Hyegong of Silla (758–780) (r. 765–780) was the 36th 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 ...

. Being the only child between

King Gyeongdeok Gyeongdeok of Silla (景德王; 742–765) was the 35th ruler of Silla and son of Seongdeok of Silla, King Seongdeok (reigned 702–737). He succeeded his elder brother, King Hyoseong, the 34th ruler of Silla. His reign is considered a golden age ...

and Lady Manwol ( Queen Gyeongsu), Hyegong was the last descendant of

King Muyeol King Taejong Muyeol (604–661), born Gim Chunchu, was the 29th ruler of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is credited for leading the unification of Korea's Three Kingdoms. Background King Taejong Muyeol was born with the "sacred ...

to sit on the throne. Because of this, Hyegong's reign is often regarded as the end of the middle period of the

state. Hyegong became king at the age of 8, and did not adapt well to the role. 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, ...

'', Hyegong's dissolute life as a young monarch kept the palace in disarray. They faced rebellions led by high officials ( Kim Daegong and others) in 768, 770 and 775. Faced in 780 with another rebellion led by his ''ichan'' Kim Ji-jeong, the monarch dispatched ''

sangdaedeung {{Short description, Office of the Silla state in Korea Sangdaedeung (상대등, 上大等, the First of Daedeungs or Peers, Extraordinary Rank One) was an office of the Silla state. It was considered as the highest and most prestigious office that ...

Kim Yang-sang King Seondeok of Silla (r. 780–785), was the 37th ruler of Silla and the 8th ruler of Unified Silla. Prior to that, he served as a Sangdaedeung to King Hyegong of Silla. Family *Grandfather : Seongdeok Daewang (reigned 702–737) *Grandm ...

to put down the uprising, but the rebel forces managed to storm the palace and assassinated Hyegong and other royal family members. Kim Yang-sang, who was an eleventh-generation descendant of King Naemul, then took the throne as King Seondeok. Records show that Hyegong's behaviour was effeminate and showed either

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

tendency. Records have traditionally described the monarch as "a man by appearance but a woman by nature". In ''

Dongsa Gangmok Dongsa Gangmok (''Compendium of the eastern history'') is a Korean history book written by Ahn Jeong-bok (1712–1791) about the Joseon dynasty. It is composed of 20 volumes, and describes from Gojoseon to Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kin ...

'', Ahn Jeong-bok described Hyegong's reign as "peculiar, for it was said that the king became a man as a woman, and for the king played with girl's toys as a child." Today's historians often speculate that Hyegong was a

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

Family

* Grandfather:

Seongdeok of Silla Seongdeok Daewang (reigned 702–737) was the thirty-third king of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the second son of King Sinmun, and the younger brother of King Hyoso. In 704 Seongdeok married Lady Baeso 陪昭夫人 (Queen Se ...

(reigned 702–737) (성덕왕) * Grandmother: Queen Sodeok (소덕왕후 김씨), of the

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

clan * Father:

Gyeongdeok of Silla Gyeongdeok of Silla (景德王; 742–765) was the 35th ruler of Silla and son of King Seongdeok (reigned 702–737). He succeeded his elder brother, King Hyoseong, the 34th ruler of Silla. His reign is considered a golden age in Unified Silla� ...

* Mother: Queen Gyeongsu, of the Kim clan (경수왕후 김씨) * Wife: **Queen Wi, of the Wi clan (신파부인 위씨) **Queen Changchang, of the Kim clan ( 창창부인 김씨), daughter of Kim Jang (김장)

References

Silla rulers 780 deaths 758 births Korean LGBT people Medieval LGBT people LGBT royalty 8th-century Korean monarchs {{Korea-hist-stub

Family

See also

References