Korean kingdom (668?935)
Unified Silla
, or
Late Silla
(
Korean
:
統一新羅
;
Hanja
:
統一新羅
;
RR
:
Tongilsilla
,
Korean pronunciation:
[t?oːŋ.i?.?i?.?a]
), is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of
Silla
, one of the
Three Kingdoms of Korea
, after 668 CE. In the 7th century, a Silla?Tang alliance conquered
Baekje
in the
Baekje?Tang War
. Silla conquered the southern part of
Goguryeo
in the 7th century following the
Goguryeo?Tang War
and
Silla?Tang War
, unifying the central and southern regions of the
Korean peninsula
.
It existed during the
Northern and Southern States period
, when
Balhae
controlled the north of the peninsula. Unified Silla lasted for 267 years until, under
King Gyeongsun
, it fell to
Goryeo
in 935.
Terminology
[
edit
]
North Korean historians criticize the term "Unified Silla" as traditionally "Unified Silla" is considered to be the first unified kingdom of the Korean people. According to the North Korean perspective,
Goryeo
was the first state to unify the Korean people as Silla failed to conquer the most part of Goguryeo and
Balhae
still existed after the establishment of "Unified Silla"; Balhae also occupied territory north of the Korean peninsula.
[5]
[6]
North Korean historians use the term "Late Silla (後期新羅)" as using the word "late" suggests that Silla never unified the Korean people as a whole. North Korea recognises Goryeo as the first country that unified the Korean people.
[
citation needed
]
The people of Silla considered themselves to be a kingdom of unified Koreans and called it "삼한一統" which means unifying three kingdoms. As he lay on his death bed, one of the main generals "Kim Yu-sin", wrote this term "삼한一統" in a letter to King Munmu. From this, the Kings of Silla continued to hold this perception and it may be seen in King Sinmun's instalment of "9 counties (9週)" and "9 書堂 (9 Legions)". In ancient Asia, number 9 refers to great things, and 9 counties means a 'whole world (天下)'. More to this, Silla gave noble ranks to the nobles of Goguryeo and Baekje as a token of unification. So a historically more accurate term for this era would be Unified Silla.
[7]
History
[
edit
]
In 660, King
Munmu
ordered his armies to attack Baekje. General
Kim Yu-sin
, aided by Tang forces, defeated General
Gyebaek
and conquered Baekje. In 661, he moved on Goguryeo but was repelled. Silla then
fought against the Tang dynasty
for nearly a decade.
[8]
During its heyday, the country contested with
Balhae
, a Goguryeo?Mohe kingdom, to the north for supremacy in the region. Throughout its existence, Unified Silla was plagued by intrigue and political turmoil in its newly conquered northern territory, caused by the rebel groups and factions in Baekje and Goguryeo, which eventually led to the
Later Three Kingdoms
period in the late 9th century.
Gyeongju remained the capital of Silla throughout the whole existence of the dynasty, which demonstrates the power of the governmental system employed in Silla. By using the “Bone Clan Class” system, a small group of powerful people ('bone clan') was able to rule over a large amount of subject people. To maintain this rule over a large number of people for an extensive period of time, it was important for the government to keep the unity of the bone system and hold the governed subjects in a low social status.
[9]
Despite its political instability, Unified Silla was a prosperous country,
[10]
and its metropolitan capital of
Seorabeol
(present-day Gyeongju)
[11]
was the fourth-largest city in the world at the time.
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
Through close ties maintained with the
Tang dynasty
,
Buddhism
and
Confucianism
became the principal philosophical ideologies of the elite as well as the mainstays of the period's architecture and fine arts. Its last king,
Gyeongsun
, ruled over the state in name only and submitted to
Wang Geon
of the emerging
Goryeo
in 935, bringing the Silla dynasty to an end.
Government
[
edit
]
Regional administration
[
edit
]
Culture
[
edit
]
Unified Silla carried on the maritime prowess of
Baekje
, which acted like the
Phoenicia
of medieval
East Asia
,
[16]
and during the 8th and 9th centuries dominated the seas of East Asia and the trade between China, Korea and Japan, most notably during the time of
Jang Bogo
; in addition, Silla people made overseas communities in China on the
Shandong Peninsula
and the mouth of the
Yangtze River
.
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
Unified Silla was a golden age of art and culture,
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
as evidenced by the
Hwangnyongsa
,
Seokguram
, and
Emille Bell
. Buddhism flourished during this time, and many Korean Buddhists gained great fame among Chinese Buddhists
[25]
and contributed to Chinese Buddhism,
[26]
including:
Woncheuk
,
Wonhyo
,
Uisang
,
Musang
,
[27]
[28]
[29]
[30]
and
Kim Gyo-gak
, a Silla prince whose influence made
Mount Jiuhua
one of the Four
Sacred Mountains
of Chinese Buddhism.
[31]
[32]
[33]
[34]
[35]
Unified Silla and the Tang maintained close ties. This was evidenced by the continual importation of
Chinese culture
. Many Korean
monks
went to China to learn about
Buddhism
. The monk
Hyecho
went to
India
to study Buddhism and wrote an account of his travels.
[36]
Different new sects of Buddhism were introduced by these traveling monks who had studied abroad such as
Seon
and
Pure Land Buddhism
.
[36]
Unified Silla conducted a
census
of all towns' size and population, as well as
horses
,
cows
and special products and recorded the data in
Minjeongmunseo
(민정文書). The reporting was done by the leader of each town.
[37]
A national
Confucian
college was established in 682 and around 750 it was renamed the National Confucian University.
[36]
The university was restricted to the elite aristocracy. However, in Silla society, because the “
Bones
status” was used for the election of officials over the examination process that was used in Confucianism, the National Confucian University did not have great appeal to the nobility class of Silla.
[38]
Silla was very scientifically and technologically advanced for the time. There was an emphasis put on astrology especially as it was closely tied to agriculture. This allowed them to accurately record events such as solar eclipse and lunar eclipse.
[39]
Woodblock printing
[
edit
]
Woodblock printing
was used to disseminate Buddhist
sutras
and Confucian works. During a refurbishment of the "
Pagoda That Casts No Shadows
", an ancient print of a Buddhist sutra was discovered. The print is dated to 751 CE and is one of the oldest discovered printed material in the world.
[36]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Other name(s): Geumseong (
金星
;
金城
), Saro (
社로
;
斯盧
), Sara (
사라
;
斯羅
), Seonabeol (
徐那伐
;
徐那伐
), Seoyabeol (
徐耶伐
;
徐耶伐
), Seobeol (
徐伐
;
徐伐
), Wanggyeong (
王卿
;
王京
)
- ^
With the multiple capitals system; a Supreme capital with one to four secondary capitals (514-c.900)
- ^
According to the Samguk Sagi, the symbol of Silla is painted with a white crescent moon on a blue background like a half moon from the daytime. ??Samguk Sagi(三國史記, 三國史記) 第40卷. 잡지, 9, 金(衿), 新羅 統一期 5朱書의 役割과 位相,홍성열(Hong, Seong-yeol), 北岳사론 第15輯 / 2022 67?98 (32 Pages).
References
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
Lee (1991) reviews the writings of more than 15 Arabic geographers on Silla, which most refer to as
al-sila
or
al-shila
.
- ^
Lee (1991, p. 26) cites the 10th-century chronicler
Mas'udi
.
- ^
박용운 (1996).
高麗時代 開京硏究 147~156쪽
.
- ^
Ch'oe, Y?ng-ho (1980), "An Outline History of Korean Historiography",
Korean Studies
,
4
: 23?25,
doi
:
10.1353/ks.1980.0003
,
S2CID
162859304
- ^
Armstrong, Charles K. (1995),
"Centering the Periphery: Manchurian Exile(s) and the North Korean State"
(PDF)
,
Korean Studies
,
19
: 1?16,
doi
:
10.1353/ks.1995.0017
,
S2CID
154659765
- ^
"우리歷史넷"
.
contents.history.go.kr
. Retrieved
2020-11-19
.
- ^
Encyclopedia of World History
, Vol II, P371 Silla Dynasty, Edited by Marsha E. Ackermann, Michael J. Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, Mark F. Whitters,
ISBN
978-0-8160-6386-4
- ^
Hatada, Takashi (1969).
A history of Korea
. Santa Barbara, Calif.:
ABC-Clio
.
ISBN
087436065X
.
- ^
MacGregor, Neil (2011-10-06).
A History of the World in 100 Objects
. Penguin UK.
ISBN
9780141966830
. Retrieved
30 September
2016
.
- ^
Ch?ng, Yang-mo; Smith, Judith G.; Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) (1998).
Arts of Korea
. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 230.
ISBN
9780870998508
. Retrieved
30 September
2016
.
- ^
International, Rotary (April 1989).
The Rotarian
. Rotary International. p. 28
. Retrieved
30 September
2016
.
- ^
Ross, Alan (2013-01-17).
After Pusan
. Faber & Faber.
ISBN
9780571299355
. Retrieved
30 September
2016
.
- ^
Mason, David A.
"Gyeongju, Korea's treasure house"
.
Korea.net
.
Korean Culture and Information Service
. Archived from
the original
on 3 October 2016
. Retrieved
30 September
2016
.
- ^
Adams, Edward Ben (1990).
Korea?s pottery heritage
. Seoul International Pub. House. p. 53.
ISBN
9788985113069
. Retrieved
30 September
2016
.
- ^
Kitagawa, Joseph (2013-09-05).
The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture
. Routledge. p. 348.
ISBN
9781136875908
. Retrieved
21 July
2016
.
- ^
Gernet, Jacques (1996-05-31).
A History of Chinese Civilization
. Cambridge University Press. p.
291
.
ISBN
9780521497817
. Retrieved
21 July
2016
.
Korea held a dominant position in the north-eastern seas.
- ^
Reischauer, Edwin Oldfather (May 1955).
Ennins Travels in Tang China
. John Wiley & Sons Canada, Limited. pp. 276?283.
ISBN
9780471070535
. Retrieved
21 July
2016
.
"From what Ennin tells us, it seems that commerce between East China, Korea and Japan was, for the most part, in the hands of men from Silla. Here in the relatively dangerous waters on the eastern fringes of the world, they performed the same functions as did the traders of the placid Mediterranean on the western fringes. This is a historical fact of considerable significance but one which has received virtually no attention in the standard historical compilations of that period or in the modern books based on these sources. . . . While there were limits to the influence of the Koreans along the eastern coast of China, there can be no doubt of their dominance over the waters off these shores. . . . The days of Korean maritime dominance in the Far East actually were numbered, but in Ennin's time the men of Silla were still the masters of the seas in their part of the world."
- ^
Kim, Djun Kil (2014-05-30).
The History of Korea, 2nd Edition
. ABC-CLIO. p. 3.
ISBN
9781610695824
. Retrieved
21 July
2016
.
- ^
Seth, Michael J. (2006).
A Concise History of Korea: From the Neolithic Period Through the Nineteenth Century
. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 65.
ISBN
9780742540057
. Retrieved
21 July
2016
.
- ^
DuBois, Jill (2004).
Korea
. Marshall Cavendish. p.
22
.
ISBN
9780761417866
. Retrieved
29 July
2016
.
golden age of art and culture.
- ^
Randel, Don Michael (2003-11-28).
The Harvard Dictionary of Music
. Harvard University Press. p. 273.
ISBN
9780674011632
. Retrieved
29 July
2016
.
- ^
Hopfner, Jonathan (2013-09-10).
Moon Living Abroad in South Korea
. Avalon Travel. p. 21.
ISBN
9781612386324
. Retrieved
29 July
2016
.
- ^
Kim, Djun Kil (2005-01-30).
The History of Korea
. ABC-CLIO. p. 47.
ISBN
9780313038532
. Retrieved
30 September
2016
.
- ^
Mun, Chanju; Green, Ronald S. (2006).
Buddhist Exploration of Peace and Justice
. Blue Pine Books. p. 147.
ISBN
9780977755301
. Retrieved
29 July
2016
.
- ^
McIntire, Suzanne; Burns, William E. (2010-06-25).
Speeches in World History
. Infobase Publishing. p. 87.
ISBN
9781438126807
. Retrieved
29 July
2016
.
- ^
Buswell, Robert E. Jr.; Lopez, Donald S. Jr. (2013-11-24).
The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism
. Princeton University Press. p. 187.
ISBN
9781400848058
. Retrieved
29 July
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.
- ^
Poceski, Mario (2007-04-13).
Ordinary Mind as the Way: The Hongzhou School and the Growth of Chan Buddhism
. Oxford University Press. p. 24.
ISBN
9780198043201
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Wu, Jiang; Chia, Lucille (2015-12-15).
Spreading Buddha's Word in East Asia: The Formation and Transformation of the Chinese Buddhist Canon
. Columbia University Press. p. 155.
ISBN
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Wright, Dale S. (25 March 2004).
The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts
. Oxford University Press.
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.
- ^
Su-il, Jeong (18 July 2016).
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. Seoul Selection.
ISBN
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Nikaido, Yoshihiro (28 October 2015).
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. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 137.
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.
- ^
Leffman, David; Lewis, Simon; Atiyah, Jeremy (2003).
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.
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Leffman, David (2 June 2014).
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.
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DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: China
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- ^
a
b
c
d
Stearns, Peter N., ed. (2001).
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2010
.
- ^
Korean history for high school p.141, issued by The National History Compilation Committee of the Republic of Korea.
- ^
Hatada, Takashi (1968).
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.
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.
- ^
Kim, Jinwung (2012).
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.
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.
Sources
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]