Gyeongsun of Silla

Gyeongsun of Silla (897–978), personal name Kim Pu, was the 56th and final ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

Gyeongsun of Silla 경순왕 敬順王
Copy of a contemporary portrait of Gyeongsun
King of Silla
Reign	927–935
Coronation	927
Predecessor	Gyeongae of Silla
Successor	Dynasty abolished (Taejo of Goryeo as the King of Goryeo)
Born	897 Unified Silla
Died	978 (aged 80–81) Goryeo
Consort	Lady Jukbang Princess Nakrang
Issue Among others...	Crown Prince Maui Queen Heonsuk
House	House of Kim
Father	Kim Hyo-Jong
Mother	Princess Gyea
Religion	Buddhism

Gyeongsun of Silla
Hangul	경순왕
Hanja	敬順王
Revised Romanization	Gyeongsun wang
McCune–Reischauer	Kyŏngsun wang
Birth name
Hangul	김부
Hanja	金傅
Revised Romanization	Gim Bu
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Pu

Biography

A sixth-generation descendant of King Munseong, he was the son of Kim Hyo-Jong by Princess Gyea, who was the daughter of King Heongang. His wife was Lady Jukbang (죽방부인) of the Juksan Park clan, his eldest son was Crown Prince Maui, and his youngest son was Beomgong.^[1]

Gyeongsun was placed on the throne by the Later Baekje king Kyŏn Hwŏn after the Hubaekje forces sacked Gyeongju in 927. The kingdom was already in an extremely weakened state, so Gyeongsun reigned over a tiny remnant of the former Silla territory until finally abdicating in favour of Taejo of Goryeo in 935.^[2][3] He remarried Taejo's daughter Princess Nangrang (낙랑공주) and was appointed sasim-gwan (사심관, inspector-general) of Gyeongju, becoming the first of Goryeo's sasim-gwan system. He lived out the remainder of his life near the Goryeo capital (modern-day Kaesong).^[4]

He died in 978 and his tomb lies in Jangnam-myeon, Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.^[4]

According to Samguk Sagi, Gyeongsun's son, Crown Prince Maui objected to his father's submission to Goryeo and became a hermit in Mount Kumgang.^[5][6]

Family

• Father: Kim Hyo-jong, King Shinheung of Silla (신흥대왕; 877 – ?)
  • Grandfather: King Uiheung of Silla (의흥대왕; 857 – 915)
  • Unnamed grandmother (856 – 916)
• Mother: Queen Mother Gyea of the Gyeongju Kim clan (계아태후 김씨; 886 – ?)
  • Grandfather: King Heongang of Silla (신라 헌강왕; 861 – 886)
  • Grandmother: Queen Mother Uimyeong of the Gyeongju Kim clan (의명왕태후 김씨; 861 – ?)
• Consorts and their Respective Issue:

1. Lady Jukbang of the Juksan Park clan (죽방부인 박씨; 893 – 954)
   1. Kim Il, Crown Prince Maui (마의태자; 912 – ?), sixth son
   2. Kim Goeng (김굉; 914 – 967), seventh son
   3. Kim Myeong-jong, Duke Yeongbun (영분공; 916 – ?), eighth son
   4. Lady Kim of the Gyeongju Kim clan (경주김씨; 918 – ?), second daughter
2. Lady Ahn of the Sunheung Ahn clan (순흥 안씨; 899 – ?)
   1. Kim Deok-ji (김덕지; 920 – ?), tenth son
3. Princess Nakrang of the Kaesong Wang clan (낙랑공주 왕씨; 897 – ?)
   1. Lady Kim of the Gyeongju Kim clan (경주김씨; 913 – ?), first daughter
   2. Kim Seok, Prince Uiseong (김석 의성군; 922 – ?), eleventh son
   3. Kim Eun-yeol, Prince Daean (김은열 대안군; 934 – 1028), twelfth son
   4. Lady Kim of the Gyeongju Kim clan (경주김씨; 936 – ?), third daughter
   5. Queen Heonsuk of the Gyeongju Kim clan (헌숙왕후 김씨; 937 – ?), fourth daughter
   6. Kim Kŏn, Prince Gangreung (김건 강릉군; 940 – ?), thirteenth son
   7. Kim Sŏn, Prince Eonyang (김선 언양군; 943 – ?), fourteenth son
   8. Kim Chu, Prince Samcheok (김추 삼척군; 946 – ?), fifteenth son
   9. Kim Ryeo-gyeong (김려경), Lady Kim of the Gyeongju Kim clan (950 – ?), fifth daughter
4. Princess Wang of the Kaesong Wang clan (개성 왕씨) – No issue.
5. Lady Songhui of the Seok clan (송희부인 석씨; 885 – ?)
   1. Kim Jeon (김전; 901 – 935), first son
   2. Kim Yo (김요; 903 – ?), second son
   3. Kim Gon (김곤; 905 – 935), third son
   4. Kim Bun (김분; 907 – ?), fourth son
   5. Kim Yeong (김영; 907 – ?), fifth son
   6. Kim Jeong (김정; 917 – ?), ninth son
6. Lady Ahn (안씨; 920 – ?)

In popular culture

• Portrayed by Shin Hwi-shik in the 2000–2002 KBS TV series Taejo Wang Geon.
• Portrayed by Lee Do-ryun in the 2002–2003 KBS TV series The Dawn of the Empire.

See also

• Kyŏn Hwŏn
• List of Korean monarchs
• List of Silla people
• Later Three Kingdoms of Korea

References

1. (in Korean) King Gyeongsun Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
2. Cawley, Kevin; Kim, Tae-gyu (April 4, 2012). "Goryeo: the dynasty that offered Korea its name". The Korea Times. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
3. Cha, Soon-Cheol (August 2009). "The Characteristics of Silla's Gongbang" (PDF). International Journal of Korean History. 14: 125. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
4. (in Korean) King Gyeongsun^{[permanent dead link]} at Doosan Encyclopedia
5. (in Korean) Crown Prince Ma-ui^{[permanent dead link]} at Doosan Encyclopedia
6. KIM, HONG-JUN (November 18, 2021). "The legends behind Korea's favorite fall foliage". Korea Joongang Daily. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

Gyeongsun of Silla House of Kim  Died: 978
Regnal titles
Preceded by Gyeongae	King of Silla Silla 927–935	Succeeded by none (Goryeo King Tejong