Jinheung of Silla
Encyclopedia
King Jinheung was the 24th monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...

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

, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...

.

He followed King Beopheung
Beopheung of Silla
King Beopheung was the 23rd monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was preceded by King Jijeung and succeeded by King Jinheung....

 (514–540) and was followed by King Jinji
Jinji of Silla
Geomryun Kim , whose name as king was Jinji, was the twenty-fifth monarch of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. His wife was Lady Jido of the Park clan....

 (576–579). Jinheung was the nephew of King Beopheung. King Jinheung was one of the greatest kings of Silla, and was responsible for expanding Silla territory immensely. He and King Seong
Seong of Baekje
Seong of Baekje was the 26th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a son of Muryeong of Baekje. He made Buddhism the state religion, moved the national capital, and succeeded in reclaiming the center of the Korean Peninsula, only to be betrayed by an ally.-Foreign relations...

 26th king of Baekje, struggled with each other over the Han River
Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...

 valley. Jinheung won this struggle and expanded Silla's territory immensely.

Rise to the throne

King Jinheung of Silla rose to the throne at the young age of seven when his predecessor and uncle, Beopheung
Beopheung of Silla
King Beopheung was the 23rd monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was preceded by King Jijeung and succeeded by King Jinheung....

, died. Since he was too young to rule a kingdom at the time, his mother acted as regent. When he became of age, he began to rule independently. One of his first acts as true king of Silla was to appoint a man named Kim Isabu
Kim Isabu
Kim Isabu was a general and politician of Silla during the 6th century. He was also known as Taejong. He is best remembered today for his role in subjugating the island nation of Usan-guk which is known as the Liancourt Rocks or Dokdo Island today. Although frequently referred to as "Isabu", his...

 as Head of Military Affairs, which occurred in 541
541
Year 541 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Basilius without colleague...

. Jinheung adopted a policy of peace with the neighbouring kingdom of Baekje Kingdom
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....

. In 551
551
Year 551 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 551 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Beirut is destroyed by an...

, he allied with Baekje so that he could attack the northern Korean kingdom of Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....

. The result of this allied attack on Goguryeo was the conquest of the Han river. The kingdoms of 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....

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

 both had agreed on splitting the conquered territory equally amongst themselves.

Expansion

During the reign of King Seong of Baekje
Seong of Baekje
Seong of Baekje was the 26th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a son of Muryeong of Baekje. He made Buddhism the state religion, moved the national capital, and succeeded in reclaiming the center of the Korean Peninsula, only to be betrayed by an ally.-Foreign relations...

, King Jinheung allied with Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....

 and launched an attack on the Han River valley during the year 553
553
Year 553 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 553 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The Ostrogoth Kingdom is conquered by the...

. In a secret agreement between Silla and Goguryeo, Silla troops attacked the exhausted Baekje army in late 553. Feeling the betrayal from Silla, King Seong attacked during the year 554
554
Year 554 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 554 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* General Narses reconquers all of...

, but was caught in an ambush led by a Silla general and was assassinated along with those who were accompanying him. King Jinheung guarded the new territory with a firm hand for seven years before sending General Kim Isabu to conquer Daegaya in 561
561
Year 561 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 561 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Clotaire I dies, and the Frankish kingdom...

. King Jinheung constructed a monument in his newly conquered territory and established provinces in the area. He subdued all rebellions and continued to develop culture in his kingdom. In 576
576
Year 576 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 576 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The Visigoths establish the capital of...

, the Hwarang
Hwarang
The Hwarang, or "Flower Boys"., were an elite group of male youth in Silla, an ancient Korean kingdom that lasted until the 10th century. There were educational institutions as well as social clubs where members gathered for all aspects of study, originally for arts and culture steeped mainly in...

 was established, and they would later play a huge role in the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...

.

Death and Succession

King Jinheung died in 576
576
Year 576 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 576 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The Visigoths establish the capital of...

 at the young age of 43 after ruling for 37 years of conquest and advancement. King Jinheung was succeeded by his second son, Prince Geumryun, who became King Jinji of Silla
Jinji of Silla
Geomryun Kim , whose name as king was Jinji, was the twenty-fifth monarch of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. His wife was Lady Jido of the Park clan....

. Prince Geumryun stole the throne and later he was overthrown by Lady Mishil, a high ranking official. The true chosen successor is King Jinheung's grandson Prince Baekjong, who became Jinpyeong of Silla
Jinpyeong of Silla
Jinpyeong of Silla is the 26th king of the Silla Dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. King Jinpyeong followed in the footsteps of King Jinheung by reorganizing the central ruling system, and as many conflicts with Baekje and Goguryeo arose, sent emissaries to improve relations and...

.

Legacy

King Jinheung's achievements for his kingdom established the basis for unification of Korea. He is remembered today by the Korean people as one of the greatest rulers of Silla.

See also

  • List of Korea-related topics
  • List of Korean monarchs#Silla
  • 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...

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