Munmu of Silla (626–681; reigned 661–681) was the 30th king of the
Korean kingdom of
Silla. He is usually considered to have been the first
ruler of the
Unified Silla period. Munmu was the son 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 ...
and Munmyeong, who was the younger sister of
Gim Yu-sin. Under his father's reign, he held the office of ''pajinchan'', who apparently was responsible for maritime affairs, and played a key role in developing the country's diplomatic links with
Tang China. He was born Prince Beopmin (
Hangul: 법민
Hanja: 法敏), and took the name Munmu when he succeeded his father to the throne. After his death, he was known by the title of ''Dragon King''.
Family
*Father
: King Muyeol
*Mother:
Queen Munmyeong (Hangul: 문명왕후, Hanja: 文明王后) of the
Gimhae Kim
The Gimhae Kim clan () is one of the Korean clans. This clan traces their origin to Suro of Geumgwan Gaya. King Suro was the founder of Gaya confederacy, and his descendant, Gim Yu-sin, Kim Yu-sin is renowned for unifying the Silla polity. It was ...
clan
*Spouse: Queen Jaeui, of the Kim Clan (자의왕후 김씨; d.681)
**Son: Prince Somyeong (?-665)
**Son: Prince Jeong-myeong–who became
King Sinmun
Sinmun of Silla (r. 681–692) was the thirty-first king of Silla, a Korean state that originated in the southwestern Korean peninsula and went on to unify most of the peninsula under its rule in the mid 7th century. He was the eldest son of Sil ...
, the 31st of Silla
**
Unification of Three Kingdoms
King Munmu took the throne in the midst of a long conflict against
Baekje and
Goguryeo, shortly after General
Gyebaek and Baekje had been defeated at
Sabi by General
Gim Yu-sin in 660. In these struggles, Silla was heavily aided by the Tang.
The first years of his reign were spent trying to defeat Goguryeo, following an abortive attempt in 661. Finally, in 667, he ordered another attack which led to the defeat of Goguryeo in 668. After the small isolated pockets of resistance were eliminated, Munmu was the first ruler ever to see the Korean peninsula completely unified.
War with Tang China
King Munmu then faced the challenge of freeing his country from Tang domination. After the fall of Goguryeo, Tang created the
Protectorate General to Pacify the East and attempted to place the entire
Korean peninsula, including Silla, under its rule. To prevent this, Munmu forged alliances with Goguryeo resistance leaders such as
Geom Mojam and
Anseung, and launched a frontal attack on the Tang forces occupying former Baekje territories. The struggle lasted through the early 670s.
In 674, Tang and its former ally, Silla, were in constant battle, as King Munmu had taken over much of former Baekje and Goguryeo territory from the
Tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
and fostered resistance against them. Emperor
Gaozong Gaozong () is the temple name of several Chinese monarchs. It can refer to:
* Emperor Yuan of Han (reign: 49 BC–33 BC)
* Emperor Gaozong of Tang (reign: 649–683)
* Emperor Gaozong of Song (reign: 1127–1162)
* Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dyn ...
, in anger, arbitrarily declared King Munmu's brother,
Gim Inmun
Kim Inmun (629–694) was a noted aristocrat, scholar, and official of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the son of Muyeol and the younger brother of Munmu, the twenty-ninth and thirtieth kings respectively of Silla.
Biography
In 651, ...
, the king. However, King Munmu formally apologized and offered tribute, and Emperor Gaozong ordered a withdraw and recalled Gim Inmun.
In 675,
Li Jinxing (
Hanja:李謹行) reached Silla territory with
Mohe forces that submitted to Tang. However, the Tang forces were defeated by the Silla army at the
Maeso fortress (Tang sources claim that the Tang forces won this and other battles in Silla).
Emperor Gaozong ordered withdrawal of Tang forces from the
Korean Peninsula entirely and moved the
Protectorate General to Pacify the East to Liaodong, allowing Silla to eventually expel Tang out of the
Korean Peninsula and unify the parts of the peninsula south of the
Taedong River. This victory, and the maintenance of Silla's independence, is generally regarded as a critical turning point in Korean history.
After Unification Wars
Munmu ruled over unified Silla for twenty years, until he fell ill in 681. On his deathbed, he left his last will and testament, and abdicated to his son, Prince Sinmun. Before he died he said: "A country should not be without a king at any time. Let the Prince have my crown before he has my coffin. Cremate my remains and scatter the ashes in the sea where the whales live. I will become a dragon and thwart foreign invasion."
King Sinmun
Sinmun of Silla (r. 681–692) was the thirty-first king of Silla, a Korean state that originated in the southwestern Korean peninsula and went on to unify most of the peninsula under its rule in the mid 7th century. He was the eldest son of Sil ...
did as his father asked, and scattered his ashes over Daewangam (the Rock of the Great King), a small rocky islet a hundred metres or so off the Korean coast. Moreover, King Sinmun built the Gomun Temple (the Temple of Appreciated Blessing) and dedicated it to his father, he built a waterway for the sea dragon to come to and from the sea and land, and he built a pavilion, Eegun, overlooking the islet so that future kings could pay their respects to the great King Munmu.
In a dream, King Munmu and the famous general
Gim Yu-Sin appeared to King Sinmun and said to him: "Blowing on a bamboo flute will calm the heavens and the earth." King Sinmun awoke from the dream, rode out to the sea and received the bamboo flute named Manpa-sikjeok (萬波息笛, 만파식적). It was said that the blowing of this bamboo flute invoked the spirits of King Munmu and General Gim Yu-sin and would push back enemy troops, cure illnesses, bring rain during drought and halt the rains in floods.
Ancestry
The ''Stele of Munmu Wang'' suggests that he was of the ethnic
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 ...
origin, or at least that parts of his family arrived from the Xiongnu.
Popular culture
* Portrayed by
Baek Seung-hyeon
Baek Seung-hyeon (born Baek Seung-wook on March 1, 1975) is a South Korean actor. Baek has starred in supporting roles in television series such as ''Cain and Abel'' (2009), '' Brilliant Legacy'' (2009), and ''Prosecutor Princess
''Prosecuto ...
in the 2006
SBS TV series ''
Yeon Gaesomun
Yeon GaesomunSome Chinese and Korean sources stated that his surname was Yeongae () and personal name was Somun (), but the majority of sources suggest a one-syllable surname and a three-syllable personal name. (594–666) was a powerful militar ...
.''
*Portrayed by Moon Hee-won in the 2006
KBS TV series ''
Dae Jo Yeong.''
*Portrayed by
Park Joo-hyeong in the 2011
MBC TV series ''
Gyebaek.''
*Portrayed by Lee Jong-soo in the 2012-2013
KBS1 TV series ''
The King's Dream''.
* In the 2016
DC Comics comic book ''New Super-Man'', King Munmu appears as the source of power for Ahn Kwang-jo, a North Korean refugee with powers over water bodies, able to summon sea creatures to aid.
* In the Korean webcomic
The Gamer he appears as the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea
*Portrayed by ''
Yoon Hye Seok'' in the 2017
KBS TV series ''
Chronicles of Korea
Chronicles may refer to:
* ''Books of Chronicles'', in the Bible
* Chronicle, chronological histories
* ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis
* ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', the collected works of Raphael Holinshed
* ''The Idhu ...
''
See also
*
History of Korea
The Lower Paleolithic era in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago.
Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825.
The earlies ...
*
Silla–Tang Wars
*
Three Kingdoms of Korea
*
ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976)
*
Tomb of Munmu of Silla
Tomb of Munmu of Silla is an underwater tomb, the 30th king of Silla, in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. This is Historic Site No. 158, also known as Daewang-am.
Location
The tomb of Munmu of Silla is located in 26, Bonggil- ...
References
{{Authority control
Silla rulers
626 births
681 deaths
7th-century Korean monarchs
Muism