kingdom · Korea and Japan

Lesser Goguryeo

699 CE – 820 CE (approx.)

A remnant Goguryeo state in Liaodong under Tang suzerainty, ruled by descendants of the last Goguryeo king.

Origins

After Goguryeo fell in 668, Tang China tried to govern the Liaodong region through members of the former royal house. In 699 Go Deokmu, a son of King Bojang, was appointed to govern the Goguryeo population there, and his line developed a semi-independent polity.

Rule and society

Known only from brief mentions in Chinese sources, Lesser Goguryeo was a dependency of Tang that sent envoys to the Chinese court in the 8th century. Nothing reliable is known of its internal organisation, and some historians question whether it was ever a distinct state.

Decline and legacy

It disappears from the records in the early 9th century and is usually thought to have been absorbed by Balhae under King Seon around 820.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Goguryeo 37 BCE – 668 CELesser Goguryeo

Connections (2)

  • Lesser Goguryeo paid tribute to Tang Dynasty699 CE – 820 CE
  • Lesser Goguryeo was conquered by Balhae820 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lesser Goguryeo. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lesser-goguryeo
MLA
“Lesser Goguryeo.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lesser-goguryeo. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lesser Goguryeo.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lesser-goguryeo.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lesser Goguryeo’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lesser-goguryeo (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻