윤관 尹瓘
Renowned Goryeo general who created the Byeolmuban, conquered the Jurchens, and built the Nine Fortresses of the northeast
| Life | 1040 ~ 1111 |
| Era | 고려 |
| Clan | 파평 윤씨 |
Life & career
Yun Gwan (1040-1111), styled Donghyeon, was a mid-Goryeo civil official and general of the Papyeong Yun clan who passed the civil service examination under King Munjong.
To prepare for campaigns against the Jurchen, he organized the Byeolmuban special forces of cavalry, infantry, and monk-soldiers, and as commander-in-chief in 1107 he conquered Jurchen territory and built nine fortresses in the northeast. During a 1108 campaign he and his forces were surrounded by Jurchen troops and rescued by reinforcements led by his lieutenant Cheok Jun-gyeong, but the royal court, inclined toward peace, ultimately returned the nine fortresses to the Jurchen over his objections. In 1109 he was dismissed after failing to prevent the fall of Gilju fortress, though royal favor soon restored him, and he later rose to chief councillor with the honorific title Suetaebo.
He spent his final years devoted to scholarship. His burial site is also noted for having been the subject of a roughly four-century ownership dispute between the Papyeong Yun and Cheongsong Sim clans.
Grave
Bunsu-ri, Gwangtan-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do (Historic Site No. 323)
Descendants
He had sons including Yun Eon-i, and in later generations the family produced several queens, including Queen Jeonghui and Queen Munjeong, so that the Papyeong Yun clan flourished as a prestigious lineage.