By the late 14th century, the nearly 500-year-old Goryeo established in 918 was tottering, its foundations collapsing from years of war spilled over from the disintegrating Yuan dynasty. Following the emergenc… See more

Joseon was a highly centralized monarchy, and neo-Confucian bureaucracy as codified by Gyeongguk daejeon, a sort of Joseon constitution.
The king had absolute authority, but his actual pow… See more

Joseon was a tributary state of the China that was ritually subservient to the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty but exercised a high level of independence and sovereignty. The ruling Yi family proclaimed their indige… See more

The exact population figures of Joseon-era Korea are disputed as government records of households are considered unreliable in this period. Between 1810 and 1850, the population declined approximately 10% and remained s… See more