Heondeok of Silla (died 826) (r. 809–826) was the 41st to rule 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 ...
. He was the younger brother of
King Soseong, and served as regent during the reign of
Aejang.
In 790, Heondeok traveled to
Tang China
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
where he distinguished himself and received a high position. He returned to Silla, becoming regent after the death of his brother. In 809, he slew the now-adult Aejang and took the throne for himself.
In 810, Heondeok repaired the country's irrigation facilities. He also sent his son
Kim Heon-jang to Tang with gold and silver Buddhist images to pray for the emperor's eternal peace.
Heondeok's later reign saw the rebellion of
Kim Heon-chang in 822, and that of Kim's son in the following year. Both were suppressed. In 824, troubled by threats from the north, the king ordered a 300-''ri''-long wall built near the
Taedong River
The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthenin ...
, which was then the country's northern border.
Family
*Grandfather:
Wonseong of Silla
Wonseong of Silla (r. 785–798, died 798) was the 38th to rule the Korean kingdom of Silla. He was a twelfth-generation descendant of King Naemul. His father was Kim Hyo-yang, and his mother was Lady Gye-o, the daughter of Park Chang-do. W ...
*Grandmother: Queen Kim (Lady Yeonhwa)(숙정부인 김씨), of the Kim clan, the daughter of
*Father: Prince Hyechung (혜충태자) (750–791/792), posthumously named ''King Hyechung'' (혜충왕)
*Mother: Queen Seongmok, of the Kim clan ( 성목태후 김씨)
*Wife:
**Queen Gwiseun, of the Kim clan (귀승부인 김씨) daughter of Prince Ye–yeong (예영)
***Unknown son
See also
*
Unified Silla
Unified Silla, or Late Silla (, ), is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, after 668 CE. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alliance conquered Baekje and the southern part of Goguryeo in the ...
*
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
G ...
*
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 union ...
References
Silla monarchs
Silla Buddhists
Korean Buddhist monarchs
826 deaths
Year of birth unknown
9th-century Korean monarchs
{{Korea-hist-stub