Moments of Change in Balhae History

This study analyzed the changes in the history of Balhae in terms of the migration of the capital and the position of the royal family, focusing on the literary history and the newly discovered ancient knowledge. In the early 2000s, the tombs of two Balhae kings were discovered at Mt.Yongdu(龍頭山), and Balhae's hometown and capital were roughly narrowed down to the area of Yanbian County, Jilin Province, China, and Ningan, Heilongjiang Province. The ‘old country(舊國)’ is Balhae in the old Goguryeo region, and the ‘new country(新國)’ that was moved can be said to be the new Balhae in Sanggyeong(上京). The transfer of the capital from Donggyeong(東京) to Sanggyeong was clearly a changeable event in the history of Balhae in that it was a departure from the ‘old country.’ A transformative event in the royal family of Balhae was the death of King Wen(文王) and the ascension of Daewonui(大元義), King Kang(康王) Daesungrin(大嵩璘), and King Seonwang(宣王) Daeinsu(大仁秀). occurred during the process. The elements of coup d'état seen in Daesungrin's accession to the throne can be seen in the fact that he went through quite a few hardships before ascending to the throne, and that Daesungrin only received the title of honor held by King Wen after requesting it from the Tang Dynasty. In a common space called 'Jinneungdae(珍陵臺)', where the tombs of Princess Jeonghyo(貞孝) are located, along with Empress Sunmok (順穆皇后), the queen of King Gan(簡王), and Empress Hyoeui(孝懿皇后), the queen of King Mun(文王), it is also nearby. The fact that they are buried reveals that they have a close and friendly relationship with each other. Dae Insu's accession to the throne was the most important moment of change in the history of Balhae in that it brought about a change in the royal lineage from the Daejoyeong(大祚榮) lineage to the Daeyabal(大野勃) lineage. The fact that Daeinsu was in charge of Balhae government affairs after the death of King Gan, and that the death of King Gan and his queen, Empress Sunmok, was a chaotic situation may have served as the background for his accession to the throne. Daeinsu expressed his will to ‘establish’ Balhae, a new new country, not the old country.