Everything about Yi Gwal totally explained
Yi Gwal was a Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty.
Perhaps he's best known for his rebellion against the government of
King Injo in 1624, but prior to that date, he was a very able and brilliant commander.
Background
In 1622, he joined the Injo revolution or (인조반정) which was a movement in Korea to get rid of the government of King
Gwanghaegun, who advocated evenhanded diplomacy between the
Ming and the
Qing. At that time, the
Han Ming Dynasty had recently fallen to the invading
Jurchen, who had renamed themselves the
Manchu. Historically, Korea was in a long time conflict with the semi-nomadic Jurchen tribes, who inhabited the wide plains of Manchuria. They took
Liaoning during the late Ming and established the
Later Jin dynasty.
Yi Gwal revealed his military genius during the revolution, and was one of the first to capture the capital of Hanyang and exile
Gwanghaegun. However, despite his amazing victories in the revolution, he was rewarded only as a second class helper and neglected by the King.
As the relations with Later Jin deteriorated, the Korean government sent Yi Gwal to the border of
Pyongan Province to ward off invasions. There, Yi strengthened the walls and fortresses around the border and maintained strict military order. Moreover, recent historians argue that the reason Injo sent Yi Gwal to the border wasn't due to political crisis. The popular argument states that Injo was very aware of Yi Gwal's talented skills and sent him north to give him the command of a powerful army of Korea.
Out of the fifteen thousand troops stationed in the northern border, Yi Gwal had command of ten thousand, stationed in
Yongbyon while the five thousand stayed with General
Jang Man in
Pyongyang.
Yi Gwal's Rebellion
Interestingly, Korea's political stance at the time caused the downfall of this able general. Since the establishment of a Confucian dynasty by
King Taejo, there had been political disputes between the parties in the government. Some disputes even ended up in bloodshed, like the one which occurred in the time of King
Yeonsangun. Also, during the time of
King Seonjo just before the
Seven Years' War, the political parties had been divided between East and West. The Eastern Party gradually split up into two parties called the Northern and Southern Parties.
In January of 1624, the Western Party, recently unsatisfied with the success of Yi Gwal (who was part of the Northern Party), made a petition to the King stating that Yi-Gwal and some members of the Northern Party were planning a rebellion. As these ministers all had a close relationship with the King, the petition was examined. However, the reports proved false, and the Western Party failed to condemn Yi Gwal. They tried again soon after, which provoked the suspicion of the King.
The government soon sent an examination and arrest party to Yongbyon to arrest Yi Gwal's son Yi Jeon. As he suspected that he himself would be condemned if his son confessed, he decided on a pre-emptive strike. Finally, he killed the arrest party and the rebellion officially began in January 22nd, 1624. He and his ten thousand troops headed straight for Hanyang, to relieve the capital and capture the King.
The first clash with the government troops happened on the
Hamgyongdo, where the government troops were being led by his close friends, Jeong Chung-Sin and Nam Yi-Hong. He tried to avoid these two generals and surpassed their troops. During the march to the capital, Yi Gwal met much opposition, but all were defeated. Injo soon abandoned the capital and Yi Gwal captured it on February 10th. Since the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty, it was the first time a rebel army had captured the capital.
Yi Gwal then put
Heungangun on the throne, a royal relative of the King. Moreover, he put fliers all over the city so the people would support his troops. However, the rebel occupation of the capital didn't last long.
Hanyang was soon threatened by
Jang Man and other generals from the government forces. Yi Gwal sent
Han Myung-Ryun to combat the enemy, but the rebels were defeated due to inferior geographical position. By this time, Yi Gwal tried to escape the capital as the rebel army had disbanded and separated. As Yi Gwal and Han Myung-Ryun tried to escape on February 15th, they were murdered by their own troops, who were seeking forgiveness from the government.
Aftermath
Therefore the Rebellion of Yi Gwal had failed, but the Joseon society was severely crippled and effectively entered a period of chaos, which then provoked and facilitated the Qing invasions of Korea (정묘호란 and 병자호란) in 1627.
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