Founding legend The legendary founder of the Buyeo kingdom was
Hae Mo-su, the "Dongmyeong of Buyeo" which literally means "
Holy King of Buyeo". Hae Mo-su is said to be the father to famous historical figures in Korean history. Famously,
Dongmyeong, the founder of
Goguryeo, is described as the son of Hae Mo-su and
Lady Yuhwa who was the daughter of
Habaek. He was also the father to
Hae Buru, the founder of
Eastern Buyeo and another son of Lady Yuhwa as well as brother to Dongmyeong, who carried his father's kingdom's name to his newly founded kingdom. However, the legendary accounts are considered mystifying due to different sources positing different genealogies. According to the
Samguk yusa, it is said that Dongmyeong of Goguryeo and Buru of Buyeo were both sons of Lady Yuhwa, but their fathers were different, Dongmyeong being Hae Mo-su's offspring while Buru being
Tan'gun's. The author of the
Samguk yusa,
Il-yeon, suspected that therefore, the two individuals were half-brothers. The
Samguk sagi by
Kim Pusik offered a completely different story with Dongmyeong being a child that was born from an egg after his mother, Lady Yuhwa, was discovered/rescued by
Geumwa of Buyeo and was touched by sunlight. It is said that Geumwa was the son of Buru which makes him the grandson of Hae Mo-su, and Dongmyeong being his adopted son, becoming Hae Mo-su's great grandson. However, since the
Samguk yusa and
Samguk sagi were created by different authors with different intentions, the general consensus is that the founding story is merely a legend and should not be taken literally.
Early period The exact founding year of Buyeo is unclear. However, it most likely coexisted with
Old Chosŏn (2333[?]–108 BCE) and the
Jin state (4th–2nd century BCE), and was founded prior to the formation of the
Four Commanderies of Han which happened after the fall of Old Chosŏn in the 2nd century BCE by the
Han dynasty of China. It is speculaterd to have emerged from the Bronze Age polities of the ancient Seodansan (선도산; present-day
Xituanshan) and Liangquan (凉泉; present-day
Liaodong) archaeological cultures in the context of trade with various ancient Chinese polities. In particular was the state of
Yan which introduced iron technology to Manchuria and the Korean peninsula after its conquest of Liaodong in the early third century BCE. Ethnically, the inhabitants of the kingdom were the same as Old Chosŏn, being the Yemaek people, but different from the Jin state, as its successor polities' inhabitants were said to be closer to the people of
Wa (Japan) according to the
Book of Wei - Volume 30. It likely remained that way until the end of the
Samhan period, and the beginning of the
Three Kingdoms period of Korea, where it is said that the indigenous people (Yemaek people) of Old Chosŏn founded southern kingdoms such as
Silla, which hints at a continuous migration from Old Chosŏn–Buyeo (and possibly Eastern Buyeo) to the southern part of the Korean peninsula.
Relations with Chinese dynasties In the later
Western Han (202 BCE–9 CE), Buyeo established close ties with the
Xuantu Commandery, one of
Four Commanderies of Han, according to volume 85 of the
Book of the Later Han (Treatise on the Dongyi), although it proceeded to becoming a nominal tributary-state and practical ally of Eastern Han in 49 CE. This was advantageous to the Han as an ally in the northeast would curb the threats of the Xianbei in western Manchuria and eastern Mongolia and Goguryeo in the Liaodong region and the northern Korean peninsula. The Buyeo elites also sought this arrangement as it legitimized their rule and gave them better access to Han's prestige trade goods. During a period of turmoil in China's northeast, Buyeo attacked some of Eastern Han's holdings in 111, but relations were mended in 120 and thus a military alliance was arranged. Two years later, Buyeo sent troops to the
Xuantu commandery to prevent it from being destroyed by Goguryeo when it sent reinforcement to break the siege of the commandery seat. In 167 CE, Buyeo attacked the Xuantu commandery but was defeated. When
Emperor Xian (189–220 CE) ruled
Eastern Han, Buyeo was reclassified as a tributary of the
Liaodong Commandery of Han. In 285 the
Murong tribe of the
Xianbei, led by
Murong Hui, invaded Buyeo, pushing King Uiryeo (依慮) to suicide, and forcing the relocation of the court to
Okjeo. Considering its friendly relationship with the
Jin Dynasty, Emperor
Wu helped King
Uira (依羅) revive Buyeo. According to accounts in the
Zizhi Tongjian and the
Book of Jin, the Murong attacked the Buyeo and forced the Buyeo to relocate several times in the 4th century. Originally, the Murong Xianbei created the Yan states, with five states emerging during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, and thus were able to do so.
Later period and demise According to the
Samguk sagi, in 504, the tribute emissary Yesilbu mentions that the gold of Buyeo could no longer be obtainable for tribute as Buyeo had been driven out by the
Malgal and the Somna and absorbed into
Paekche. It is also shown that the
Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei wished that Buyeo would regain its former glory. A remnant of Buyeo seems to have lingered around modern
Harbin area under the influence of Goguryeo. Buyeo paid tribute once to
Northern Wei in 457–8, but otherwise seems to have been controlled by Goguryeo. In 494, Buyeo was under attack by the rising Wuji (also known as the
Mohe, ), and the Buyeo court moved and surrendered to Goguryeo.
Legacy Many ancient historical records indicate the "Jolbon Buyeo" (), apparently referring to the incipient
Goguryeo or its capital city. In 37 BCE,
Dongmyeong became the first king of
Goguryeo. Dongmyeong went on to conquer
Okjeo,
Dongye, and Haengin, regaining some of Buyeo and former territories of Old Chosŏn. The name of the kingdom was later incorporated into the ruling class of Paekche (descendants of Goguryeo, and thus Buyeo) with their clan name being called the "
Buyeo clan". ==Culture==