Biryu of Baekje

Who was Biryu of Baekje?

Biryu of Baekje was the eleventh king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to the Samguk Sagi, he was second son of the 6th king Gusu and the younger brother of the 7th king Saban. However, since this would make him rule until at least the age of 110, modern historians commonly assume that Biryu was in fact the son or grandson of Saban's younger brother.

After the preceding king Bunseo was assassinated by Chinese agents, Biryu ascended to the throne because Bunseo's sons were deemed too young to rule. This appears to have been part of a power struggle between the two branches of the Baekje royal family, the descendants of the 5th king Chogo and that of the 8th king Goi.

In 312, he appointed Hae Gu to head the military. In 327, he stopped a rebellion by his stepbrother U Bok. In 337, he received a mission from the neighboring Silla.

Japanese historians suspect Biryu, like Saban, as the progenitor of certain aristocratic clans of Yamato period Japan. Any genealogical records either did not exist or have been lost/destroyed for over a millennium.