and Hyeonso of Gaeguksa Temple, and who harbored ambitions beyond his station. Yi Ko had been the most vehemently anti-civil-official among the coup leaders, even trying to kill all surviving civil officials until Chŏng Chungbu stopped him. In January 1172, when a coming-of-age ceremony was held at Yeojeong Palace for the Crown Prince, Yi Ŭibang and Ch'ae Wŏn attended as Sŏnhwasa and used the occasion to kill Yi Ko. The Goryeosa claims Yi Ko had plotted to make himself king and planned to start an uprising at the banquet, but that the plot was leaked and Yi Ŭibang struck first with the help of the officer Chae Won. Yi Ŭibang ambushed Yi Ko with an iron club, killing him. He released the Sungeomgun to capture and kill Yi Ko’s mother and followers, and exiling his father. Three months later Chae Won and his faction was also killed by Yi Ŭibang, ostensibly for plotting to kill all court officials. During this process, Chŏng Chungbu, fearing harm might come to him, resigned from his post and secluded himself.
After Yi Ko and Chae Won were eliminated, Yi Ŭibang monopolized the military regime. However, it seems that Chŏng Chungbu's influence could not be completely ignored. Yi Ŭibang personally visited the reclusive Chŏng Chungbu with liquor and forged a father-son bond with him. Through this compromise, Yi Ŭibang sought to pacify opposition from senior military officials that might arise from his monopoly on power. As someone who had held low-ranking positions before the uprising, Yi Ŭibang could not afford to alienate senior officers after coming to power.
Yi Ŭibang’s conciliatory stance toward senior military officers can also be seen in his policies toward the Jungbang. After the revolt, the Jungbang’s authority was greatly expanded. Since the first regime established after the uprising was Yi Ŭibang’s, it can be said that the strengthening of the Jungbang began under his rule. The council, composed of generals and grand generals, gained increased authority, which likely reflected Yi Ŭibang’s political consideration for the senior military class.
Alongside this, Yi Ŭibang also had to pay attention to the lower-ranking officers he had relied upon during the uprising. Many of these men, from humble origins, were promoted significantly under his regime—a clear indication of his efforts to reward them.
In 1173, a royal princess was granted to him as wife, making her a gungju. In the Jungbang, he drank and caroused with courtesans alongside other generals, making such a commotion that the noise reached the palace, yet showing no fear. He rose to the posts of Wiwi-gyeong, Heungwiwi Seop Daejanggun, and Ji Byeongbusa. Military men were appointed to local magistrate posts, which had traditionally been reserved for civil officials, thereby opening a new career path for them. This measure appears to have been more for the benefit of lower-ranking officers than for senior generals.

Rebellions

From 1173, armed resistance to military rule began to emerge. While earlier plots had been small and easily crushed, this time real military confrontations broke out.

Kim Bodang's Rebellion

In August 1173, Yi Ŭibang’s regime faced a crisis when it encountered resistance from civil officials—most notably in the Rebellion of Kim Bodang.
Kim Bodang was not an outright opponent of the military regime—his participation in it proves as much. He had harbored considerable dissatisfaction with the politics of King Uijong’s reign and had once advocated the impeachment of those who had endorsed the eunuch Chŏng Ham’s appointment shortly after the revolt. Han Ŏn'guk, his co-conspirator, also had experience serving in the military regime, having overseen the civil service examinations in the 2nd year of Myeongjong’s reign as Right Remonstrance Minister. There is no detailed record of why they turned against the regime, but given that Kim Bodang justified his uprising by calling for the removal of Yi Ŭibang and Chŏng Chungbu and the restoration of Uijong. Although dissatisfied with Uijong’s politics, it is clear they disapproved of Uijong’s deposition and Yi Ŭibang’s seizure of power.
Kim Bodang, Dongbukmyeon Byeongmasa and Ganuidaebu, conspired with Han Eon’guk, Dongbukmyeon Ji Byeongmasa, to raise troops. Kim Bodang proclaimed that his cause was the removal of Yi Ŭibang and Chŏng Chungbu and the restoration of King Uijong. Yi Ŭibang appointed Jang Sunseok and Yu Injun as Namno Byeongmasa, Bae Yunjae as Seohaedo Byeongmasa, and sent Jang Sunseok and others to Geoje to escort the exiled Uijong to Gyeongju. Upon hearing this, Yi Ŭibang ordered Yi Ŭimin to kill Uijong. With the king’s death, Kim Bodang’s forces lost their momentum and collapsed.
During the suppression of Kim Bo-dang’s forces, Yi Ŭibang appointed his cousin Yi Chun-bu as Southern Route Pacification Commissioner alongside Du Gyeong-seung, overseeing the campaign. He strengthened his faction by granting posts to loyal military officers and sealing alliances through marriage. It is thought that the policy of sending many military men as provincial governors during his rule was connected to his consolidation of power.
The rebellion was suppressed in only three months, but its impact was significant. Facing execution, Kim Bodang falsely declared, “There is no civil official who did not conspire with me,” which resulted in a mass slaughter of civil officials. This event, called the Gyesa Rebellion, saw such heavy casualties among the civil class that it is often grouped with the Musin Rebellion under the name Gyeong-Gye Rebellions. Afterward, the political position of civil officials was further weakened. His elder brother Yi Jun-ui persuaded him to ease tensions by promoting marriages between military and civil officials, which temporarily calmed matters.

Revolt of the Monks

In March 1174, Yi Ŭibang married his daughter to the crown prince, aiming to place his future grandson on the throne. As his power grew, so did his arrogance and tyranny. Drinking late into the night with high-ranking officers in the Jungbang was the least of it.
When over 100 monks from Guibeopsa Temple invaded the north gate of the capital and killed Seon-yu, the Seungnok, Yi Ŭibang led troops to repel them. Soon after, about 2,000 monks from various temples—including Junggwang, Hongho, Guibeop, and Honghwa—burned the Sungin Gate and attempted to kill Yi Ŭibang and his brother. Yi Ŭibang assembled Bubyeong, killing over 100 monks, and went on to destroy and burn numerous temples—including Junggwang, Hongho, Guibeop, Yongheung, Myoji, and Bokheung—seizing vast amounts of wealth.
When his brother Yi Jun-ui rebuked him, saying,
Yi Ŭibang tried to kill him, but was stopped by Mun Geuk-gyeom.

Jo Wi-Chong's Rebellion

Jo Wi-chong, Seogyeong Yusu and Byeongbu Sangseo, denounced Yi Ŭibang and Chŏng Chungbu for killing Uijong without giving him a proper burial, and declared:
He sent this proclamation to various fortresses in the northeastern frontier, and over 40 strongholds north of Jeoryeong responded, giving the rebellion great momentum and advanced to the outskirts of Gaeseong. Yi Ŭibang captured and executed high-ranking officials from Seogyeong—including Sangseo Yun In-mi, Grand General Kim Deok-sin, and General Kim Seok-jae—and displayed their heads in the marketplace. He appointed Yun Injam, Jungseo Silang Pyeongjangsa, as commander to lead three armies against Jo Wi-chong, but the government forces were defeated at Jeoryeong Station. He then marched north to suppress the rebels, advancing as far as the Daedong River. However, the scattered Seogyeong forces regrouped and fortified their defenses, leading Yi Ŭibang to camp outside the city for about a month before withdrawing due to severe cold.

Downfall and death

Yi Ǔibang exercises his power at will and disrupting the court, amassing deep resentment among many. Back in Gaegyeong, he began preparations for another campaign against Jo Wi-Chong, even conscripting monks into his forces. Then, in the midst of these preparations, he was lured into an ambush outside Seonuimu Gate by Buddhist monk Chongch'am in collusion with Chŏng kyun, son of Chŏng Chungbu. His associates, including his brother Yi Jun-ui’s allies Go Deuk-won and Yu Yun-won, were also killed, and his daughter was deposed as Crown Princess. Fearing unrest, Chŏng Chungbu explained the circumstances to calm the troops. With Yi Ŭibang dead, power returned to Chŏng Chungbu.

Evaluation

The Goryeosa later noted that “the central military council’s dominance over national affairs was entirely Yi Ŭibang’s doing.” This same source records that after his death, ten monks, including Jongcham—who had taken part in his assassination—were exiled to remote islands.
General Yi Ŭibang's main legacy remains in the balance that was achieved through the purging of scholars during his co-governance with Chong. Before the arrival of Yi, the scholar class had more influence in the government to the extent that the warrior-class was greatly mistreated. With the changing of kings and shifting of power from scholar-class to warrior-class, Goryeo faced a new era. A final and very important legacy is his connection with the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, Yi Sŏnggye. Yi Ŭibang's younger brother Yi In was a 6th generation ancestor of Yi Sŏnggye, thus connecting Yi Ŭibang and Yi Sŏnggye together.

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