The Relation to Goguryeo

In 400, King Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo sent 50,000 troops to the south to the request of Silla. The purpose of the war was to drive out Gaya and Wae, which invaded the royal capital of Silla, but another purpose was to restrain the rear of Baekje which was a long enemy of Goguryeo. Hence, Goguryeo combined with Silla, and Baekje with Gaya and Wae in this war.

At this moment, the leading force of the Gaya region was the Gaya force in Gimhae. It is since the end of this war that Daegaya in Goryeong became completely distinguished. Some argue that Daegaya became a central force among several Gaya states since Daegaya suffered light damage from the war in 400. However, this argument has no clear ground.

It is believed that Daegaya first had a relation to Goguryeo in 400 when the Goguryeo army attacked. At that time, Daegaya participated in the war as an allied army of Baekje because Daegaya had an intimate relation to Baekje. However, Daegaya and Goguryeo were not related to the war as a direct party of war or negotiation.

It is in the late fifth century that Daegaya had a direct relation to Goguryeo. In the early fifth century, the Goguryeo army conquered the south region of the Korean peninsula. After the mid-fifth century, the amicable relations between Silla and Goguryeo began to crumble. In 450, a military clash happened between these two states.

From 455, Silla and Baekje assumed a common defensive posture against Gogoryeo. For example, when Goguryeo invaded Baekje, Silla dispatched rescue forces to Baekje. Such a situation kept up until the late fifth century. At that time, Daegaya stood in the side of Baekje and Silla. The mutual assistance system among Baekje, Silla and Daegaya against Goguryeo in the north was formed.

Under such a situation the movable width of Daegaya came to become wide. This is identified by the following facts. In 479, Daegaya offered tributes to Namje and in 481 Daegaya along with Baekje dispatched rescue forces to Silla so as to defeat Goguryeo and Malgal. At that time, Daegaya also tried to establish relations with Goguryeo.

This fact is obvious by Ilbonseogi (Chronicle of Japan). However, the approach of Daegaya to Goguryeo called forth the reaction of Baekje, and hence Daegaya provided Baekje with a pretext to rebouch to the Gaya region.

The Relation to Baekje

Since the mid-fourth century, Daegaya and Baekje kept a friendly relation. For Daegaya, Baekje was a pathway to adopt advanced civilizations. In 481 when Goguryeo and Malgal invaded Silla, Daegaya along with Baekje sent rescue forces to Silla.

As can be seen from this fact, Daegaya and Baekje had an amicable relation until this time. Such a relation was broken around 487 because of an incident when Daegaya attempted to form a relation with Goguryeo.

A more fundamental reason, however, was the debouchment of Baekje to the Gaya region ― especially, the southwest region of Gaya. In the early sixth century Baekje rearranged the relation to Tamla (nowadays, the Jeju island) and debouched to the Seomjingang valley, focusing its own attention on the Jeolla-do region.

Such an attempt of Baekje made Daegaya anxious. Accordingly, Daegaya built castles from place to place to defend itself and took a strong posture against Baekje. Also, Daegaya opposed to Baekje by forming a marriage alliance with Silla.

In 531, Baekje debouched to Allaguk in Haman which was another central force among several Gaya states at that time. This is because Baekje could not look on idly the debouchment of Silla to the Gaya region. In those days, Daegaya was in a situation which lost its ability to lead the whole Gaya region.

Rather Allaguk in Haman took the leadership and controlled the diplomatic affairs of Gaya. Such a circumstance continued until the 530s.

The situation in the 540s is described in detail in Heummyeonggi of Ilbonseogi (Chronicle of Japan). In 541, the representatives of several states whose leaders were Daegaya and Allaguk held a meeting with King Seong of Baekje in order to reconstruct the Gaya states already conquered by Silla.

Scholars call this meeting as “the Sabi Meeting” because it was held in Sabi (nowadays, Buyeo). King Seong led the meeting, but Baekje and Gaya states had different purposes. Baekje did not sincerely hope the restoration of Gaya. This is shown by fact that Baekje sent envoys to Silla before the meeting.

Such antinomic behaviour of Baekje happened because it was conscious of Goguryeo’s presence in the north. Baekje needed to keep a friendly relation or an allied relation to Silla in order to fight Goguryeo in the future. Therefore, Baekje was unable to actively curb the debouchment of Silla to the Gaya region.

Such a reality is proven by the statement of King Seong. Mentioning an old affair, he simply emphasized the justification of the meeting and did not suggest concrete alternatives for the recovery of the Gaya states destructed by Silla.

Those Gaya states, which attended the meeting, became aware of such an intention of Baekje, and thus devised a trick. They were anxious about the fact that the alliance with Baekje may be not able to guarantee their security.

In 544, Baekje therefore held the Second Sabi Meeting. King Seong of Baekje pointed out the justification of the meeting once more and proposed three tricks.

However, they was a passive alternative that Gaya and Wae carry out the war and Baekje supplies only the goods for the war. At the same time, King Seong underlined the necessity of Baekje’s stationing in the Gaya region and claimed the banishment of those pro-Silla people who were active in Allaguk.

Those people, who attended the meeting, withdrew from it, saying that they would discuss the issue with the kings of Alla and Deagaya.

The fate of the Gaya states was to play a role as a buffer between Baejke and Silla. However, in the 550s such a situation came to change. In 551, Silla and Baekje attacked and deprived the Hangang valley which was being occupied by Goguryeo.

In those days, Goguryeo could not afford to pay attention to the Hangang valley because of its inner conflict between nobles and the preparation to Dolgwol, a newly rising nomadic force in the north. Two years later, Silla betrayed Baekje, its allied state, and deprived the downstream region of the Hangang which was being occupied by Baekje.

Baekje could not bear such action from Silla. Baekje could never give up the downstream region of the Hangang because this region was not only a strategically and economically important place, but was the cradle of the state. In 554, Baekje mobilized troops and attacked Silla.

Daegaya participated in the war as an allied army of Baekje, but Baekje was seriously defeated. King Seong was dead in the Gwansanseong (nowadays, Okchoen in Chungcheongbuk-do) battle and thousands of soldiers were annihilated.

Since 554, Baekje could not excise its influence over the Gaya region any longer. Hence, Daegaya, which participated in the war as an allied army, was incorporated into Silla. In 555, Silla established Haju (nowadays, Changryeong), a military strongpoint. In 561, King Jinheung visited here and held a meeting in order to debouch to the west region of the Nakdonggang, including Daegaya. In 562, Daegaya was at last conquered by the Silla army led by General Yisabu.

The Relation to Silla

In the stage of a small state, there is no data about the relation between Daegaya and Silla. It is around the late fifth century when the direct relations between the two states began to appear in a historical record.

There is an article that Gaya sent a white pheasant to Silla in Ilbonseogi (Historical Record of the Three Kingdoms). There is a high possibility that Gaya, in the article, may be Daegaya. Such action of Gaya seems to be an attempt that several Gaya states, whose leading force is Daegaya, linked them to Silla.

In 522, Daegaya sent envoys to Silla and accomplished the marriage between the two royal families. There was a military demonstration of Silla in the Changryeong region in 561. In the next year (in 562), Daegaya was collapsed by the assault of the Silla army led by General Yisabu.

Daegaya enjoyed its heyday from the mid-fifth century to the early sixth century, but fell due to its lack of power and diplomatic isolation among neighboring strong states.