1392 CE
A year defined by the founding of the Joseon dynasty in Korea, the onset of King Charles VI of France's madness, and the continued expansion of Ottoman power in the Balkans under Sultan Bayezid I.
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
- General Yi Seong-gye overthrew the Goryeo dynasty and established the Joseon dynasty in Korea, founding a new kingdom that would endure for over five centuries.
- Yi Seong-gye, who took the throne name Taejo, moved the capital to Hanyang and adopted Neo-Confucianism as the state ideology, replacing the Buddhist orientation of the Goryeo period.
- King Charles VI of France suffered his first episode of madness in August, attacking members of his own retinue while traveling through a forest near Le Mans.
- The mental illness of Charles VI created a power vacuum in France, intensifying the rivalry between his brother Louis, Duke of Orleans, and his uncle Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy.
Climate & Environment
- Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 272 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
Culture & Society
- The Joseon dynasty's adoption of Neo-Confucianism profoundly shaped Korean society, establishing a hierarchical social order based on Confucian principles of loyalty, filial piety, and scholarly achievement.
- The estimated world population was approximately 350 million.