Emperor Wŏn of Chŏllo

Emperor Ngjon of Mrangh or Emperor Wŏn of Chŏllo (Shinasthana: 孟元皇帝, mrangh-ngjon-gwang-têgh; Standard Menghean: Wŏnje; 505 – 570) was the ruler of the Chŏllo State in Menghe from 540 to 542 and of the Mrangh State restored in Themiclesia from 543 to 558. He inherited a weakened Chŏllo in the final stages of the Five States and Seven Fiefdoms period in Menghe and fled to Themiclesia in 542 when Jin conquered Chŏllo. His willingness to make political compromises and cultural mystique as the head of the Meng dynasty endeared him to Themiclesian barons, who deposed their autocratic king and installed him in 543, beginning a second restoration of the Meng dynasty that first came to power in the early 2nd century BCE. Ngjon's rule in Themiclesia was a mostly-peaceful one, altercations occurring only between courtiers, and he retired to focus on building projects in 558.

Ngjon has been an influential figure in Themiclesian history if not for his policies but millieu. The symbolic restoration of the Meng dynasty (Mrangh in Themiclesia) introduced a multitude of new political concepts like imperial autocracy that was hitherto-unknown in Themiclesia. While Ngjon's administration was never strong enough (even in Chŏllo) to enforce a Meng-style autocratic government, particularly in view of his own commitments to the barons, a school of thought arose around it under his nurture and became an endemic ideology competing with the earlier political philosophy. This new system was called the "imperial system" for Ngjon, and the older, the "hegemonic system" by historians. Ngjon has been described as "the luckiest monarch in the history of royalty", referring to his finding a second throne having losing his first.

End-Rjang politics

Main article: Rjang

The end of the Rjang dynasty in Themiclesia was characterized by political chaos between the king, his peers, and barons. During the reign of King Ngjon (489 – 531), the Rjang state annexed land from Pjang, Sjin, and Kem on the pretext of assisting their respective princes quash rebellions or defend borders. Due to the ongoing warfare occurring on their territories, they were weakened relative to King Ngjon. At the same time, Ngjon was consistently cash-strapped to finance the ambiguous wars that tied up the princes and to purchase the loyalty of the princes' barons. He placed military and fiscal demands on his own barons, promising them increased entitlements in the future, and sought to increase royal power by courting the non-baronial aristocrats that served in his bureaucracy and generaled royal armies. Ngjon himself was heavily influenced by the Meng concept of unlimited sovereignty, though he is understood to be realistic with his objectives.

Under his son, King Tjaw, the policies of dominating the palatine states continued, but for a unknown and frequently speculated-upon reason, Tjaw's relationship with his barons deteriorated sharply towards the end of 537. Though the two sides appeared to be reconciled in 538, Tjaw's plans to annexe land north of the River Kaung, much of which was promised to the barons by his father, rekindled misgivings. In June 538, Tjaw was deposed and replaced with King ′Jik, Tjaw's nephew. ′Jik's reign lasted mere months when Tjaw's brother, with assistance from a party of Kem barons, invaded Kien-k'ang to force ′Jik to abdicate. Though trumpeting Tjaw's restoration, he placed Tjaw under house arrest and crowned himself instead. Outraged by violence, the barons of Rjang mobilized and expelled Tjaw's brother with a force of nearly 1,000. The barons then became divided whether to restore Tjaw or ′Jik, eventually choosing the latter; however, ′Jik died in August 540 under circumstances many suspect to be connected with Tjaw, leaving him to be restored in October 540.

Tjaw's second reign was complicated by droughts in the southwest and a brief rebellion in the winter of 540. In early 541, he dismissed his unpopular chancellor the Lord of Tsjakw (雀侯) only to give this most powerful position to his son, Prince Gje (琪子). This tradition-breaking act made him even more unpopular amongst the barons, who, according to received history, complained "the king broke a custom as ancient as kingship itself." At the arrival of Emperor Ngjon in 542, the crown was financially strained, politically isolated, and moreover considered untrustworthy.

Restoration

Ngjon arrived in early 542 in eastern Themiclesia, along the Lapis Road, which was an active trade route during Rjang times, the court mustering forces to keep nomadic societies at bay. His retinue were uncertain of the Themiclesians' disposition towards Ngjon, but they portrayed themselves as powerfully as possible, though not offering any terms for a settlement. The matter generated disquiet at Rjang court in March 542, Prince Gje, as Chancellor, presenting it as "the exiled Meng sovereign has fled for this state." There are multiple accounts, canonical or private, of Ngjon's arrival at Kien-k'ang, but their description vary drastically from a non-event to a messianic arrival hailed by every household. Historians attribute some of these accounts to later embellishments, though accounts deemed contemporary still exhibit considerable divergence. One theory states that Ngjon actually "arrived" several times or made several journeys with hired pomp and circumstance to solicit the city's attention.

Whatever Ngjon's reception at the city was, his courtiers have been in contact with native magnates for months, lobbying for their emperor's settlement. Not much of this process survives in texts, as it might have been considered treasonable, but by the middle of 542 the Rjang court was willing to enfeoff ten of his courtiers. Various intepretations have been advanced by historians to contextualize this decision. One provides that Rjang was unwilling to allow Ngjon to seek settlements in the palatine states, where his title might become a rallying cry to overthrow the current political order; however, that Ngjon was unharmed also points to that he was not purely a threat to Rjang's political figures. Indeed, some authorities think Ngjon between mid-542 and early 543 was a pawn or counterbalance for Themiclesian barons that were increasingly disheartened with Tjaw's dictatorial and conceited rule.

Tjaw was evidently not ignorant of his baron's intrigues with Ngjon and retaliated severely. He first replaced Prince Gje with the Lord of P′u, who was a political nobody, ostensibly as an insult to the barons clamouring for Gje's dismissal in favour of a traditional candidate—one of them. Gje was then appointed as a general—another position usually reserved for barons—and took liberties to request much support from the Lord of P′u, who would be responsible for taking many unpopular decisions at home, especially taxing the barons. During his chancellorship, the king subjected him to strict scrutiny from Lord Kaw-ljang, his bureaucratic ally and President of Tribunes.  In contrast, Ngjon's agents made promised prominent households in the city that he would "restore tradition" and oust reformists in the bureaucracy.

Hatred for Tjaw finally boiled over in November 542, when

See also

• Themiclesia
• Five States and Seven Fiefdoms