Gyeongsun of Silla (d. 978, r. 927-935) was the 56th and final ruler of the
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
n kingdom of
SillaSilla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustained dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park , the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its...
. A sixth-generation descendant of
King MunseongMunseong of Silla was the 46th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the eldest son of King Sinmu and Lady Jeonggye.Munseong's reign was typical of late Unified Silla, with rampant strife and uprisings...
, he was the son of
Ichan Hyojong by Princess Gyea, who was the daughter of
King HeongangHeongang of Silla was the 49th to rule the Korean kingdom of Silla. According to the Samguk Sagi, he excelled at civil affairs. Heongang was the eldest son of King Gyeongmun; his mother was Queen Munui...
.
Gyeongsun was placed on the throne by the
HubaekjeHubaekje, or Later Baekje, was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Hugoguryeo and Silla. It was officially founded by the disaffected Silla general Gyeon Hwon in 900, and fell to Wanggeon's Goryeo army in 936. Its capital was at Jeonju, in present-day North Jeolla province...
king
Gyeon HwonGyeon Hwon was the king and founder of Hubaekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" . He was also the progenitor of the Hwanggan Gyeon clan...
after the Hubaekje forces sacked
GyeongjuGyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of the...
in 927. Gyeongsun reigned over a tiny remnant of the former Silla territory until finally abdicating to
Taejo of GoryeoTaejo of Goryeo , was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century.- Background :...
in 935.
Gyeongsun of Silla (d. 978, r. 927-935) was the 56th and final ruler of the
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
n kingdom of
SillaSilla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustained dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park , the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its...
. A sixth-generation descendant of
King MunseongMunseong of Silla was the 46th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the eldest son of King Sinmu and Lady Jeonggye.Munseong's reign was typical of late Unified Silla, with rampant strife and uprisings...
, he was the son of
Ichan Hyojong by Princess Gyea, who was the daughter of
King HeongangHeongang of Silla was the 49th to rule the Korean kingdom of Silla. According to the Samguk Sagi, he excelled at civil affairs. Heongang was the eldest son of King Gyeongmun; his mother was Queen Munui...
.
Gyeongsun was placed on the throne by the
HubaekjeHubaekje, or Later Baekje, was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Hugoguryeo and Silla. It was officially founded by the disaffected Silla general Gyeon Hwon in 900, and fell to Wanggeon's Goryeo army in 936. Its capital was at Jeonju, in present-day North Jeolla province...
king
Gyeon HwonGyeon Hwon was the king and founder of Hubaekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" . He was also the progenitor of the Hwanggan Gyeon clan...
after the Hubaekje forces sacked
GyeongjuGyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of the...
in 927. Gyeongsun reigned over a tiny remnant of the former Silla territory until finally abdicating to
Taejo of GoryeoTaejo of Goryeo , was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century.- Background :...
in 935. His abdication completed Taejo's unification of Korea.
Gyeongsun married a daughter of Taejo (presumably as a second wife), and lived out the remainder of his life near the Goryeo capital (modern-day
KaesongKaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
). His tomb lies in Jangdan-myeon,
Yeoncheon CountyYeoncheon County is a county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The county seat is Yeoncheon-eup and sits on the Korail railroad line connecting Seoul, South Korea, with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ....
,
Gyeonggi-doGyeonggi-do is the most populous province in South Korea. The provincial capital is located at Suwon. Seoul—South Korea's largest city and national capital—is located in the heart of the province, but has been separately administered as a provincial-level special city since 1946...
,
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
.
According to
Samguk SagiSamguk Sagi is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The Samguk Sagi is written in Classical Chinese and its compilation was ordered by Goryeo's King Injong Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of...
, Gyeongsun's son, Prince Ma-Ui objected to his father's submission to Goryeo and became a hermit in Mount Kumgang located near the northern border of Korea at the time. Another myth holds that Prince Ma-Ui went further north into the land of the
JurchensThe Jurchens The Jurchens The Jurchens , 녀진 Nyŏjin (North Korea) were a Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria (Northeast China) until the 17th century, when they adopted the name Manchu...
where he became the founder of the
Aisin GioroAisin Gioro was the clan name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty, rulers of present-day China and Mongolia between the 17th and 20th centuries...
clan, who would eventually found the Jin Dynasty and eventually the Qing Dynasty.
Aisin GioroAisin Gioro was the clan name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty, rulers of present-day China and Mongolia between the 17th and 20th centuries...
means "gold," like the Silla royal surname "
KimKim is the most common family name in Korea. The name is common in both modern-day North Korea and South Korea. The Chinese character used for the name means "gold," and although the character is usually pronounced "geum" in Korea, it is pronounced "gim" when used for the family name and names...
," and some surviving members of the Aisin Gioro clan also use the character 金 for their surname.
See also