Kim Alcheon was a member of the Silla

Silla

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

 royal family. He became 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...

 at a young age and was a famous general.

Biography

Alcheon supported Princess Deokman in politics and in her succession to the throne after the death of her father, 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...

. When Princess Deokman became Queen Seondeok of Silla

Queen Seondeok of Silla

Queen Seondeok of Silla reigned as Queen of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647. She was Silla's twenty-seventh ruler, and its first reigning queen...

, Alcheon became the chief of royal palace guard and also Seondeok's personal bodyguard.

He was a notable general during the Seondeok era. In 636, he obeyed the order of the queen and marched to Yeoguen-gok (女根谷) and then repulsed the Baekje forces. In 638, Gogurye forces invaded Chiljung castle (today's Paju

Paju

Paju is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county .The city is located just south of Panmunjeom on the 38th parallel. To defend the Korean capital, Seoul, many US and Korean army bases are set up in the city. In 2002, the northernmost...

). Alcheon led his soldiers to victory over the Gogurye forces.

In 647, Alcheon was promoted to Sangdaedeung

Sangdaedeung

Sangdaedeung was an office of the Silla state equivalent to the European King's/Queen's Counsel. The Sangdaedeung was chosen from among those men of “true bone” lineage in Silla‘s strict aristocratic social order...

 in Queen Jindeok

Jindeok of Silla

Queen Jindeok of Silla reigned as Queen of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 647 to 654. She was the kingdom's 28th ruler, and its second reigning queen following her predecessor Queen Seondeok. During her reign, Silla jockeyed with Baekje for favor in the Chinese Tang court...

's reign. Jindeok succeeded the throne after the death of Seondeok.

In 654, Queen Jindeok died without a successor, Alcheon became the favorite to take the throne of Silla. However, Alcheon refused to take the crown and, along with Kim Yushin

Kim Yushin

Kim Yushin was a general in 7th-century Silla. He led the unification of the Korean peninsula by Silla under the reign of King Muyeol of Silla and King Munmu of Silla. He is said to have been the great-grandchild of King Guhae of Geumgwan Gaya, the last ruler of the Geumgwan Gaya state...

, supported Kim Chunchu

Muyeol of Silla

King Taejong Muyeol , born Kim Chunchu, was the 29th monarch of the southern Korean kingdom of Silla and ruled from 654 to 661. He is credited for leading the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea...

. As a result, Kim Chunchu ascended the throne.

Reference

• ^ Il-yeon: Samguk Yusa: Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea, translated by Tae-Hung Ha and Grafton K. Mintz. Book One, page 64. Silk Pagoda (2006). ISBN 1-59654-348-5