some introductory historical information for watching GOW
Feb 25, 2017 16:14:46 GMT -5
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Post by ajk on Feb 25, 2017 16:14:46 GMT -5
Here's a little background information for anybody who wants to watch this series but doesn't know a lot about the history of the time. I don't know a lot about it either but I did the best I could. I tried to tie everything in with other historical dramas that we've featured here in the forum over the years, just to give some familiar things to use as reference points.
We just finished Emperor of the Sea here, which took place in Shilla in the early 800s. That was a time when Shilla was ruling most of the Korean peninsula. Shilla existed for nearly a thousand years (57BC to 935AD) but during the EOS period it was starting to decline. Wikipedia's Shilla page explains that "[t]he final century and a half of the Silla state was one of nearly constant upheaval and civil war as the king was reduced to little more than a figurehead and powerful aristocratic families rose to actual dominance outside the capital and royal court." We saw some of that in EOS, in the references to rebellions that were popping up. Eventually the kingdom splintered and then in 935 was taken over by the recently formed northern kingdom of Goryeo. Ultimately Goryeo unified the peninsula under Wang Guhn (subject of the 2000 KBS series that hopefully we'll feature here some day).
Goryeo existed from 918 to 1392. We watched the Iron Empress series here when it aired; that series covered some tumultuous years in the first half of the Goryeo period up through around 1025. There have been no historical dramas made about any period in the 150 years or so following the Iron Empress time. Probably because it was a calm and stable period. Another Wikipedia description, from its Goryeo page: "After Goryeo's victories over Liao, Goryeo experienced a golden age that lasted a century, during which there were great developments in printing and publishing, promoting learning and dispersing knowledge on philosophy, literature, religion, and science."
God of War takes place in the 13th century, roughly 1217 to 1251. Unofficially it's the middle drama in a group of three that covers most of Goryeo's second half. Age of Warriors, which was a big hit here in the forum when it aired, deals with the military rebellion in 1170 that toppled the monarchy and the subsequent years of control by the military. God of War more or less picks up the military-rule story where AOW left it, and continues into the years when Goryeo was being invaded by Khitans and Mongolians. Shin Don, another series we did here, begins around 100 years after GOW ends, at a time when military rule had ended but Goryeo had been weakened to the point where it was subservient to the Yuan dynasty. Shortly after the Shin Don years, the Goryeo dynasty was toppled--we saw that story in Jeong Dojeon, the wonderful historical drama from three years ago.
Of course this is only the bare bones of it but it's enough to get oriented. Anybody who wants to add anything to this or correct any mistake I've made, please do.
We just finished Emperor of the Sea here, which took place in Shilla in the early 800s. That was a time when Shilla was ruling most of the Korean peninsula. Shilla existed for nearly a thousand years (57BC to 935AD) but during the EOS period it was starting to decline. Wikipedia's Shilla page explains that "[t]he final century and a half of the Silla state was one of nearly constant upheaval and civil war as the king was reduced to little more than a figurehead and powerful aristocratic families rose to actual dominance outside the capital and royal court." We saw some of that in EOS, in the references to rebellions that were popping up. Eventually the kingdom splintered and then in 935 was taken over by the recently formed northern kingdom of Goryeo. Ultimately Goryeo unified the peninsula under Wang Guhn (subject of the 2000 KBS series that hopefully we'll feature here some day).
Goryeo existed from 918 to 1392. We watched the Iron Empress series here when it aired; that series covered some tumultuous years in the first half of the Goryeo period up through around 1025. There have been no historical dramas made about any period in the 150 years or so following the Iron Empress time. Probably because it was a calm and stable period. Another Wikipedia description, from its Goryeo page: "After Goryeo's victories over Liao, Goryeo experienced a golden age that lasted a century, during which there were great developments in printing and publishing, promoting learning and dispersing knowledge on philosophy, literature, religion, and science."
God of War takes place in the 13th century, roughly 1217 to 1251. Unofficially it's the middle drama in a group of three that covers most of Goryeo's second half. Age of Warriors, which was a big hit here in the forum when it aired, deals with the military rebellion in 1170 that toppled the monarchy and the subsequent years of control by the military. God of War more or less picks up the military-rule story where AOW left it, and continues into the years when Goryeo was being invaded by Khitans and Mongolians. Shin Don, another series we did here, begins around 100 years after GOW ends, at a time when military rule had ended but Goryeo had been weakened to the point where it was subservient to the Yuan dynasty. Shortly after the Shin Don years, the Goryeo dynasty was toppled--we saw that story in Jeong Dojeon, the wonderful historical drama from three years ago.
Of course this is only the bare bones of it but it's enough to get oriented. Anybody who wants to add anything to this or correct any mistake I've made, please do.