Markup View

Author: randomsurfer

May 5th 2011 at 8:39:04 PM

Korean HistoricalDrama ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taejo_Wang_Geon_(TV_series) Emperor Wang Guhn]]'' is about how WG became emperor of Korea.  Long story short(er): The previous Empire of Silla fell apart.  Wang's predecessor Gung Ye seizes power in northern Korea and proclaims himself Emperor, while in southern Korea General Kyunhwan proclaims ''him''self Emperor, so there's a power struggle between them. Gung then proclaims that he's not only Emperor but also the reincarnation of Buddha and starts going crazy, even having his wife and sons killed because he thinks they're plotting against him.  At this point the other nobles in Gung's camp decide that he's no longer worthy of being followed as Emperor, so they ask General Wang Guhn (portrayed as Gung Ye's most loyal-yet-non-crazy subject - it was his childhood sweetheart who Gung had married and then later killed) to become the emperor.  Wang refuses, but the nobles depose Gung anyway, at which point Wang reluctantly takes the throne.

Gung Ye himself was also this, given that he was a general for yet another would-be Emperor before he was proclaimed Emperor by the other man's former followers.

(Note to any Korean tropers: I'm not trying to paint this as 100% accurate to Korean history; it's just what I remember from a show I followed 10 years ago.)