Volta
Person1219 – 1274

King Wonjong

Twenty-fourth king of Goryeo, who made peace with Kublai and returned the court to Gaegyeong in 1270

As crown prince in 1259 he went to sue for peace with the Mongols and met Khubilai, securing a promise that Goryeo could keep its own customs. After taking the throne he ended the military regime and returned the capital to Gaegyeong in 1270, prompting the Sambyeolcho to resist from Jindo and Jeju. When official salaries fell short, he granted salary land (nokgwajeon) in eight counties of the capital region in 1271.

Show on the map

Where they went

Open the full map

OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors

3 related events

  1. 1
    1270Return of the Capital to Gaegyeongmonarch

    Having made peace with the Mongols, Goryeo moved its capital back from Ganghwa to Gaegyeong once the military regime fell, ending a century of military rule and beginning the period of Yuan domination.

  2. 2
    1270 – 1273Sambyeolcho Resistancemonarch

    Rejecting the return to Gaegyeong, the Sambyeolcho under Bae Jung-son rose on Ganghwa and, moving to Jindo and then Jeju, held out for three years against combined Goryeo and Mongol forces.

  3. 3
    1271Salary Land (Nokgwajeon) Grantedmonarch

    With the jeonsigwa in ruins and salaries hard to pay, Wonjong granted officials land in eight counties of Gyeonggi as salary land.

People who appear alongside

  • Kublai Khan (Emperor Shizu of Yuan)1215 – 1294

    Fifth Great Khan and founder of the Yuan dynasty, who made peace with Goryeo and launched the invasions of Japan

  • Bae Jung-son1271

    Leader of the Sambyeolcho who rejected the return to Gaegyeong and resisted from Jindo

  • Kim Tong-jeong1273

    Sambyeolcho leader who fought on from Jeju after Jindo fell

Themes this person appears in

  • Changes in the Land SystemAD 687 – 1950

    From nogeup to the end of office land — how the rights granted to officials shrank, and gave way to modern land ownership

  • Military Systems Through the AgesAD 685 – 1907

    From the Nine Oath Banners to the Two Armies and Six Guards, the Five Commands and garrison system, the Five Army Camps and the Board of Marshals — armies rebuilt at every crisis

  • GaeseongAD 901 – 2003

    From Wang Geon, lord of Songak, to the Kaesong Industrial Complex — Gaegyeong, Goryeo’s capital for five centuries, and home of the Song merchants

  • 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

  • Jeju Island1270 – 1948

    From Tamna to Jeju — the Sambyeolcho’s last stand, Yuan horse ranches, castaways and exiles, and the island of April 3