Gyeongsun of Silla (896–978) was the 56th and
final ruler of the
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...
n kingdom of
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of ...
.
Biography
A sixth-generation descendant of
King Munseong, he was the son of
Hyogong by Princess Gyea, who was the daughter of
King Heongang
Heongang of Silla (c.861–886) (r. 875–886) was the 49th to rule the Korean kingdom of Silla.
According to the ''Samguk Sagi'', he excelled at civil affairs. Heongang was the eldest son of King Gyeongmun; his mother was Queen Munui. He had ...
. His wife was Lady Jukbang (죽방부인) of the Juksan Park clan, his eldest son was Crown Prince Maui, and his youngest son was Beomgong.
Gyeongsun was placed on the throne by the
Hubaekje king
Gyeon Hwon after the Hubaekje forces sacked
Gyeongju
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong ...
in 927. The kingdom was already in an extremely weakened state, so Gyeongsun reigned over a tiny remnant of the former Silla territory until finally abdicating in favour of
Taejo of Goryeo in 935. He remarried Taejo's daughter Princess Nangrang (낙랑공주) and was appointed ''sasim-gwan'' (사심관, inspector-general) of
Gyeongju
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong ...
, becoming the first of
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unifica ...
's ''sasim-gwan'' system. He lived out the remainder of his life near the Goryeo capital (modern-day
Kaesong).
[King Gyeongsun]
at Doosan Encyclopedia
''Doosan Encyclopedia'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (두산동아). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (동아원색세계대백과사전), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be p ...
He died in 978 and his tomb lies in Jangnam-myeon,
Yeoncheon County,
Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.
According to
Samguk Sagi
''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Kore ...
, Gyeongsun's son,
Crown Prince Maui objected to his father's submission to Goryeo and became a hermit in
Mount Kumgang.
Family
*Father: Kim Hyo-Jong, King Shinheung of Silla (신흥대왕)
**Grandfather: King Uiheung of Silla (의흥대왕)
*Mother: Grand Princess Gyea of the Gyeongju Kim clan (계아태후 김씨)
**Grandfather:
King Heongang of Silla (? – 886) (신라 헌강왕)
*Consorts and their Respective Issue:
#
Lady Jukbang of the Juksan Bak clan (죽방부인 박씨)
##
Crown Prince Maui (마의태자)
##Kim Deok-ji, Duke of Beom (김덕지 범공)
##Kim Myeong-jong, Duke Yeongbun (영분공)
##
Queen Heonsuk of the Gyeongju Kim clan (헌숙왕후 김씨)
#
Princess Nakrang of the Kaesong Wang clan (낙랑공주 왕씨)
##Kim Eun-yeol, Prince Daean (김은열 대안군)
##Kim Seok, Prince Uiseong (김석 의성군)
##Kim Geon, Prince Gangreung (김건 강릉군)
##Kim Seon, Prince Eonyang (김선 언양군)
##Kim Chu, Prince Samcheok (김추 삼척군)
##Unnamed princess
##Lady Sinran of the Gyeongju Kim clan (신란궁부인 김씨)
#Princess Wang of the Kaesong Wang clan (공주 왕씨)
[Daughter of Taejo of Goryeo and Lady Seongmu of the Pyeongsan Park clan.] – No issue.
In popular culture
*Portrayed by Shin Hwi-shik in the 2000–2002
KBS TV series ''
Taejo Wang Geon''.
*Portrayed by Lee Do-ryun in the 2002–2003
KBS TV series ''
The Dawn of the Empire
''The Dawn of the Empire'' () is a South Korean historical television series which aired on KBS1 from March 2, 2002 to January 26, 2003 for 94 episodes every weekend at 21:45 ( KST). It revolves around the reigns of the second, third and fourth k ...
''.
See also
*
Gyeon Hwon
*
List of Korean monarchs
*
List of Silla people
*
Later Three Kingdoms of Korea
References
{{s-end
Silla rulers
Silla Buddhists
Goryeo Buddhists
Korean Buddhist monarchs
978 deaths
10th-century rulers in Asia
Year of birth unknown
Year of birth uncertain