The Kingdom of Joseon

King: Jeongjo the First

Confucianism- Predominant religion
Roman Catholicism - Minor, but growing in size

In 1392, King Taejo established the Joseon dynasty on the ruins of the former Kingdom of Goryeo. After a power struggle between his sons later in life, Taejo abdicated the throne and was succeeded by his second son, Yi Bang-gwa. The power struggle continued under the rule of Gang-gwa, and out of fear of his many enemies, he allowed his brother Gang-won to ascend to the throne. During his reign, Gang-won consolidated his power and established Joseon as an absolute monarchy. Gang-won's policies led to Joseon attacking the Manchus in the north and the Japanese pirates on the coastline, as well as abolished the aristocracy's ability to field private armies. Gang-won abdicated in 1418 to his son Sejong, but would continue to influence Joseon until his death in 1422.

Under Sejong's rule, Joseon flourished, with the creation of a written alphabet, Hangul, large advances in science and technology, and the promotion of literature. Sejong was also an effective military leader, expanding Joseon's territory to the north, as well as invading Daemado Island in 1419 to clear it of Japanese pirates. Determined to end the pirate raids for good, Sejong annexed the island to the displeasure of the Japanese. Years later, Sejong's eldest son took the throne upon Sejong's death, but died two years later from illness.

With his death, his 12 year old son became the sixth king of Joseon, but was quickly overthrown in a coup and forced to abdicate by his uncle Sejo in 1455. Sejo began building up military forces on Daemado Island and when war broke out on mainland Japan in 1467, he launched an invasion of Kyushu. With the Japanese occupied by internal conflict, Korean forces quickly swept through Kyushu, driving out the Japanese and occupying the island. For over a century, Korean control of Kyushu went unchallenged, but in 1592 Japanese warlords attempted to drive the Koreans out of Japan, but were driven back by the use of Turtle ships and Hwach'a artillery. Afterwards, a treaty was brokered that ended the conflict.

In 1603, Christianity was introduced into Joseon when a diplomat returned from abroad with books written by a missionary. Christians were subject to harsh persecution at first, but gradually tolerance for them spread through Joseon.  In 1608, Gwanghaegun became the king of Joseon and restored diplomatic relations with the Japanese. Gwanghaegun brought radical changes to the kingdom, legalizing the practice of Christianity and ending slavery. His policies created many strong allies, but at the same time alienated many conservative members of the government. In 1623, several conservative members of the government launched a coup that overthrew Gwanghaegun, but a swift military intervention defeated them and restored Gwanghaegun to power.

For the next century, Joseon enjoyed peace in the region and maintained friendly relations with many of its neighboring states. During these years of peace, Christianity began to spread through Joseon, resulting in a large Catholic community alongside the more traditional Confucians. King Jeongjo took the throne in 1776 and has ruled Joseon since.

International Relations:

Spoiler:

Organizations:
Jinghai Trade Commission

Treaties/Agreements:

3 National Bank Branches (Hanseong)