This book, which organizes the history of the Goryeo Dynasty from its founding to its dynasty's fall and the establishment of Goryeo history in Joseon, attempts to reconstruct the history of the Goryeo Dynasty within the framework of each monarch's ascension to the throne, the composition of the royal family, meritorious retainers, politics and achievements, death, and the challenges of the times.
Goryeo sought to sanctify the royal family and revive and extend the royal legacy by relying on the Mandate of Heaven, the Buddha, the divine spirits of heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, geomancy, and Taoism.
And he sanctified the royal family as the imperial family of the Yongson bloodline and held the Palgwanhoe to declare to the world and the nation that the royal family was protected by the spirits of heaven and the gods of the four heavens.
Yet, he continued to pursue Confucian politics.
The perception that the country was ruled by a divine, saintly monarch was gradually strengthened on this basis.
As a result, Goryeo, starting with Taejo, who established the nation and unified the Three Kingdoms, came to have a perception of the East Asian world centered on Goryeo and a sense of civilization during the reign of King Munjong.


Although Goryeo declined thereafter, the unification of the Three Kingdoms and the unification of the East and the West served as the foundation for Goryeo's civilization and self-esteem.
That is why the Goryeo Dynasty was able to maintain its power for 475 years even after going through military coups, the Goryeo-Mongol War, and the Yuan-Yuan intervention period as a vassal state.
On the other hand, attempts at excessive reform and return to the former king's political model were also poisonous.
Just as Gung Ye was driven out as a tyrant and Taejo ascended to the throne, King Gongyang was also driven out on the grounds that he was a corrupt monarch.
Yi Seong-gye and others forcibly established their legitimacy by eradicating the bloodline of the Goryeo royal family, which had already reached the end of its lifespan.
The Goryeo Dynasty, the kingdom of the emperors, ended with this.

Let's look at the birth of Wang Geon.
He was a holy child, a saint of the three heavens, who had been predicted by his ancestors through geomancy and Taoism.
The land on the southern slope of Songaksan Mountain where he was born was the place where the sacred pig brought by the dragon maiden lay, the place where the energy of Baekdu Mountain descended and gathered, the place of the birth of the emperor, and the place of the heavenly blessing of making 36 houses.
(…) He also grew up to have the physique of a king, with a face like a dragon, a prominent bone in the middle of his forehead, and a square and wide chin.
(…) Although the truth of these contents cannot be known, there are records of official history or tales, and there are devices for reproduction for these, so they become a mechanism for sanctification.
--- p.42

Taejo compiled the tasks and boundaries that the Goryeo Dynasty should keep in mind into “Hunyo” and gave them to Park Sul-hee.
And on the 26th year of King Taejo's reign (943), on the 20th day of the 5th month, he sat down with the support of ministers Yeom Sang, Wang Gyu, and Park Su-mun, and prepared for death by mentioning the words of Emperor Han, "There is nothing in the world that is not born and dies. Death is the law of heaven and earth and the natural course of things, so why should we be so sad?"
(…) The subjects mourned the death of King Taejo, the father of the people.
Taejo finally said, “Life is like a fleeting cloud, it has been like this since ancient times,” and breathed his last.
He was 67 years old.

--- p.85~86

During the reign of King Taejo, the power of the powerful clans and the royal family's relatives were established along with the meritorious retainers of King Taejo and the meritorious retainers of the Three Hans, and those who dreamed of Confucian politics played a supporting role.
However, during the reigns of King Hyejong, King Jeongjong, King Gwangjong, and King Gyeongjong, the powerful officials and powerful clans were purged.
On the other hand, the Confucian political power maintained its power by supporting the royal authority, and it was in line with the new civil service examination candidates who began to appear through the civil service examination during the reign of King Gwangjong.
(…) Seongjong had to harmonize them.
The difficulties of the previous era of chaos became the foundation for the peace that came with the reign of King Seongjong.

--- p.162

In a dynastic society with a one-man ruling structure, royal power was absolute.
But it was not a permanent absolute power.
(…) For this reason, they wanted to symbolize the sacredness by means of a sacred lineage or a orthodox succession.
Furthermore, a method was pursued to create a sacred royal family centered on the direct lineage and create a sacred royal authority based on this.
The narrative of the suffering and sacred bloodline of the Yongson and his Yongbi, that is, the ascension to the throne, had an even more dramatic effect in this respect.
Based on this, King Hyeonjong tried to create and spread the sanctity of himself and the royal family.
--- p.219

This is how King Munjong's era came to an end.
Methods for accumulating merit and virtue were established through Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian rituals and politics, and a medical system was also established to some extent with the advice of doctors from the Song Dynasty.
Measures have been put in place to ensure the health and well-being of the monarch.
With the relics, exhibition departments, salary system, official positions, and government offices being reorganized, Goryeo came to possess a cultural system comparable to that of Song, which was recognized by all as the most advanced civilization at the time.
The titles of military and military officials spoke volumes about this.
The self-confidence and self-esteem that arose after winning the war against the Khitans and through the maintenance of cultural relics expanded into a sense of civilization.
Here, he was respected by the Khitans and Song.
By receiving support and assistance from the Eastern and Western Jurchens, Japan, and Tamna, a world consciousness centered on Goryeo was formed.
That was the perception of the peaceful world ruled by the Emperor of the East Sea, that is, the world of the East Sea.

--- p.303~304

The two major conquests of the Jurchen were thwarted by the Jurchen led by the Grand Historian of the Eastern Jurchen Wanyan Department, Wu Asu, and the Jurchen grew their power centered around the Wanyan Department.
(…) However, King Yeongjong was proud of the results he had already achieved.
Furthermore, by becoming closer to the Song Dynasty, they sought to absorb its culture and make it their own.
After establishing Cheongyeon Pavilion and Bomun Pavilion, he gave lectures to scholars, symbolizing that Goryeo's civilization was the same as that of Song.
Based on this, King Yeongjong was confident that the Goryeo Dynasty was a country protected by the Buddha, a country protected by the Primordial Heavenly Lord, a country protected by the spirits of famous mountains and rivers, and a country guarded by the spirits of heaven.

--- p.381~382

The choice of race was important in running the country.
In this situation, the race chose an operating method of competition, criticism, communication, and integration rather than one-sided politics.
The decision was made with the intention of being cautious and careful, even if it was a little late.
The political stance of the people became a mechanism to control the relocation of the capital to Seogyeong, the declaration of an emperor, and the theory of conquering the Jin Dynasty, which were strongly promoted by Myo Cheong and others.
On the other hand, it served as a stimulus to those who were too conservative about the existing system or were too fixated on the theory of the Four Great Kings.

--- p.424~425

The Choi military regime controlled Goryeo society for 60 years through ruling organizations such as Jungbang, Gyojeongdogam, Jinjangbu, Jinyangbu, Dobang, Jeongbang, Seobang, Sambyeolcho, and Mabyeolcho.
These organizations included military officials, civil servants, and soldiers appointed by the Choi regime.
And they served as the governor's assistants, paying their loyalty to the Choi family governor rather than to the monarch.
(…) The monarch and the tattoo artists also played their own roles.
This was also necessary for the Choi clan's military regime to maintain its power.
For example, he did not kill King Myeongjong while enthroning a new king.
King Heejong condoned the attempt to kill Choi Chung-heon, but he did not kill him, but rather exiled him.
He restored King Gangjong, who had been deposed as the crown prince of King Myeongjong, to the throne, and had his son, King Gojong, succeed to the throne.
Looking at this, we can see that he displayed power that surpassed royal authority, but he did not try to ascend to the throne himself.

--- p.567

King Chungnyeol's frequent visits to the court and long stays were a great burden to Goryeo in many ways.
Of course, the visit had the aspect of showing the status of the Goryeo king, who was the son-in-law of the vassal, to the outside world.
(…) Even so, King Chungnyeol’s frequent visits to the court and long stays, the accompanying of Goryeo officials, and his participation in the Yuan imperial guard could not help but lead to the aspect of being pro-Yuan or pro-Yuan.
The phenomenon of Koryo people becoming Mongolianized began to occur.
This also led to issues regarding the identity of Koryo people, such as receiving Mongolian names as Koryo people.

--- p.612

King Chunghye's reign was in danger throughout due to his greed, lewdness, extravagance, rape, cowardice, corruption, personnel scandals, and excessive spending that went beyond the limits of politics.
(…) This situation was captured in the lyrics of the following song, which was widely known at the time.
“Ayamagojina, from what time did you come?” At first, no one knew what this meant, but when someone explained it, people began to nod their heads.
The content was like this.
“I am in danger of death in Yueyang. If I leave today, when will I return?”
--- p.705~706

The envoy who wrote the genealogy of King Gongmin wrote about King Gongmin's character, conduct, and politics as follows:
“Before ascending to the throne, the king was intelligent, virtuous, and kind, and he had the people’s expectations. After ascending to the throne, he did everything he could to advance politics.
The people of China and abroad were greatly delighted and looked forward to the coming of an era of peace.
After Princess Noguk passed away, I was so overcome with grief that I lost my sense of purpose.
(…) He was also worried that he would not have an heir, so he took another man’s son and made him the grand prince.
Fearing that others would not believe him, he secretly had his concubine rape him, and when she became pregnant, he killed her to silence her.
“If such an unprincipled act had been committed, could one have avoided death?”
--- p.788

Lee Seong-gye told Choi Young, who had been captured, that this situation was unavoidable because the resentment had reached the heavens, and said, “Goodbye, goodbye [好去好去].”
Choi Young was immediately exiled to Gobong-hyeon.
And then, after a meeting at Jijangsa Temple, they began to select those who had resisted the Liaodong Expeditionary Force and decided to punish them.
(…) Choi Young, 73 years old, died.
However, at this time, the people of Gaegyeong voluntarily held a market and mourned his death, and many people shed tears. When his body was thrown on the roadside, people passing by got off their horses.
We can read that the people of that time had deep respect for Choi Young.

--- p.821

Lee Seong-gye himself claimed to be immoral.
Something was needed that could symbolize that the mandate of heaven belonged to Lee Seong-gye.
However, the long drought was resolved by heavy rain the day after his accession to the throne.
Through this, Yi Seong-gye and the founding forces of Joseon asserted that the mandate of heaven and the hearts of the people were with Yi Seong-gye and left it in record.
It was as if it had the logic of a revolution by virtue of virtue.
That is, although the heavens warned the monarch about drought, floods, and frost, King Gongyang did not practice the virtues of the Book of Changes, and so the heavens went beyond sending down disasters and took away the mandate from the Goryeo royal family.
And the logic of a revolution based on the theory of heaven and man's response, in which the will of heaven and the wishes of the people were fulfilled by transferring the mandate of heaven to a virtuous person who claimed to be immoral, was completed.

--- p.869

In 1413 (the 13th year of King Taejong's reign), King Taejong ordered the Ministry of Rites to search for examples of treatment given to descendants of previous dynasties.
The Ministry of Rites stated that in most cases throughout Chinese history, descendants were preserved, and only the Five Barbarians and the Later Jin Dynasty were cut down and destroyed.
Accordingly, Taejong ordered the preservation of the descendants of the previous dynasty and decided his position by saying, “If the Yi clan has the way, what is there to worry about even if there are a hundred Wang clans?”
(…) After the Goryeo Dynasty suffered the turmoil of the extinction of King Gongyang and the Wang clan, it remained in the historical record, maintaining its lineage only through ancestral rites and historical records with a very small number of descendants.

--- p.878