This article is about the specific polity Joseon dynasty and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It succeeded the Kingdom of Goryeo. Joseon was a tributary of the Qing dynasty since the Qing invasion of Joseon in 1637 but the Qing dynasty did not exercise significant influence until the establisment of the China-Korea Treaty of 1882.
Establishment
July 1392: In 1388, King U (son of King Gongmin and a concubine) and general Choe Yeong planned a campaign to invade present-day Liaoning of China. King U put the general Yi Seong-gye (later Taejo) in charge, but he stopped at the border and rebelled. Goryeo fell to General Yi Seong-gye, a son of Yi Ja-chun, who put to death the last three Goryeo kings, usurped the throne and established in 1392 the Joseon dynasty.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Were a series of military campaigns by Japan against the Joseon Dynasty of Korea.
May 1592: Battle of Dadaejin.
May 1592: Siege of Busanjin.
May 1592: In the morning the Japanese First Division arrived at Dongnae eupseong.
May 1592: Konishi Yukinaga, a Japanese daimyo and military commander, led the invasion of Korea in 1592. He captured Miryang, a strategic location, before advancing to Taegu, another important city in the region.
May 1592: Japanese forces Captured the Miryang castle.
May 1592: Joseon conquest of Gimhae castle.
May 1592: The Japanese Second Division took the abandoned city of Tongdo.
May 1592: The Japanese captured Gyeongju on May 30.
June 1592: Battle of Sangju.
June 1592: During the Imjin War in 1592, the Third Division of the Japanese military captured the Korean territories of Unsan, Changnyong, Hyonpung, and Songju. This was part of Japan's military occupation of Korea during this period.
June 1592: Battle of Chungju.
June 1592: Japanese forces captured Hanseong.
July 1592: Battle of Imjin River.
July 1592: The japanese First and Third Divisions entered the deserted city of Pyongyang.
November 1592: Jinju is besieged by Japan.
December 1592: Jinju is besieged by the Joseon dynasty.
July 1593: Jinju is besieged by Japan.
1.1.Jeolla Campaign
Was a Japanese military campaign in Heolla (southwest Korea) during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598).
July 1592: The Sixth Division, led by Japanese general Kobayakawa Takakage, marched through Geumsan in 1592 during the Japanese invasion of Korea. Kobayakawa secured the territory as part of Japan's military occupation of the region.
July 1592: The Japanese began their march to Uiryong at Changwon, and arrived at the Nam River.
August 1592: Battle of Ichi: The Koreans won this battle and stopped the Japanese army from advancing to the Jeolla province.
September 1592: Battle of Ichi: The Koreans won this battle and stopped the Japanese army from advancing to the Jeolla province.
1.2.First Geumsan Campaign
Was a Japanese military campaign in Geumsan (southwest Korea) during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598).
July 1592: Korean forces fought with a Japanese army retreating to Geumsan.
1.3.Gangwon campaign
Was a Japanese military campaign during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598). The Japanese army conquered large territories of central and eastern Korea.
August 1592: The Japanese captured a series of fortresses along the eastern coast from Anbyon to Samcheok.
November 1592: The Japanese finished the campaign by securing Chuncheon.
November 1592: The Japanese turned inward to capture Jeongseon, Yeongwol, and Pyeongchang, and settled down at the provincial capital of Wonju.
1.4.Hamgyong campaign
Was a Japanese military campaign during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598). The Japanese army conquered large territories of northern and eastern Korea.
August 1592: In 1592, Japanese forces led by the famous warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi crossed the Korean peninsula to Anbyon County. During their ten-day march, they captured several castles, including the strategic city of Hamhung.
August 1592: In 1592, a battle took place at Songjin between the southern and northern Hamgyong armies led by Yi Yong. The territory of Kimchaek was under Japanese military occupation at the time.
August 1592: Japanese troops easily captured Kilju County, Myongchon County, and Kyongsong County.
1.5.Chinese Intervention on the side of Korea
Was a counterattack by Korean forces with the support of Ming China against the Japanese invading army during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598).
February 1593: Siege of Newcastle.
February 1593: The Koreans retook Gaeseong.
February 1593: Provinces of Hwanghae, Gyeonggi, and Gangweon conquered by Joseon dynasty.
March 1593: Battle of Haengju.
March 1593: Japanese adn Korean forces remained at a stalemate between the Kaesong to Hanseong line for the next couple of months.
1.6.Truce between China and Japan
Was a truce between Korea (backed by Ming China) and Japan during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598). The Japanese army retreated to the area around Busan (the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula).
May 1594: By end of May 1594, all the Japanese soldiers had retreated to the area around Busan and many began to make their way back to Japan.
1.7.Japan's second invasion of Korea (1597)
Japan started a second military campaign to conquer Korea in 1597.
August 1597: Battle of Chilcheollyang.
September 1597: Siege of Namwon.
October 1597: Battle of Hwangseoksan.
October 1597: Battle of Jiksan.
November 1597: Battle of Jiksan.
February 1598: Ulsan is besieged by Japan.
November 1598: Siege of Suncheon.
November 1598: Battle of Sacheon.
December 1598: After the death of the Japanese daimyō Hideyoshi on September 18, 1598, the Council of Five Elders, in late October, issued orders for the withdrawal of all forces from Korea. Konishi, Shimazu, Katō Kiyomasa and other Japanese generals of the Left Army congregated in Pusan and withdrew to Japan on December 21.
December 1598: The last japanese ships sailed to Japan bringing an end to seven years of war in Korea.
Was a a conflict that saw the transition from the Ming to the Qing Dinasty in China. The Qing created an indpendent domain in Manchuria, revolted against the Ming and systematically conquered all Ming territories in the following decades.
2.1.Later Jin invasion of Joseon
Was the invasion of Korea by the Later Jin Dynasty (precursor of the Qing Dynasty).
January 1627: The Jurchen army, led by Nurhaci, advanced into Uiju in 1627 during the Later Jin military occupation.
January 1627: The Neunghan Fortress, located in present-day South Korea, fell on 21 January 1627 during the Later Jin military occupation.
January 1627: In 1627, the Jurchens, led by Nurhaci, attacked Anju, a territory that was under the Later Jin military occupation. Facing certain defeat, the Anju garrisons chose to commit suicide by blowing up their gunpowder storehouse.
March 1627: Pyongyang fell without a fight in 1627 to the Later Jin dynasty, led by the military leader Nurhaci.
March 1627: The Jin army crossed the Taedong River.
March 1627: In 1627, the Jurchen, led by Nurhaci, advanced into Hwangju, which was part of the Joseon Dynasty.
April 1627: After a peace agreement with the Joseon Dynasty, The Jin army withdrew to Mukden, ending the three-month-long invasion of Korea.
2.2.Qing invasion of Joseon
Was the invasion of Korea by Qing China.
December 1636: In 1636, during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, Hanseong's garrisons, led by Korean military leader Gwon Yul, were defeated by the Qing Dynasty forces. The city was subsequently taken by the Qing Dynasty, marking a significant event in Korean history.
January 1637: Dorgon occupied Ganghwa Island on 27 January.
January 1637: The Qing Dynasty Captured the second son and consorts of Korean King Injo. He surrendered the day after.
January 1637: In 1637, during the Joseon-Ming War, the Ming general Yang Sichang withdrew the remaining Ming forces from Korea to Denglai in northern Shandong.
Was an 1866 punitive expedition undertaken by the Second French Empire against Joseon Korea in retaliation for the execution of seven French Catholic missionaries.
October 1866: In 1866, a group of 170 French Naval Fusiliers, led by Admiral Roze, landed on Ganghwa Island in Korea. They seized the fortress controlling the Han River and occupied the city of Ganghwa.
November 1866: With winter approaching and the Korean forces growing stronger, the French evacuated Ganghwa Island.
Was a military expedition by the United States in Korea that took place predominantly on and around Ganghwa Island in 1871.
June 1871: On June 10, the Americans attacked the lightly defended Choji Garrison on Ganghwa, along the Salee River. The Koreans were armed with severely outdated weapons, such as matchlock muskets but with cannons.
June 1871: In 1871, during the Shinmiyangyo (U.S. expedition to Korea), American troops led by Admiral Rodgers and General Foulke reached Deokjin Fort, which had been abandoned by Korean forces. This marked a significant moment in the military occupation of the area by the United States.
June 1871: In 1871, during the United States expedition to Korea, sailors and Marines dismantled the fortress at Gwangseong Garrison. This action was part of the military occupation of the area led by Rear Admiral John Rodgers and General Frederick Townsend Ward.
July 1871: The United States Asiatic Squadron stayed at anchorage off Jakyak Island until July 3, when they left Korea.
January 1405: Tamna was conquered and officially annexed by the Korean Joseon dynasty in 1404.
January 1451: The border between China and Korea on the Yalu-Tumen rivers appears to have been in place by the mid 15th century.
Disestablishment
January 1883: Joseon was a tributary of the Qing dynasty since the Qing invasion of Joseon in 1637 but the Qing dynasty did not exercise significant influence until the Qing dynasty established the China-Korea Treaty of 1882.
Selected Sources
Seonjo Revised Annals April, 26th year of King Seonjo (『宣祖修正実録』宣祖26年4月条)
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Joseon dynasty
