Skip to Content
AN ANCIENT INHERITANCE
고대 유산




THE FIRST REALM: THE DAEMYEONG EMPIRE

The Daemyeong Empire (대명국) (1368-1662), literally the 'Empire of Great Illumination' was, not as its detractors misrepresent, an age of missed opportunities run by a succession of incompetent emperors and secret agents, sandwiched between two periods of foreign imperialism under the Mongols and Manjus, respectively. Founded by the Hongmu Emperor (홍무제) (r.1368-1398) in 1368, the Daemyeong Empire successfully terminated the conquest regime of Dai Ön ulus (대원대몽골국) by expelling Mongol rulers from Hwaha, which fatally weakened the once-mighty Mongol Empire's hold over its territories across the world.


Daemyeong was the celestial realm at the heart of human civilisation, with its Emperor serving as Son of Heaven entrusted with the Mandate of Heaven to reign over a Confucian commonwealth. Within this international order, the Daemyeong Court traded goods with foreign entities under the guise of receiving tribute and bestowing gifts of imperial favour.

Daemyeong's agricultural reforms increased food production and population growth, and trade and commerce thrived as maritime expeditions were initiated and the Silk Road reopened. At the command of Emperor Yeonglak the Great (영락제) (r. 1402-1424), Admiral Jeong Hwa (정화) led seven voyages from 1405 to 1433 to the 'West Oceans,' reaching as far as the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa. Unlike all European powers, Daemyeong's navy pursued peaceful diplomatic and trade relations and refrained from imposing colonial rule or inflicting military conquest on foreign lands.


During the Daemyeong era, blue-and-white porcelain produced at imperial kilns captivated the world, associating the term 'Myeong' with exquisite ceramics. The period witnessed a significant rise in literacy among both men and women, leading to the publication of diverse works on science, technology, and literature. Notable novels such as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (《삼국지연의》), Journey to the West (《서유기》), Water Margin (《수호전》), and The Plum in the Golden Vase (《금병매》) highlighted the era's intellectual freedom. Additionally, the emergence of Yangmyeonghak (양명학), a new school of Confucianism that emphasised the importance of individual conscience and the equal opportunity of the unlearned to become sages through moral self-cultivation, challenging the state-sanctioned Jujahak (주자학) ideology, gained widespread acceptance and official recognition. 

Daemyeong witnessed advancements in various scientific fields. Prominent scholars like Sage Paul Hsu (서광계) (1562-1633) contributed to developing agricultural, astronomical, and technological knowledge. Innovations like improved irrigation techniques, accurate calendars, and publishing encyclopedic works significantly contributed to Eastern science.

In the seventeenth century, the Manchus (만주), formerly known as the Jurchens (여진), a foreign Tungusic people native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia and the Russian Far East, embarked on a bold conquest of the Daemyeong Empire, which was marred by internal peasant uprisings during the global Little Ice Age in the sevententh century. In 1662, the Manchu regime, now called 'Daecheongguk' (대청국) (1636-1912) emerged triumphant as an usurper who cowardly executed the last, weaponless, Yeonglyeok Emperor (영력제) (r. 1646-1662).

The former territories of the Daemyeong Empire conquered by the Manchu merely became parts of the Daecheongguk's new colonial empire, which coerced men to shave bald their heads and hang lengthy pigtails behind their heads, in addition to wearing nomadic clothing, on the pain of capital punishment. 


 
THE SECOND REALM: THE DAEHAN EMPIRE


The Daehan Empire (대한제국) (1897-1910) was the last historic Confucian commonwealth in continental East Asia. Its predecessor, the Daemyeong Kingdom of Joseon (대명조선국) (1392-1897), was founded by Neo-Confucian reformers in the late fourteenth century, which was in many ways, more Confucian than Daemyeong. In the fifteenth century, a sophisticated bureaucratic system was created, which employed civil service exams for recruitment, managed defenses, improved agricultural infrastructure, utilized movable metal type for printing texts on various subjects, and invented devices for measuring rainfall and telling time. During the Japanese invasion (1592-1598), the Daemyeong Empire sent more than 100,000 soldiers to assist Joseon unconditionally. After successfully defeating Japan, the Daemyeong Empire entirely withdrew from Joseon, ensuring the kingdom's complete autonomy.


'... that the Daemyeong Empire showered the East Realm  with multiple favours. From the outset, the Hongmu Emperor graced it with the dynastic title of Joseon.  In a noble gesture, the Manlyeok Emperor  bestowed upon the Daemyeong Kingdom of Joseon unwavering military protection and aid for national restoration  during the Imjin Wars,  in response to the unprovoked aggression by Toyotomi Japan.  The Sungjeong Emperor  graced Joseon with an East-bound rescue operation against the Manjus.  In a spirit of unity and mutual respect, Daemyeong and the Daemyeong Kingdom of Joseon stood as Sovereign and vassal in principle, yet truly as father and son in deed.'
​
Preamble, Constitution of the Myeong Commonwealth

​

The execution of the Yeonglyeok Emperor (영력제) (r. 1646-1662) in 1662 by the Manchu military symbolised more than just a change in leadership. It marked the conquest of a significant civilisation and the end of traditional Confucian commonwealth (천하). Despite being forced into a tributary relationship with the Manchus, Joseon maintained a steadfast reverence for the collapsed Daemyeong Empire and clung to their admiration for Daemyeong heritage. This cultural affinity endured through subtle acts, like using the Daemyeong calendar. Joseon steadfastly believed that it had a duty to protect its Sojunghwa (소중화) culture, a miniature of the Myeong culture. 

Despite no territorial overlap, the Joseons saw themselves as the rightful successors to the former Myeong. Joseon isolated foreigners and restricted arrivals from the Manchu Daecheongguk, demonstrating their commitment to preserving Myeong culture at all costs. Despite being a de jure vassal kingdom to the Manchu Daecheongguk, Joseon strongly resented towards the Manchus. It saw themselves as the last bastion of Sojunghwa, the rightful successors to the Daemyeong Empire. 

In the late 19th century, the Myeong Kingdom of Joseon faced increasing interference from imperial powers, not just the Manchu Daecheongguk (대청국), but also the Japanese Empire and Tsarist Russia. Amid these influences, King Gojong (고종) of Joseon sought to modernise the realm and strengthen its sovereignty. In 1897, after a 235-year interregnum, Gojong succeeded to the Daemyeong imperial throne as the Gwangmu Emperor (광무제) (r. 1897-1907) of the Daehan Empire.​ 

The Gwangmu reforms strengthened infrastructure, the economy, and the military. Reforms were introduced in areas such as education, law, and agriculture. Confucianism significantly impacted the Daehan Empire (1897-1910), shaping its social structure, governance, education, and cultural practices. Confucian ideals and principles were crucial to the Empire's policies and institutions. Confucian principles guided the behaviour of the emperor, the last of whom was the Yunghui Emperor (융희제) (r. 1907-1910) officials, and scholars, promoting a sense of duty, respect, and harmony within the ruling elite. Confucianism heavily influenced the Daehan Empire's education system. Confucianism also shaped social relationships and gender roles during the Daehan Empire. The concept of filial piety, which stressed respect for senior, parents, and ancestors, influenced family dynamics and societal expectations.

The Japanese Empire, in particular, exerted increasing control over the Daehan Empire, manipulating its politics and economy to further its imperial ambitions. In 1905, Japan forced Daehan to sign the Eulsa Treaty, effectively making the latter a protectorate of the former. Internal divisions also plagued the Daehan Empire. In 1910, Japan formally annexed the Korean Peninsula, ending the Daehan Empire. This marked the beginning of brutal Japanese colonial rule that lasted until the end of World War II in 1945, and the unfolding of another 113-year interregnum period.


THE THIRD REALM: THE MYEONG COMMONWEALTH

'... the once steadfast hand of objective moral order has been forsaken, as the embrace of hedonism has swept through every corner. The consequence is the destruction of familial bonds, and a ceaseless rebellion on every front, leaving each community ensnared in a web of moral, social, political, and economic turmoil. In the wake of secularism and atheism’s defiance of God, arose a hubristic captivation with humanity as masters of their fate, empowered to disregard nature’s order. The contemporary world lacks the sacred rituals that could humbly ground us and free us from the illusion that our era is the pinnacle of history and human accomplishments the sole yardstick of value. This deception ensnares us in relentless cycles of jealousy and hatred. To entertain the notion that morality can exist independently of the Divine is akin to supposing that trees may flourish without their essential roots. The very fabric of human civilisation teeters on the precipice of oblivion ... the peoples of the Myeong Commonwealth enter into this venerable Constitution in order to promote filial piety towards our parents, respect for our elders, education of our children, harmonious living amongst fellow our compatriots, mutual assistance in times of bereavement and hardship, encouragement of virtuous deeds, discouragement of wrongdoings, cessation of disputes and conflicts, fostering of loyalty and unity, and cultivation of good citizenship, do hereby establish an ethos of humaneness and generosity.'

Preamble, Constitution of the Myeong Commonwealth


Under the venerateed Confucian doctrine of Hwa-Yi (civilised-barbaric) distinction (화이변별), the spiritual remnants of the Daemyeong and Daehan Empires cannot recognise the Manju Daecheongguk (대청국) (1636-1912)'s monarchs as legitimate successors to the sage monarchs Emperors Yo (요) and Sun (순) down to Daemyeong due to their subversion of Confucian political morality: the lawless execution of the last Daemyeong Emperor, imposition of barbaric attire customs, and suffocation of Confucian philosophical development. 

The Myeong Commonwealth, the non-territorial micronational successor to the Daehan Empire founded by these spiritual remnants, considers the Daemyeong Kingdom of Joseon as the caretaker continuation of the Daemyeong Empire, and the Daehan Empire (대한제국) as the sole legitimate successor of the Daemyeong Empire, for the obvious reasons outlined above.

Today, following the Japanese colonisation period and the end of the Second World War, the macronational states located on the Korean Peninsula that rule lands previously belonging to the Daehan Empire no longer claim succession to Daemyeong, let alone the Confucian commonwealth. Given this vacuum, the Myeong Commonwealth sees itself as the sole legitimate micronational successor of the Daehan Empire and the Emperor of the Myeongeans as the incumbent successor to the Sage Monarchs Yo (요) and Sun (순) through the Daemyeong and Daehan Emperors. Although Hangul (한글) is an official script of the Myeong Commonwealth, official legal and policy documents are written in the classic Hanmun (한문) script known as Hanja (한문), following Joseon tradition. English is the most widely spoken and written language in daily life.