PoliticsJuly 1232(Lunar)

Moving the Capital to Ganghwa

To fight a long war against Mongol domination, Choe U moved the capital from Gaegyeong to Ganghwa Island, where the court remained for 39 years until 1270.

Goryeo palace site on Ganghwa Island, seat of the court for 39 years after the 1232 move
Jjw · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

The move exploited the Mongols’ weakness at sea. Palaces and offices modelled on Gaegyeong and new walls were built on Ganghwa, and tax grain from the southern rice lands came by sea. People on the mainland were ordered into mountain fortresses and onto islands.

The Mongols answered with a second invasion. The court on Ganghwa held out, but the mainland population suffered terribly from repeated invasions. The site of the Goryeo palace survives in Ganghwa town.

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The map in 1232

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States and rulers at the time: Goryeo — Gojong
Mongol Empire — Ögedei Khan
Places: Ganghwa, Songak (Kaesong)

People

Choe U1249
leader · Son of Choe Chung-heon who set up the Jeongbang personnel office and moved the court to Ganghwa in 1232
King Gojong of Goryeo1192 – 1259
monarch · Twenty-third king of Goryeo, who reigned through the Mongol invasions from Ganghwa Island

Before and after

Earlier: 1231 Park Seo’s Defence of Gwiju
Later: 1232 Battle of Cheoinseong

Themes that include this event

Ganghwa Island1000 BC – 2011
From dolmens to the Treaty of Ganghwa — Goryeo’s refuge capital and the stage of Korea’s opening, the island the kingdom fell back on in every crisis