The Collapse of Daegaya

Daegaya was destroyed by General Isabu of Silla in 562. In this battle, General Sadaham who was fifteen, and led 5,000 soldiers assaulted Daegaya and conquered it in a breath. The symptoms of the fall of Daegaya were gradually started to appear. This is demonstrated by the fact that Ureuk, a court musician of Daegaya, exiled to Silla in a certain year before 551 (the twelfth year of the reign of King Jinheung).

In 532, Geumgwanguk (Namgara) in Gimhae surrendered to Silla and until the 540s most of the Gaya forces which were located in the east of the Nakdonggang submitted to Silla. Baekje, which had kept a friendly relation to Gaya, had difficulty to actively resist Silla’s encroachment of Gaya since the late fourth century. This was because Baekje was worried about the invasion of Goguryeo.

Baekje and Silla were forming a defensive alliance against Goguryeo. In 551, these two states attacked and deprived the Hangang valley where Goguryeo was occupying. At that time, Daegaya and other main Gaya forces participated in the war, but their activities were unknown. After succeeding in the attack, Baekje and Silla occupied the downstream and upper streams of the Hangang, respectively.

In 553, Silla attacked Baekje, its ally state, and took the downstream of the Hangang. Baekje was unable to give up the region, Baekje mobilized the Gaya army and the Wae army and attacked the Gwansanseong in 554.

The battlefield was the Okcheon region in Chungcheongbuk-do and the war was very vehement, because it determined the domination over the downstream region of the Hangang and the Gaya region.

The Baekje side, which initiated attacks was advantaged in the early stages of the war. However, as King Seong, who was going to Prince Yeochang (who broke the front of Silla and attacked its army) in order to comfort him, was killed on his way by Silla’s ambush, the allied army of Baekje and Gaya had fallen, and eventually Baekje was greatly defeated once more.

While Baekje was suffering from such an ordeal, Goguryeo invaded the Ungcheonseong of Baekje. However, Baekje defended against the attack very well. Given the above facts, even though the Okcheon battle damaged Baekje, it was not fatal.

It seems that the Gaya side was damaged by the defeat in the Gwansanseong very seriously. This is because it appears that since then, Daegaya began to decline. Since the mid-sixth century, Silla undertook to incorporate the Gaya Empire.

It would appear that Allaguk in Haman was first incorporated into Silla around 560. The south region of Gaya, where Allaguk represents it, was a center of the trade with Wae for a comparatively long time.

On the one hand, Allaguk sent envoys to Wae, and on the other hand, it constructed castles in the Haman region to prepare Wae’s invasion. However, we have no detailed information on the reason why Allakuk was ruined.

We can simply assume that Allaguk was incorporated into Silla without any resistance due to its oppression and appeasement. In effect, Ilbonseogi (Chronicle of Japan) shows that there were pro-Silla people in the inside of Allaguk. Given this fact, there is a possibility that Allaguk surrendered somewhat easily under the condition of disconnection with Baekje.

The situation of the north region of Gaya, including Daegaya, was different. For Daegaya, the trade with Wae or Baekje was an important base of existence, but its own ability to smelt iron or a stable agricultural base was also significant for its existence.

In its late period, Daegaya was able to keep a more independent attitude toward Silla, for it was keeping a pro-Baekje disposition by adopting Baekje’ civilization. It seems, that, if Daegaya was not destroyed, neighboring Gaya states would not have surrendered to Silla.

In 561 (the twenty-second year of his reign), King Jinheung of Sillla convened the highest nobles of the central political arena and local rulers to Changryeong, an important place of the east region of the Nakdonggang.

The scale of the meeting was very big. This had a kind of military demonstrative character which aimed to facilitate the domination over the Gaya region already submitted and to contrive the debouchment into the Gaya region in the west of the Nakdonggang.

This fact is identified by ‘the Changryeong monument commemorating Silla King Jinheung’s exploitation of a new land.‘ After this meeting, which can be regarded as a military council of war, in 562 Daegaya was blitzed by the Silla army Yisabu led.

Five thousand of cavalry soldiers attacked the capital of Daegaya under the situation which Daegaya did not take any kind of preemptive military action. According to a record of the Silla side, King Jinheung ordered Isabu to assault Daegaya and Daegaya people “were unable to defend against the Silla army because it abruptly attacked them.” Daegaya was destroyed by the Silla army’s raid in 562.