羅唐同盟의 始末

Abstract

The Beginning and End of Silla-Tang Alliance Ju Bo-don 〔Abstract〕 This paper deals with the transition of the military alliance between the Silla Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty in the middle of the 7th century. It can be said that the 7th century in East Asia was a time of war. This kind of situation happened after the long period of divisions ended and the Sui Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, which were unified dynasties, emerged in the central plains of China. In the Korean Peninsula, the three kingdoms - Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla–fought fiercely for dominance over the territory in the process of forming and developing a nation from the 4th century on. While they were seeking to become the leader of unification around the 7th century, the scale of wars finally grew bigger and bigger. Silla, which was the weakest among the three kingdoms in the Korean peninsula, fell into a state of isolation after the middle of the 6th century by simultaneously turning Goguryeo and Baekje into enemies. The only way for Silla to overcome such a situation and to emerge as the conqueror in the struggle between the three countries was to borrow the power of the great power. Thus, Silla came to establish a military alliance with the Tang Dynasty, while closely examining the trend of the international situation. In fact, Silla had a considerable sense of crisis under the judgment that, without the help of the Tang Dynasty, it would soon be destroyed in the fierce struggle among the three kingdoms. So, Silla finally succeeded by clinging firmly to the Tang Dynasty. However, the two countries showed considerable differences in the purpose and interests of the alliance. For this reason, the military alliance couldn't avoid a breakup after the fall of Goguryeo. The result was a war between the two countries. This paper analyzed those overall trends from an independent perspective. (Department of History, Kyungpook National University / bdju@knu.ac.kr)