Heonan of Silla (r. 857–861) was the 47th king of the Silla

Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

 kingdom of Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

. He was the younger half-brother of King Sinmu

Sinmu of Silla

Sinmu of Silla was the 45th monarch of the Korean kingdom of Silla. His reign was the briefest in the state's history, lasting only from the fourth to the seventh lunar month of 839....

. What little we know of his reign comes from the Samguk Sagi

Samguk Sagi

Samguk 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...

.

Following a famine in the year 859, he sent relief to the peasants and supported agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 through the construction of irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 works.

Being without a son, Heonan chose his relative Kim Eung-ryeom as his heir. After his death, Kim Eung-ryeom took the throne, becoming King Gyeongmun

Gyeongmun of Silla

Gyeongmun of Silla was the 48th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the grandson of King Huigang, and the son of the Achan Kim Gye-myeong. His mother was Lady Gwanghwa, the daughter of King Sinmu. Gyeongmun married Queen Munui, who was the daughter of King Heonan.Gyeongmun's reign saw...

. His tomb in Gyeongju

Gyeongju

Gyeongju 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...

 was known as the Gongjakji (공작지/孔雀趾).

See also

• List of Korean monarchs
• Unified Silla
  Unified Silla
  Unified Silla or Later Silla is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, when it conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668, unifying the southern portion of the Korean peninsula...
  
  
• History of Korea
  History of Korea
  The Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
  
  
• List of Korea-related topics