Korea and the Fall of the Mongol Empire: Alliance, Upheaval, and the Rise of a New East Asian Order

Korea and the Fall of the Mongol Empire explores the experiences of the enigmatic and controversial King Gongmin of Goryeo, Wang Gi, as he navigated the upheavals of the mid-fourteenth century, including the collapse of the Mongol Empire and the rise of its successors in West, Central, and East Asia. Drawing on a wealth of Korean and Chinese sources and integrating East Asian and Western scholarship on the topic, David Robinson considers the single greatest geopolitical transformation of the fourteenth century through the experiences of this one East Asian ruler. He focuses on the motives of Wang Gi, rather than the major contemporary powers, to understand the rise and fall of empire, offering a fresh perspective on this period of history. The result is a more nuanced and accessible appreciation of Korean, Mongolian, and Chinese history, which sharpens our understanding of alliances across Eurasia.

• Looks at the fall of the Mongol empire from the perspective of Korea
• Makes this place and time accessible to readers without specialized knowledge of fourteenth-century East Asian history
• An engaging, revisionist new contribution to East Asian/Eurasian history

David Robinson is Professor of Asian Studies and History at Colgate University.

Source: publisher’s website

Contents

Introduction

1. Child of Empire: 1330–1341
2. Decade at the Yuan Court: 1341–1351
3. The Goryeo Dynasty on the Eve of Wang Gi’s Enthronement: 1341–1351
4. Becoming the Goryeo King: 1351–1353
5. Ally in Collapse: 1354–1355
6. Redefining Allegiance: The Summer of 1356
7. A Tipping Point: 1357–1367
8. Choosing a New Lord: 1368–1370
9. A New Age: 1370–1374

Conclusion.