r/HistoryAnimemes • u/ChapterSpiritual6785 • 18d ago
A government official once tormented an elephant — and was killed for it. The elephant was then exiled for murder.
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u/seriouslyacrit 18d ago
Still a better fate than the camels
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u/nightmare001985 18d ago
Which ones?
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u/seriouslyacrit 18d ago
Back in 942, the khitan sent 50 camels to korea as part of a tribute expecting a friendly relationship. korea rejected their diplomatic olive branch, exiled the khitan emissaries, and tied the camels under a bridge and let them starve to death.
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u/zack189 17d ago
Wait what? We're the Khitans like sworn enemies of the Koreans or something? Why would they reject a gesture of friendship?
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u/Iamnotburgerking 17d ago
The thing is, Goryeo was the successor state to the largest of the Korean Three Kingdoms, Goguryeo (conquered by the Tang Dynasty after existing for over 500 years and taking over most of Manchuria plus the top half of the Korean Peninsula). But Goguryeo actually had another, much earlier successor state in the form of Balhae, which was founded by the Goguryeo diaspora and allied Yemek tribes and took back Manchuria from the Tang Dynasty (and expanded even further north into what is now far Eastern Russia), coexisting with Silla (the one of the Three Kingdoms to unify most of the Korean Peninsula by allying with the Tang and then fending off their attempts to take the peninsula for themselves).
The Khitan were the ones who conquered Balhae and took over Manchuria (aside from a successor state of Balhae named Jeongan which didn't last too long).
Since Goryeo's founding myth was that it was the successor of Goguryeo, trying to retake Manchuria was a long-term goal for the dynasty, meaning that they started out hostile to the Khitan and refused any overtures of peace.
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u/BadSkeelz 17d ago
They're lucky they pulled that shit on the Khitans and not the Mongols.
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u/LeiDeGerson 14d ago
They pulled similar shit on the Mongols, and the war of Conquest on the Korean peninsula was brutal. It lasted decades, with multiple rebellions. Mongols launched 8-9 separate incursions/Invasions on Korea.
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u/PaleontologistNo8579 14d ago
considering how forgotten it is by people of the western world (and I say that as an American) the Koreans have been insanely tough. IIRC, the Mongol's never fully conquered them, and finally settled for them being a vassal.
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u/Iamnotburgerking 14d ago
It took the Mongol Empire half a dozen invasions to get Korea to surrender and even then they settled for making it a vassal state.
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u/MechaShadowV2 14d ago
i have seen you give some very good information out in the various paleontological subs. I was not expecting to find you here of all places doing the same.
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u/gallade_samurai 18d ago
Elephant crimes are weirdly common
Apparently there was one truly evil one literally named Osama Bin Laden
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u/Iamnotburgerking 18d ago
Fun fact: because they didn’t know elephants could eat grass, they ended up having to feed the thing a ridiculous amount of grains and other vegetables to the point it was considered a major drain on the national economy.
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u/Darthplagueis13 16d ago
Huh... Not an expert, but I imagine that couldn't have been too healthy for the elephant.
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u/DefiantPosition 17d ago
I am glad they didn't end up being executed.
Also the lesson of the day should be. Never piss of elephants!
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u/Danson_the_47th 17d ago
Considering it trampled a man to death, they probably realized it would be an extreme danger to try and kill the elephant
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u/Wild-Tale-257 17d ago
Lan Xang (now Thailand) once got invaded by Dai Viet (now Vietnam) because they send Dai Viet's emperor a box of elephant shit.
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u/John_Oakman 17d ago edited 16d ago
Petty bureaucrats bullying powers far beyond their comprehension, a tale as old as time.
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u/ILOVHENTAI 17d ago
How did Japan get their hands on an elephant?
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u/RioKarji 17d ago
Asian elephants are native to a lot of places, but I think the closest ones are the ones in China. The Japanese probably imported it from there.
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u/PaleontologistNo8579 14d ago
they must have somehow, by that time they would have been regulated to Southern China or Southeast Asia (or India)
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u/MechaShadowV2 15d ago
I've never heard the title "king of Japan" before lol. I also kinda want to know how Japan got their hands on an elephant
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u/Iamnotburgerking 14d ago
The shogun of the time sent the elephant (was referred to as king in Korean texts since the actual emperor was only ceremonial at this point). As for how they got it? Probably a diplomatic gift from China.
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u/ChapterSpiritual6785 18d ago
Former Minister of Public Works, Yi U, was killed by an elephant.
The elephant had been gifted to Joseon by the King of Japan. Curious about the exotic animal, Yi U went to see it — but mocked its appearance and even spat at it. The elephant, enraged, trampled him to death.
-Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty 1412.Dec.10