배원룡 裵元龍
Founder of the Bunseong Bae clan; late Goryeo military official (Minister of War and Supreme Commander)
| Life | 미상 ~ 미상 |
| Era | 고려 후기 |
| Clan | 분성 배씨 |
Life & career
Bae Won-ryong (裵元龍) is honored as the founder of the Bunseong Bae clan (盆城 裵氏), a figure of late Goryeo. Wiki-derived sources describe him as a descendant of the founding minister Bae Hyeon-gyeong (裵玄慶) and eldest son of Bae Sa-hyeok, Lord of Garak. Under King U he is said to have served as Magistrate of Gyerim and as Minister of War and Supreme Commander and to have been enfeoffed as Lord of Bunseong. His descendants count him as the first generation of the line, taking Bunseong, the old name of Gimhae, as their seat.
The number of generations from Bae Hyeon-gyeong varies by source. The Wikipedia clan article makes him the son of Bae Sa-hyeok, a fourth-generation descendant, while other wiki-derived texts say sixth generation. The date of his enfeoffment is given as King Gongmin's reign in some texts and King U's in others, and genealogies differ as well: the Sinyu edition treats him as the first holder of the office-bearing line, while the Gimyo edition counts him as third generation. These differences were not settled here, so please check the clan genealogy.
The sources also relate that in 1385 (11th year of King U) he drove off Japanese pirates as Magistrate of Gyerim. His sons are listed as Bae Seo (a censor and Director of Guests) and Bae Jong-ju (Minister of Personnel), and his grandson Bae Dan is said to have risen to Pyeongjangsa. The lines of his great-grandsons are said to have split into the Guyeon-gong, Jinsa-gong and Moksa-gong branches.
Shrines for the ancestors
At Jeongdae-ri, Yaro-myeon, Hapcheon in South Gyeongsang stand the Chubonsa and Myeonggoksa shrines, which honor Bae Ji-ta, the earliest ancestor of the line, along with Bae Bu, Bae Hyeon-gyeong, Bae U, Bae Seung-go and Bae Won-ryong, as well as Bae Maeng-hu, Bae Myeong-won, Bae Hyeong-won and Bae Il-jang. Chubonsa was built in 1537 but collapsed and was moved to its present site in 1948; Myeonggoksa descends from the Myeonggok Seowon academy founded in 1675, which was demolished under the academy abolition decree and rebuilt in 1938, then moved in 1948. It was designated a South Gyeongsang tangible cultural property in 1988 and renamed in 2018.
Link to Gimhae
Bunseong is the old name of Gimhae. Gimhae has a fortress called Bunsanseong (盆山城), Historic Site No. 66, which shares the character 盆 with the clan seat. No record linking the fortress to Bae Won-ryong was found, so the photograph is used only as a regional view.
Grave
Not confirmed.
Descendants
Not confirmed.