Three Kingdoms of Korea
Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla and the Gaya states in eight units: how each began, how Buddhism arrived, what the Gwanggaeto Stele says, the wars with Sui and Tang, Silla’s victory over Tang in 676 and the founding of Balhae. Each unit has a timeline, flashcards, a simplified map or diagram and practice questions. Dates follow the National Institute of Korean History; founding dates before about 300 CE come from the Samguk sagi and Samguk yusa and are debated.
About this course
The Samguk sagi tells how Jumong, whose name was linked to skill with the bow, was born from an egg laid by Yuhwa, daughter of the river god Habaek. Jealous Buyeo princes drove him south, and in 37 BCE he set up his capital by the Jolbon river and is remembered as King Dongmyeong. Silla and Gaya have egg stories of their own: Hyeokgeose, raised by six villages in 57 BCE, and Suro, one of six boys from golden eggs in 42 CE. Dates before about 300 CE come from the Samguk sagi and Samguk yusa and are debated, and the course marks which are which.
The eight units introduce each state in turn. Goguryeo moved its capital twice, to Gungnae-seong and in 427 to Pyongyang. Baekje chose Ungjin, today's Gongju, within about a month after Hanseong fell in 475. Silla rulers did not use the title king at first, and it took four other titles before Jijeung adopted it. Gaya was never one kingdom: in 2023 UNESCO listed seven separate burial grounds. The next units cover how Buddhism arrived, accepted by Goguryeo in 372, Baekje in 384 and Silla in 527, and the Gwanggaeto Stele, 6.39 metres tall with about 1,775 characters. In 612 Emperor Yang of Sui led 1,133,800 soldiers against Goguryeo and 2,700 of 305,000 picked men made it back. The last unit covers Silla's war with Tang, ending at Gibeolpo in 676, and the founding of Balhae.
The Gwanggaeto Stele was forgotten after Goguryeo fell in 668, and it was identified again only around 1880.
Before you start
Goguryeo and Samhan first appear at the end of Prehistory and Gojoseon, so that course sets the scene. Dates are written in BCE and CE, and a few questions subtract one year from another, so it helps to be at ease with counting across the turn of the era.
When you finish
You will be able to trace Goguryeo's and Baekje's moves between capitals, explain how Silla grew from six villages and why Gaya stayed a league, and give the years Buddhism reached each kingdom. You can say what the Gwanggaeto Stele records, describe the wars against Sui and Tang, and explain how Silla's war with Tang ended in 676 as Balhae rose.
- 1Goguryeo, the northern kingdomGoguryeo moved its capital three times: from Jolbon to Gungnae-seong on the Amnok River, in 427 to Pyongyang, and in 586 to Jangan-seong inside Pyongyang.
- 2Baekje, the kingdom of three capitalsWhen Hanseong fell in 475, Baekje chose a new capital at Ungjin, today’s Gongju, within about a month.
- 3Silla, from six villages to a kingdomSilla rulers did not use the title "king" at first; it took four other titles before Jijeung, the 22nd ruler, adopted it.
- 4Gaya, the league on the south coastGaya was never one kingdom: in 2023 UNESCO listed seven separate burial grounds, each belonging to a different Gaya polity.
- 5How Buddhism came to the Three KingdomsGoguryeo accepted Buddhism in 372 and Baekje in 384, but Silla waited until 527, more than 150 years after Goguryeo.
- 6The Gwanggaeto SteleThe stone is 6.39 metres tall and carries about 1,775 characters on all four sides; around 150 of them can no longer be read.
- 7Goguryeo against Sui and TangIn 612 Emperor Yang of Sui led 1,133,800 soldiers against Goguryeo; of the 305,000 picked men sent toward Pyongyang, 2,700 made it back.
- 8Silla’s war with Tang (676) and the rise of BalhaeThe seven-year war between Silla and Tang ended at Gibeolpo in 676, eight years after Goguryeo fell.
Sources for this course (9)
- 국사편찬위원회 우리역사넷 (contents.history.go.kr): 한국사 연대기 고대 (고구려 건국, 고구려의 천도, 율령 반포, 광개토대왕릉비, 고구려·수 전쟁, 살수대첩, 고구려·당 전쟁, 고구려 부흥운동, 관산성전투, 백제 건국, 신라 건국, 박혁거세, 김수로왕, 포상팔국의 난, 대가야 멸망, 거칠부, 발해 건국, 발해의 천도, 발해 멸망)
- 신편 한국사 6권 (웅진천도와 정정의 불안, 웅진시대)
- 교과서 속 우리역사 (삼국의 불교 수용, 백제와 일본의 교류, 발해의 발전)
- 한국민족문화대백과사전 (encykorea.aks.ac.kr): 이차돈, 법흥왕, 나당전쟁, 황산벌전투, 수로왕
- 국립중앙박물관 (museum.go.kr): 사유의 방, 금동 반가사유상 (덕수3312)
- 유네스코한국위원회 (unesco.or.kr): 가야고분군 세계유산 등재 (2023)
- Founding dates before about 300 CE follow the Samguk sagi and Samguk yusa as reported by these sources
- historians debate them. Map coastlines: Natural Earth 1:110m (public domain)
- circles mark core areas only, not borders.
Checked: 2026-10-17