King of Goguryeo

King Pyeongwon (re. 559~590) of Goguryeo

King Pyeongwon (평원왕) was a remarkable ruler who saved Goguryeo from collapsing due to civil war and foreign invasions. He faced rising challenges from all directions. Silla, under the conquering king Jinheung, had crushed Baekje and was now turning its forces to Goguryeo. Pyeongwon chose not to confront Silla, instead acknowledging its territorial advances. Instead, he focused on the western front by forging peace with the Göktürks and successfully repelling the invasion of Northern Zhou. He also took advantage of his strengthened authority to resolve domestic issues.

Before we get into the clothing, I need to clarify about King Pyeongwon’s age. Unlike Jinheung (534) and Wideok (525), his birth year is not mentioned in any of the historical accounts. The first mention of Pyeongwon in the histories is from April 557, when he was made crown prince by his father, King Yangwon (re. 545~559). Yangwon died at a young age, so it is reasonable to assume that his son was also young at the time. Pyeongwon’s eldest son, King Yeongyang (re. 590~618), was made crown prince in 565. Pyeongwon’s daughter, Princess Pyeonggang, had married in 577. Considering his father and children’s possible age range, King Pyeongwon is estimated to be in his early to mid-twenties in 566, which is when Gim Inpyeong’s story—and, by extension, this ancient Korean kings series—is set.

Goguryeo royal tombs were heavily looted. Unlike Baekje and Silla, no intact set of regalia have been found. So this is a composite of several sources and some guesswork. The Book of Tang (舊唐書) is the only source that describes Goguryeo monarch’s attire: “Only the king is allowed to wear clothes of ‘five colors’. [He wears] white silk headgear and a white leather belt, both decorated with gold.”

‘Five colors’ (五綵), when literally interpreted, means yellow, blue/green, red, white, and black. However, it is often used in a generic sense, similar to ‘multicolored’. Which is not particularly useful for reconstruction. In this drawing, I chose purple as the primary color of the royal robe, which was reserved for the highest class in ancient Korea. Added multicolored stripes are based on Goguryeo murals. Gold ornaments are based on tomb findings, however they were all looted and therefore lack proper archaeological context.

Lastly, the name ‘Goguryeo (高句麗[고구려])’ is a bit of a misnomer because they used the shortened form ‘Goryeo (高麗[고려])’ as an official name since the mid-5th century. However, to avoid confusion with the later Korean dynasty with the same name (Goryeo, 918~1392), this ancient polity is commonly referred to as ‘Goguryeo.’ I used the shortened "Goryeo" for this drawing.