Queen Seondeok
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Queen Seondeok (c. 595~610–647) was the first reigning queen of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the first female monarch in Korean history.
She was born Princess Deokman, the daughter of King Jinpyeong and Queen Maya of Silla, a kingdom situated on the east coast of what is now South Korea.
Legend has it that after hearing that her father, the king, was thinking of passing down the throne to his son-in-law, the princess asked her father for a chance to prove herself worthy of reigning. Her intelligence led Jinpyeong and his advisers to select Seondeok as his heir.
Some men, however, disagreed with the idea of a woman inheriting the throne and organised a coup in 631 to stop her from being crowned. The plot was uncovered and suppressed early on. The coup leaders were executed.
In 632, Seondeok ascended the throne — the first known reigning queen in Korean history.
As a ruler, Queen Seondeok’s primary concern was the livelihood of her people. She sent royal inspectors throughout the kingdom to improve the care of widows, orphans, the poor and the elderly. She also announced a whole year of tax exemption for the peasants and reduced the tax for the middle class. Because of these, the queen won the people’s support and strengthened her position against the male aristocracy’s position.
Queen Seondeok actively encouraged students and scholars to study in China, strengthening cultural ties with the far larger neighbour. The queen also encouraged a renaissance in literature and arts.
Like her father, Queen Seondeok was drawn to Buddhism. It is recorded that she herself studied Buddhism seriously and became a bhikkuni, or ordained nun.
During her reign, Silla built many temples, pagodas and Buddha statues. Seondeok was also responsible for the completion of Punhwang and Yongmyo temples to promote the study of Buddhism in Korea. Seondeok oversaw the construction of Cheomseongdae, an astronomy observatory, in Gyeongju, to help farmers at that time. To this day, Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving observatory in Asia.
When Seondeok ascended the throne, Silla was on the verge of conquering her long-time Three Kingdom rivals: Baekje (Paekche) to the west and Goguryeo (Koguryo) to the north. As the two kingdoms continued to harass Silla, in 643 the queen sent a diplomatic envoy to the Chinese Tang dynasty to persuade them to help Silla fend off the attacks.
Emperor Taizong offered military assistance, but with one catch. The queen would have to step down and let a Chinese prince to rule her kingdom because the Tang emperor believed a female ruler was emboldening Silla’s enemies. Seondeok refused but still managed to gain Tang military assistance anyway, and the two states formed a joint army to face off Baekje and Goguryeo.
In early 647, Queen Seondeok faced her greatest challenge when Bidam, the highest court official she herself appointed, led a rebellion against her. Bidam asserted: “The female king failed to rule the country, therefore women should stop ruling.” Since most of the army had been sent to different parts of the Silla kingdom to defend it from potential foreign invasions, the rebellion was a great threat.
On the night of Bidam’s rebellion, the queen was already in poor health due to an unspecified illness. The rebellion itself lasted less than two weeks and failed to overthrow the queen’s government. Bidam and his 30 followers were executed.
Queen Seondeok stayed in power until her death in 647 — just shortly before Bidam’s rebellion was completely suppressed. Because she died without an heir, the throne was given to a female cousin, who became Queen Jindeok.
Sources:
World History Encyclopedia: Queen Seondeok
Wikipedia: Queen Seondeok of Silla
New World Encyclopedia: Queen Seondeok of Silla
