Background
Eulji was born in the mid-6th century and died sometime after 618, although the exact date is unknown. Haedong myeongjangjeon (Biographies of famed Korean Generals), written in 18th century Joseon, states that he was from the Mountain Seokda (石多山) in Pyongyang. At the time of his birth, the kingdom of Goguryeo had grown to be a powerful and belligerent state, constantly warring with its neighbours, Chinese states to its north and west, and its fellow Korean kingdoms Silla and Baekje to its southeast and southwest respectively.
A balance of power was maintained between these Three Kingdoms of Korea, until outside influence, namely the much larger Tang Dynasty of China, finally tipped the advantage to Silla. In 589, the Sui Dynasty had reunified China for the first time since the fall of the Han Dynasty over three centuries before. The Sui early on launched several large military campaigns against Goguryeo which was unwilling to submit to Sui dominance.
Eulji Mundeok (Some Korean scholars posit that the Eulji 乙支 in his name is some form of Goguryeo rank or title) was an educated man, skilled in both "mun" (문, 文) political and the "mu" (무, 武) military sciences. He eventually rose to become Prime Minister of Goguryeo.
Read more about this topic: Eulji Mundeok
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