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 ...

. Being the only child between King Gyeongdeok and Lady Manwol ( Queen Gyeongsu), Hyegong was the last descendant of King Muyeol 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 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 or bisexual tendency. Records have traditionally described the monarch as "a man by appearance but a woman by nature". In '' Dongsa Gangmok'', 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 s ...

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 * 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