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 (Republic o ...
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 K ...
.
Biography
A sixth-generation descendant of
King Munseong, he was the son of
Hyogong by Princess Gyea, who was the daughter of
King Heongang. 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
Hubaekje or Later Baekje (, ) was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Taebong and Silla. Later Baekje was a Korean dynastic kingdom founded by the disaffected Silla general Gyeon Hwon in 900, whom led the local gentry and p ...
king
Gyeon Hwon
Gyeon Hwon (; 867 – 27 September 936, r. 892 – March 934) was the king and founder of Later Baekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, and reigned from 892 to 935. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" (진훤). He was also the prog ...
after the Hubaekje forces sacked
Gyeongju 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, 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 unificati ...
'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
Yeoncheon County (''Yeoncheon-gun'') is a county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The county seat is Yeoncheon-eup (연천읍) and sits on the Korail railroad line connecting Seoul, South Korea, with North Korea ( DPRK).
History
A variety of pal ...
,
Gyeonggi-do,
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 Korea, ...
, Gyeongsun's son,
Crown Prince Maui objected to his father's submission to Goryeo and became a hermit in
Mount Kumgang
Mount Kumgang () or the Kumgang Mountains is a mountain massif, with a peak, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province, and is part of the ...
.
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
''Taejo Wang Geon'' (; ) is a 2000 Korean historical period drama. Directed by Kim Jong-sun and starring Choi Soo-jong in the title role of Taejo of Goryeo, King Taejo. The drama aired from April 1, 2000 to February 24, 2002 in a total of 200 e ...
''.
*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 ki ...
''.
See also
*
Gyeon Hwon
Gyeon Hwon (; 867 – 27 September 936, r. 892 – March 934) was the king and founder of Later Baekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, and reigned from 892 to 935. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" (진훤). He was also the prog ...
*
List of Korean monarchs
This is a list of monarchs of Korea, arranged by dynasty. Names are romanized according to the South Korean Revised Romanization of Korean. McCune–Reischauer romanizations may be found at the articles about the individual monarchs.
Gojoseon ...
*
List of Silla people
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
Later Three Kingdoms of Korea
Later may refer to:
* Future, the time after the present
Television
* ''Later'' (talk show), a 1988–2001 American talk show
* '' Later... with Jools Holland'', a British music programme since 1992
* ''The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts'', or ...
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