Accession of Goryeo's Wonjong (1249)

Timeline

1. 1259Ganghwa Island · KoreaGoryeo's Gojong died in 1246, and struggles over the royal succession erupted within the royal house. The Mongols had already campaigned against Goryeo multiple times, and the royal capital had been moved to Ganghwa Island for refuge; Goryeo had in substance become a Mongol vassal. Mongol imperial princes (such as those of the Jöchi line) held veto power over who would be enthroned.
2. 1259Kaesŏng · Korean PeninsulaIn 1249, with Mongol approval, Wang Chŏn ascended the Goryeo throne as Wonjong. After accession he had to pay tribute to the Mongols, send princes as hostages, and cooperate with Mongol preparations for the invasion of Japan. During Wonjong's reign, Goryeo's domestic affairs were constrained by Mongol envoys and garrisons, and royal authority was greatly weakened.
3. 1259Goryeo · Korean PeninsulaAfter Wonjong's accession, Goryeo had to supply provisions and ships for the Mongol expeditions against Japan, and domestic taxes and corvée increased. Royal princes such as Chŏn (later King Chungnyeol) were sent to the Mongol court as hostages, establishing a Goryeo hostage system that continued into the Yuan dynasty and tightly bound the fate of the Korean Peninsula to Mongol East Asian strategy.