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Unified Silla (668
668

Events...
 CE - 935
935

Events...
 CE) or Later Silla is the name often applied to the kingdom of Silla
Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustaining dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Bak Hyeokgeose of Silla, 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 992-year history....
, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea

The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean empire of Goguryeo, and kingdom of Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE....
, when it conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668. In 660, conquering Baekje
Baekje

Baekje , or Paekche , was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
 unified the southern portion of the Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula

The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan on the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water....
 and in 668 Goguryeo was conquered. Its last king, ruling over a state in name only, submitted to the emerging Goryeo
Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392....
 in 935, bringing the dynasty to an end.

name "Unified Silla" is a term that likely dates from after the division of Korea
Division of Korea

The division of Korea into North Korea and South Korea stems from the 1945 Allies of World War II victory in World War II, ending Japan's 35-year Korea under Japanese rule....
 in 1945, and to some degree reflects modern-day political longings.






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Unified Silla (668
668

Events...
 CE - 935
935

Events...
 CE) or Later Silla is the name often applied to the kingdom of Silla
Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustaining dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Bak Hyeokgeose of Silla, 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 992-year history....
, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea

The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean empire of Goguryeo, and kingdom of Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE....
, when it conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668. In 660, conquering Baekje
Baekje

Baekje , or Paekche , was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
 unified the southern portion of the Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula

The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan on the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water....
 and in 668 Goguryeo was conquered. Its last king, ruling over a state in name only, submitted to the emerging Goryeo
Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392....
 in 935, bringing the dynasty to an end.

Name

The name "Unified Silla" is a term that likely dates from after the division of Korea
Division of Korea

The division of Korea into North Korea and South Korea stems from the 1945 Allies of World War II victory in World War II, ending Japan's 35-year Korea under Japanese rule....
 in 1945, and to some degree reflects modern-day political longings. Because of this, some historians suggest the term North-South States Period (??? ??, ?????) to better reflect the fact that Silla did not unify the Three Kingdoms' entire territory. Large parts of former Goguryeo territory remained outside Silla's realm and were part of the newly emerged Balhae
Balhae

Balhae was an ancient multiethnic empire established after the fall of Goguryeo. After Goguryeo's capital and southern territories fell to Unified Silla, Dae Jo-young, a former Goguryeo general, whose father was Dae Jung-sang, established Jin , later called Balhae....
 state.

Unification

In 660
660

Events...
, King Munmu of Silla
Munmu of Silla

Munmu of Silla was the thirtieth king of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He is usually considered to have been the first monarch of the Unified Silla period....
 ordered his armies to attack Baekje. General Kim Yu-shin, aided by Tang
Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
 forces, defeated General Gyebaek
Gyebaek

Gyebaek was a general in the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje during the early to mid 7th century. Little else is known of his personal life—including the year and location of his birth....
 and conquered Baekje. In 661
661

Events...
, he moved on Goguryeo but was repelled. King Munmu was the first ruler ever to look upon the south of Korean Peninsula as a single political entity after the fall of Gojoseon. As such, the post-668 Silla kingdom is often referred to as Unified Silla. Unified Silla lasted for 267 years until, under King Gyeongsun
Gyeongsun of Silla

Gyeongsun of Silla was the 56th and final ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. A sixth-generation descendant of Munseong of Silla, he was the son of Ichan Hyojong by Princess Gyea, who was the daughter of Heongang of Silla....
, it fell to Goryeo
Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392....
 in 935.

Culture


Buddhism

Unified Silla and Tang maintained close ties. This was evidenced by the continual importation of Chinese culture. Many Korean monks went to China to learn about Buddhism. The monk Hyech'o went to India to study Buddhism and wrote of accounts. . Different new sects of Buddhism were introduced by these traveling monks who had studied abroad such as Son and Pure Land Buddhism .

Confucianism

A national confucian college was established in 682 and around 750 it was renamed the National Confucian University . The university was restricted to the elite aristocracy.

Woodblock printing

Woodblock printing was used to disseminate Buddhist sutras and Confucian works. During a refurbishment of the Pagoda That Casts No Shadows, an ancient print of a Buddhist sutra was discovered. The print is dated to 751 CE and is the oldest discovered printed material in the world. .

Economy

At first, Silla decreased agriculture output tax to 1/10 before unification and assigned tributary payment per town with special products.

Unified Silla conducted a census of all towns' size and population, as well as horse
Horse

The horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolution of the horse over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, odd-toed ungulate animal of today....
s, cows and special products and recorded the data in Minjeongmunseo. The reporting was done by the leader of each town.

See also

  • Three Kingdoms of Korea
    Three Kingdoms of Korea

    The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean empire of Goguryeo, and kingdom of Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE....
  • List of Korea-related topics
    List of Korea-related topics

    This is a list of articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. For help on how to use this list, see the #Introduction below....
  • History of Korea
    History of Korea

    The history of Korea stretches from Lower Paleolithic times to the present. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began before 6000 BC, followed by the Bronze Age around 2500 BC....