brief description of three kingdom system, in the history of Korea

2. INTRODUCTION OF KOREA
✣Korea is a historical state in Northeast Asia,
since 1945 it is divided into two distinct
sovereign states:
✣North Korea (officially the "Democratic
People's Republic of Korea")
✣South Korea (officially the "Republic of
Korea").

3. Modern Korea: Korean Wave (Hallyu):
✣One of the world’s fastest
growing economies
✣Korean GDP ranked No. 12
in the world
✣World’s 8th largest exporter
✣Korean Cultural Export
since early 1990s
✣Korean movies, TV dramas,
and pop-music are very popular
✣Korea is among the world’s
top ten cultural exporters
BTS

4. From The Very Beginning
✣The Korean peninsula has been inhabited since
Lower Paleolithic times.
✣According to legend, Korea's first kingdom,
Gojoseon (then called Joseon), was founded in 2333
B.C.E. by Dangun
✣He is said to be descended from heaven.
✣Korea's history has been one of constant struggle
between forces of unification and division

5. Preview
✣The ancient Korean kingdoms of
Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla.
✣They dominated the Korean
peninsula and parts of Manchuria for
much of the 1st millennium
✣The name "Three Kingdoms" was
used in the titles of the histories Samguk
Sagi should not be confused with the
earlier Chinese Three Kingdoms
Map of the Three Kingdoms of Korea,
at the end of the 5th century.

6. Preview
✣ Samguk Sagi: (History of the Three Kingdoms)
is a historical record of the Three
Kingdoms of
Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla.
-written in Classical Chinese
-its compilation was ordered
by Goryo's King Injong (r. 1122-1146)
-undertaken by the government official and
historian Kim Busik and a team of junior
scholars
✣ It is well known in Korea as the oldest
extant Korean history

7. Preview
✣ Samguk Yusa or Memorabilia of the Three
Kingdoms, is a collection of legends,
folktales, and historical accounts relating to
the Three Kingdoms of Korea
-written in Classical Chinese
-It was compiled, at least in part, by
the Buddhist monk Iryeon (1206 - 1289) at the
end of the 13th century, a century after
the Samguk Sagi.
-Samguk Yusa focuses on various folktales,
legends, and biographies from early Korean
history

8. Background
✣The Three Kingdoms were founded after
the fall of Gojoseon, and gradually
conquered and absorbed various other small
states and confederacies
✣The three polities made the transition
from walled-town state to full-fledged state-
level societies between 1st - 3rd century AD.

9. Background
✣All three kingdoms shared a similar culture and
language
✣Their original religions appear to have
been shamanistic,
✣But they were increasingly influenced by Chinese
culture, particularly Confucianism and Taoism.
✣In the 4th century, Buddhism was introduced to the
peninsula and spread rapidly, briefly becoming the
official religion of all three kingdoms.

10. THREE KINGDOMS

11. Baekja

12. Information
✣First Described as Kingdom in
345BC
✣Capital :
o Wirye (18 BC – 475 BC)
o Ungjin (476 – 538BC)
o Sabi (538-660BC)
✣Languages
o Baekje Language
✣Religion
o Buddhism (official religion in 384)
o Confucianism
o Korean Shamanism
✣King
• Onjo (18BC – 28 BC )
• Geungchogo (346-
375BC)
• Seong (523-554BC)
• Mu (600 -641BC)
✣Population : Around
3,8Million

13. Founded by King Onjo , Son of Goguryeo Founder.
Allied with Goguryeo & Silla to take over the Korean Peninsula

14. Founding History
✣King Jumong Left Yuri in Buyeo to
establish Goguryeo
✣Later King Jumong had two more sons with
So Seo-no : Onjo & Biryu
✣Yuri Came back to Goguryeo, Jumong
made him Crown Prince
✣ Seo-no took her two sons to the south to
found their own kingdom
✣Onjo Settled in Wiryeseong (Hanam)
named his territory , Biryu settled in
Michuhol (Incheon)

15. Expansion
✣Good relationships with
Japanese rulers of the Kofun
Period
✣Chinese writing system,
Buddhism, Advanced pottery,
ceremonial burial
✣249 BC : Expansions
reached Gaya Confederacy.
✣367 BC : First Diplomatic
missions to Japan

16. General Information
✣671 A.D ~ 1100 A.D
✣Sri = Shining / Glorious ;Wijaya = Victory
✣According to I-Tsing, from Kedukan Bukit Relics, Sriwijaya Empire existed
since 671 under Dapunta Hyang.
✣Language : Old-Melayu, Sanskrit
✣Religion : Buddha Vajrayana, Buddha Mahayana, Buddha Hinayana, Hindu
✣Was famous for its role in Trade in South East Asia (Especially between India
and Tiongkok)
✣Trade pact with Arabian empires :
✣Sri Indrawarman send his messenger to Bani Umayyah in 718. In return they
send back ‘Zanji’
Emblem of the
Muryeong of Baekje

17. Introduction To Buddhism
Baekja
✣ Adopted it in 384
✣Introducing Buddhism to japan in 6th century
✣Famous for artistic tradition

18. Ungjin and Sabi Period
✣475 – 538 BC : Capital at Ungjin
(Now Gong-ju)
✣Isolated in mountainous terrain
✣Secure against Goguryeo , but
disconnected from outsite world
✣Closer to Silla
✣Millitary Alliance between Silla +
Baekje against Goguryeo
✣Notable historical places of Ungjin
Baekje are Gongsan Fortress and
Tomb of King Muryeong.
✣In 538BC King Seong moved
capital to Sabi (Buyeo county)
✣Official name : Nambuyeo
✣Because of Capital strategic
location : King Seong easily
contacted with China which
resulted trade & diplomacy
flourished
Ungjin Sabi

19. Relationship With China
✣372BC : King Geunchogo paid
tributes to Jin Dynasty
✣420BC : Baekje sent envoys
seeking cultural goods &
Technologies
✣472BC : King Gaero request
military aid to Attack
Goguryeo
✣King Muryeong & Seong
sent envoys to Liang
Dynasty & received titles
of Nobility
 Tomb of King Muryeong was
built with bricks according to
Liang’s tomb style

20. Relationship with
Japan
✣Japan became ally with Baekje to Defeat Silla
dynasty
✣King Muryeong (25th King of Baekje) was born
in Japan
✣When Baekje was defeated, Some noble families
& royals emmigrated to Japan.

21. Battle of Hwangsanbeol
✣In 600s, Baekje battled with Goguryeo and Silla over territorial
claims.
✣Lost to Silla, Formed alliance with Goguryeo + Japan Attack Silla
✣This Made Silla alliance with Tang Dynasty and send 50k force to
attack Baekje
✣King Ujja ignored advise to prepare attack
✣When already near Tanhyeon & Baekgang Sent General Gyebaek
to Stop.

23. King Onjo
✣Founder of Baekje Dynasty
✣Named Wiryeseong
✣Fight with Biryu for Territorial
disagreement
✣Change Kingdom name into
Baekja

24. King Muryeong
✣25th King of Baekje
✣Expanded International relation with China &
Japan
✣First mission to the newly-established court of the
Liang Dynasty.
✣Japan’s Emperor Akihito, Claimed to have Blood-
relationship with King Muryeong
✣His tomb was built based on Liang Dynasty design

25. King Uija
✣The last King of Baekje Dynasty
✣Her mother was Princess of Silla named
Princess Seon-Hwa.
✣After defeated, He retreated to Ungjin
✣Later surrendered.
 Two sons : Buyeo Hyo and Buyeo Pung

26. Baekje (18 B.C. – A.D. 660)
✣Baekje also became a sea power
and continued mutual goodwill
relationships with the Japanese
rulers of the Kofun period,
transmitting continental cultural
influences to Japan.
✣Baekje played a fundamental role
in transmitting cultural
developments, including Chinese
characters and Buddhism, into
ancient Japan

27. Baekje (18 B.C. – A.D. 660)
✣Culture: defined by an aristocratics, refined, and soft beauty
✣Baekje Kingdom relics demonstrate the subtle beauty of that kingdom
Bangasayusang Mireuksa Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje

28. The Last Great Commander : GyeBaek
✣It’s suggested that he was born in Buyeo
County
✣Stories passed down to today’s generation
about his power
✣Ex : When he climbed a mountain, Pine
Tree Fell ; When he stepped on a rock, his
foot steps mark were left on that rock.
✣He Killed his Own Family!

29. Baekje (18 B.C. – A.D. 660)
✣In 660, the coalition troops of Silla
and Tang of China attacked Baekje, which was then allied
with Goguryeo. A heavily outmanned army led by
General Gyebaek was defeated in the Battle of
Hwangsanbeol near Nonsan. The capital Sabi fell almost
immediately thereafter, resulting in the annexation of Baekje
by Silla. King Uija and his son Buyeo Yung were sent into
exile in China while at least some of the ruling class fled
to Japan.

30. Restoration Movement
✣After defeated : King Uija and son
Buyeo Yung was sent to China
✣Some rulling class fled to Japan
✣Buddhist monk + Former Baekje
General Buyeo Boksin try to revive
Baekje
✣They welcomed prince Buyeo
Yung as King and Juryu as
Headquarter.
✣Rebellation against Tang army and
won
✣Requested Japanese aid, and
returned with 5000 soldiers.
✣In 662 : Japan sent 27000 soldiers
under general Kamitsukeno and
10000soldiers by General Iohara.
✣In 663 Japan sent 20000troops and
1000ships under General Abe no
Hirafu

31. ✣In 663 BC : Baekje new Forces confronted with
Silla (Battle of Baekgang) + Tang dynasty
✣They once again lost the battle

32. Legacy
✣Symbol of the artistry of the Baekje
people and a masterpiece of Korean
art
✣ Probably made around 6th Century
✣ 64 centimeters in height, the body is
19 centimeters in diameter, and it
weighs 11.8 kilograms
✣ Might have been used for ancestral
ceremonies
Incense-Burner : Buyeo County

33. Earthenware

34. • It is the resting place for Baekje's 25th King
Mu-Ryeong and his Queen
• 108 kinds of artifacts found inside, totaling
2,906 items altogether. 12 of which is
designated as National Treasure put in
Gongju National Museum
Gong-san Fortress
• 1500years old fortress near Geumgang River
• Previously named Unjin-seong
• was used by King Munjuwang (reigned 475-
477 A.D.) as the Baekje capital
• In 538A.D capital moved to Sabi

35. Kingdom of Sriwijaya

36. Legacy
✣Bahasa Melayu was widely used
because of Sriwijaya expansions
✣Gending Sriwijaya Dance, to
portray the hospitality of people
at that time

37. Goguryeo (37 BC–
668 AD)
Northern Korea

38. Introduction
✣Located in the northern and central parts of the Korean
Peninsula and the southern and central parts of inner and outer
Manchuria
✣Active participant
✣Associated with the foreign affairs of neighboring polities in
China and Japan.

39. Introduction
✣The Samguk Sagi, a 12th-
century text from Goryeo,
indicates that Goguryeo was
founded in 37 BCE by
Jumong, a prince from
Buyeo, who was enthroned
as Dongmyeong
Goguryeo royal seal

40. Introduction
✣One of the great powers in East Asia, until it was defeated
by a Silla–Tang alliance in 668
✣After its fall, its territory was divided among the states of
Later Silla, Balhae and Tang China
✣The name Goryeo, was adopted by Jangsu and is the
origin of the English word "Korea".

41. Jumong and the foundation
myth
✣King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo-Holy
King of the East
✣Birth name Jumong
✣Son of the prince of Buyeo and daughter
of the river deity Habaek (Yuhwa)
✣Jumong, meaning "skilled archer" in the
ancient Buyeo language
Image of the mythical figure
from the Goguryeo-era (Ohoe
Tomb)

42. monarchs of Goguryeo
✣ Goguryeo rulers may have used the title of
Taewang ("Greatest King")
✣Ruled by 28 kings
✣Important kings are

43. Taejo of Goryeo
✣Taejo of Goryeo, also known
as Taejo Wang Geon
✣ Founder of the Goryeo
Dynasty
✣Taejo ruled from 918 to 943

44. Hyejong of Goryeo
✣The second King of Goryeo
✣He was preceded by King Taejo and
succeeded by Jeongjong
✣3rd Monarch of Goryeo

45. Gwangjong of Goryeo
✣Personal name Wang
So was the fourth king
of Goryeo
✣Popular book
(story/myth)
✣Also filmed a very
popular drama on it

46. Gyeongjong of Goryeo
✣ Fifth ruler of the Goryeo
dynasty
✣The eldest son of
Gwangjong
✣Was confirmed as Crown
Prince in the year of his birth

47. Bojang of Goguryeo
✣The 28th and last king of Goguryeo
✣He was placed on the throne by the military
leader Yeon Gaesomun

48. Centralization and early expansion (mid-first
century)
✣Developed from a league of various
Yemaek tribes
✣Expanded its power tothe Hun River
drainage
✣Taejodae (sixth monarch of
Goguryeo)- five local tribes were
reorganized into five centrally ruled
districts
✣Taejodae led Goguryeo in attacking
the Han Commanderies of Lelang and
Xuantu in the Korean and Liaodong
Peninsulas
✣Taejodae allowed the conquered
tribes to retain their chieftains3
✣Royal succession changed from
fraternal to patrilineal, stabilizing
the royal court.
✣Entered into direct military
contact with the Liaodong
commandery to its west.
✣move their capital in the Hun
River valley to the Yalu River
valley near Hwando.

49. Revival and further expansion (300
to 390)
✣In only 70 years, Goguryeo
rebuilt its capital Hwando-raid the
Liaodong, Lelang and Xuantu
commandaries
✣The last Chinese commandery at
Lelang was conquered and
absorbed by Micheon in 313-the
end of Chinese rule
✣Major setbacks and defeats
during the reign of Gogukwon-
proto-Mongol Xianbei people
✣Destroyed Goguryeo's capital,
Hwando
✣Geunchogo of Baekje killed
Gogukwon-Battle of Chiyang and
sacked Pyongyang
✣Sosurim, reshaped the nation's
institutions
✣New laws, embraced Buddhism as
the state religion in 372
✣Established a national educational
institute called the Taehak and
military reforms

50. Zenith of Goguryeo's Power (391 to 531 AD)
✣Goguryeo reached its zenith in the 6th century
✣Golden age under Gwanggaeto the Great and his son Jangsu
✣Goguryeo territories included three fourths of the Korean
Peninsula-Seoul, Manchuria, parts of Inner Mongolia, and parts of
Russia
✣Conquered 64 walled cities and 1,400 villages during his
campaigns
✣Defeated and subjugated Baekje, contributed to the
dissolution of Gaya, and vassalized Silla

51. Internal strife (531 to 551)
✣Anjang (22nd king) was assassinated,
and succeeded by his brother Anwon
(23rd ruler)
✣A political schism advocated
different princes for succession
✣The eight-year-old Yang-won was
finally crowned
✣The Tuchueh attacked Goguryeo's
northern castles in the 550s and
conquered some of Goguryeo's
northern lands
✣As civil war continued among
feudal lords over royal succession,
Baekje and Silla allied to attack
Goguryeo from the south in 551

52. Conflicts of the late 6th and 7th
centuries
✣In the late 6th and early 7th
centuries, Goguryeo was often in
military conflict with the Sui and
Tang dynasties of China. Its
relations with Baekje and Silla were
complex and alternated between
alliances and enmity
✣In 551 AD, Baekje and Silla
entered into an alliance to attack
Goguryeo
✣Conquer the Han River valley
✣Silla took possession of the
entire Han River valley in 553
✣Gave Silla direct access to the
Yellow Sea
✣This increasing tilt of Silla to
China would result in an alliance
that would prove disastrous for
Goguryeo in the late 7th century.
Goguryeo's loss of the Han
River Valley

53. Goguryeo–Sui War
✣Goguryeo's expansion conflicted with Sui China and increased tensions
✣Preemptive attack on Liaoxi-Emperor Wen to launch a counterattack by land
and sea that ended in disaster for Sui.
✣Sui's most disastrous campaign against Goguryeo was in 612-mobilized 30
Division armies, about 1,133,800 combat troops
✣Nine division armies, about 305,000 troops, bypassed the main defensive
lines
✣General Eulji Mundeok
✣Emperor Yang planned another attack

54. Goguryeo-Tang War and Silla–
Tang alliance

55. Goguryeo-Tang War and Silla–Tang alliance
✣King Yeongnyu was apprehensive
about Yeon Gaesomun
✣Yeon Gaesomun caught news of
the plot and killed Yeongnyu and
100 officials
✣Initiating a coup d'état-"blow of
state" or "hit of state").
✣Yeon Gaesomun took an
increasingly provocative stance
against Silla and Tang China
✣ Goguryeo–Baekje alliance, Silla
requested military aid from Tang
✣Emperor Taizong
✣Tang army captured a number of
Goguryeo fortresses
✣Emperor Taizong withdrew-failing
to capture Ansi Fortress
✣The suggestion of Kim Chunchu
✣While Yeon Gaesomun was alive,
Tang could not defeat Goguryeo.

56. Military
✣The military history of Goguryeo
involves wars with other Korean
kingdoms, Chinese dynasties,
nomadic states and tribes, and Wa
Japan
✣It concentrated on maintaining
military strength, similar to Sparta
✣Military positions were hereditary
✣Every man in Goguryeo was
required to serve in the military

57. Fortifications
✣The most common
form of the Goguryeo
fortress was one made
in the shape of the
moon

58. Organization
✣Led by the king himself
✣Hunt-maneuvers and parades
were conducted to give the
Goguryeo soldier a high level of
individual training
✣There were five armies in the
capital
✣Goguryeo units were divided
according to major weapons-
spearmen, axemen, archers and
heavy cavalry
✣The military formation had the
general and his staff with guards in
the middle of the army
✣Archers were defended by
axemen
✣In front of the general were the
main infantry forces
✣On the flanks were rows of heavy
cavalry
Strategy

59. Culture
✣Goguryeo wore a
predecessor of the modern
hanbok
✣There are murals and
artifacts that depict dancers
wearing elaborate white
dresses.

60. Religion
✣Goguryeo people worshipped
ancestors and considered them to be
supernatural
✣Mythical beasts and animals were
also considered to be sacred in
Goguryeo
✣The Samjogo, the three-legged crow
that represented the sun, was
considered the most powerful
✣Buddhism was first introduced to
Goguryeo in 372

61. ✣They also believed in the 'Sasin',
who were 4 mythical animals
✣Chungryong or Chunryonga (blue
dragon) guarded the east
✣ baek-ho (white tiger) guarded the west
✣jujak (red phoenix (bird)) guarded the
south,
✣hyunmu (black turtle (sometimes with
snakes for a tail)) guarded the north.
✣These mythical animals are similar to
the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird,
White Tiger, and Black Tortoise of the
Four Symbols.

62. Fall of Goguryeo
✣Yeon Gaesomun died of a natural
cause and Goguryeo was thrown
into chaos and weakened
✣Succession struggle among his
sons and younger brother
✣Initially succeeded as Dae
Mangniji (Dictator)- by his oldest
son Yeon Namsaeng
✣Rumors began to spread
✣Yeon Namsaeng changed his
family name from Yeon to Cheon
observe naming taboo for Emperor
Gaozu, to Tang to seek aid.
✣Goguryeo's power struggles
between Yeon Gaesomun's
successors, his younger brother,
Yeon Jeongto, defected to the Silla
side
✣Buddhist monk Shin Seong turned
against him and surrendered the
inner city to Tang forces

63. SILLA DYNASTY
(57 BCE–935 CE)

64. INTRODUCTION
✣One of the world's longest sustained dynasties
✣Founded by King Park Hyeokgeose
✣Ruled by the Gyeongju Kim clan for most of its
992-year history
✣It began as chiefdom in the Samhan confederacies
✣Silla conquered the other two kingdoms, Baekje in
660 and Goguryeo in 668

65. monarchs of SILLA
DYNASTY
✣Silla is ruled by 56 kings
✣Kings of pre-unification are 29 and rest
are kings of post-unification

66. Name
✣Silla was recorded with
various hanja phonetically
approximating its native
Korean name-Saro, Sara,
Seona, Seoya, Seora and Seobeol
✣In 503, King Jijeung
standardized its characters,
which in Modern Korean is
pronounced "Shilla"
✣Seorabeol have the origin of
the word Seoul meaning
"capital city" and also the name
of the present capital of South
Korea, a city previously known
as Hanseong or Hanyang
✣Silla was also referred to as
Gyerim, literally "chicken
forest,"

67. History
✣Scholars have traditionally divided Silla
history into three distinct periods:
• Early (trad. 57 BC–654 AD)
• Middle (654–780)
• Late (780–935)

68. Founding
✣Korea were grouped into three
confederacies called Samhan.
✣Silla began as Saro-guk, the 12-
member confederacy called Jinhan
(Tribe at the south of the korea,
Han river)
✣According to Korean records,
Silla was founded by King Park
Hyeokgeose in 57 BC

69. Hyeokgeose
✣Hyeokgeose is said to have been
hatched from an egg laid from a white
horse
✣when he turned 13 six clans submitted
to him as king and established Saro (or
Seona)
✣He is also the progenitor of the Park
clan, now one of the most common
family names in Korea.

70. Early Period
✣By the 2nd century, Silla existed as a
distinct state in the southeastern area of the
Korean peninsula
✣It expanded its influence over
neighboring Jinhan chiefdoms
✣3rd century was probably no more than
the strongest city-state in a loose federation

71. Shifting of power
✣The Park clan held power for three
generations before a coup by the
Seok clan
✣the Kim clan's presence in Silla is
mentioned in the form of a tale in
which Kim Alji is born from a
golden box that Hogong discovered
✣The Park and Seok clans
constantly fought each other for
power and both were eventually
overthrown by the Kim clan
✣The Kim clan then ruled
over Silla for many
generations with the Park
and Seok clans as nobility
✣The final ruler of Later
Silla, King Gyeongsun, was
a member of the Kim clan.

72. Emergence of a centralized monarchy
✣King Naemul (356–402) of
the Kim clan established a
hereditary monarchy,
eliminating the rotating
power-sharing scheme
✣The leader's now truly royal
title became Maripgan
✣In 377, it sent emissaries to
China and established
relations with Goguryeo.
✣Facing pressure from Baekje
in the west and Japan in the
south, in the later part of the
4th century, Silla allied with
Goguryeo
✣When Goguryeo began to
expand its territory southward,
moving its capital to
Pyongyang in 427, Nulji (was
the nineteenth ruler
(maripgan) of Silla)was forced
to ally with Baekje

73. Emergence of a centralized monarchy
✣By the time of King Beopheung
(514–540), Silla was a full-fledged
kingdom
✣Buddhism as state religion
✣Silla absorbed the Gaya
confederacy during the Gaya–Silla
Wars, annexing Geumgwan Gaya in
532 and conquering Daegaya in 562,
thereby expanding its borders to the
Nakdong River basin
✣King Jinheung (540–576)
established a strong military force
✣Silla helped Baekje drive Goguryeo
out of the Han River (Seoul) territory
✣Then wrested control of the entire
strategic region from Baekje in 553,
breaching the 120-year Baekje-Silla
alliance
✣The early period ended with the
demise of the "hallowed bone"
(seonggol) rank with the death of
Queen Jindeok

74. Later Silla
✣In the 7th century Silla allied itself with
the Chinese Tang dynasty
✣In 660, under King Muyeol (654-661),
Silla subjugated Baekje
✣In 668, under King Munmu (King
Muyeol's successor) and the General Kim
Yu-shin, Silla conquered Goguryeo to its
north
✣Silla then fought for nearly a decade to
expel Chinese forces on the peninsula

75. Later Silla
✣Silla's middle period is characterized by the rising power of
the monarchy at the expense of the jingol nobility
✣This was made possible by the new wealth and prestige
garnered as a result of Silla's unification of the peninsula
✣For a brief period of about a century from the late 7th to late
8th centuries the monarchy made a system called tax villages,
or nogeup

76. Later Silla
✣The mid to late 8th century saw renewed revolts led by
branches of the Kim clan which effectively limited royal
authority
✣Most prominent of these was a revolt led by Kim Daegong
that persisted for three years
✣One key evidence of the erosion of kingly authority was
the rescinding of the office land system and the re-
institution of the former tax village system as salary land for
aristocratic officialdom in 757.

77. Later Silla
✣The middle period of Silla came to an end
with the assassination of King Hyegong in 780,
terminating the kingly line of succession of King
Muyeol.
✣Hyegong‘s demise was a bloody one, the
culmination of an extended civil war involving
most of the kingdom‘s high–ranking noble
families
✣With Hyegong‘s death, during the remaining
years of Silla the king was reduced to little more
than a figurehead as powerful aristocratic
families became increasingly independent of
central control

78. Later Silla
✣Thereafter the Silla kingship was fixed in the house of King
Wonseong (785–798), though the office itself was continually
contested among various branches of the Kim lineage.
✣Nevertheless, the middle period of Silla witnessed the state at
its zenith, the brief consolidation of royal power, and the
attempt to institute a Chinese style bureaucratic system.

79. Society and politics
✣From at least the 6th century, when Silla acquired a detailed
system of law and governance, social status and official
advancement were dictated by the bone rank system.
✣This rigid lineage-based system also dictated clothing, house
size and the permitted range of marriage.

80. royal classes
✣Silla had two royal classes: "sacred bone"
(seonggol) and "true bone" (jingol)
✣The numbers of "sacred bone" aristocrats had
been decreasing for generations
✣The title was only conferred to those whose
parents were both "sacred bones", whereas children
of a "sacred" and a "true bone" parent were
considered as "true bones

81. Hwabaek
✣The "Hwabaek" served as royal council with
decision-making authorities on some vital issues
like succession to the throne or declarations of
war. The Hwabaek was headed by a person
(Sangdaedeung) chosen from the "sacred bone"
rank. One of the key decisions of this royal
council was the adoption of Buddhism as state
religion.

82. Military
✣The early Silla military was built
around a small number of Silla royal
guards designed to protect royalty
and nobility and in times of war
served as the primary military force
if needed
✣Due to the frequency of conflicts
between Baekje and Goguryeo as
well as Yamato Japan, Silla created
six local garrisons one for each
district
✣The royal guards eventually
morphed into "sworn banner" or
Sodang units
✣In 625 another group of Sodang
was created. Garrison soldiers were
responsible for local defense and
also served as a police force
✣A number of Silla's greatest
generals and military leaders were
Hwarang (equivalent to the
Western knights or chevaliers)

84. Hwarang
✣King Jinheung established the
Hwarang.
✣The Hwarang, or "Flowering
Knights" were an elite group of male
youth in Silla
✣Teach talented youth martial arts
and moral principle
✣It was an honor to scarifies ones life
for the country
✣Originally a social group
✣Due to the continuous military rivalry
between the Three Kingdoms of Korea,
they eventually transformed from a
group of elite male aristocratic youth
into soldiers and military leaders
✣Hwarang were key in the fall of
Goguryeo (which resulted in the
unification of the Korean Peninsula
under Unified Silla) and the Silla–Tang
Wars, which expelled Tang forces in
the other two Korean kingdoms

85. Culture
✣Silla is known for its beautiful gold
crowns and jewelry and its remarkable
ruler, Queen Sondok.
✣A great number of Silla tombs can still be
found in the centre of Gyeongju. Silla
tombs took the form of a stone chamber
which was surrounded by a soil mound
✣Muslim traders brought the name "Silla"
to the world outside the traditional East
Asian sphere through the Silk Road

86. Queen Sondok
✣Golden Age Ruler (reigned 632-647) • Queen Sondok
was the first woman ever to ascend the throne in Korea.
Known as a kind, respectful, wise, and farsighted leader,
she ruled at a time when there was intense rivalry
between Silla and the kingdoms of Goguryeo and
Baekje. • By initiating a policy with Tang China, the
queen paved the way for the eventual reunification of
the Korean peninsula (Unified Silla in 676). She also
improved conditions for her people and supported
cultural advancement.

87. Silla Gold Crown
✣Silla gold crowns often in
the shape of deer antlers or
trees reaching toward
heaven, reflected
shamanistic beliefs

88. Bronze Bell
✣The Bronze Bell of King Seongdeok the Great
attracts a large number of tourists.
✣The bell produces a distinctive sound, about
which there is a legend.
✣The bell is commonly known as the Emile Bell in
both Korean and English.
✣Emile, pronounced "em-ee-leh," is an ancient Silla term
for "mommy".
✣It was built during the reign of Queen Seondeok
(632–647)

89. Buddhism
✣Buddhism was
introduced to Silla in 528
✣It was the Buddhist monk
Ado who first exposed Silla
to Buddhism when he
arrived to proselytize from
Goguryeo in the mid-5th
century.
✣From King Beopheung and
for the following six reigns
Silla kings adopted Buddhist
names and came to portray
themselves as Buddhist–kings
✣Hwarang corps particularly
worship of the Maitreya
Buddha

90. This standing statue of the
Bhaisajyaguru Buddha is made of
gilt bronze, made in the Silla
period
Seokguram Statue

91. legend
✣According to legend, the Silla
monarchy was convinced to
adopt the faith by the
martyrdom of the Silla court
noble Ichadon, who was
executed for his Buddhist faith
by the Silla king in 527 only to
have his blood flow the color of
milk.

92. Hwangyongsa
✣Hwangyongsa (Imperial Dragon)
temple in particular emphasized the
power of the monarchy and
Buddhism‘s role in state protection and
aggrandizement. The nine stories of its
wooden pagoda, perhaps the tallest
manmade structure in East Asia of the
period, were said to symbolize the nine
nations destined to submit to Silla rule.
Silla attached great importance to the
pagoda, building them of stone as well
as wood

93. Silla ceramic
✣Silla kingdom produced distinctive stoneware
and pottery of its own
✣ The majority of pottery from this period is
strictly functional and was largely placed in
tombs as mere containers for goods the deceased
would require in the afterlife, there are also
purely artistic creations

94. Silla Ceramic
Warrior
Silla Kobae
Bowl Stand
Silla Ceramic Oil
Lamp
Silla Rattle Libation
Cup

95. End of the Three Kingdoms
Period
✣Allied with China under the Tang dynasty, Silla conquered
Goguryeo in 668
✣Already conquered Gaya in 562
✣Baekje in 660, thus ushering in the North-South states
period with Later Silla to the south
✣ Balhae to the north, when Dae Jo-young, a former
Goguryeo military officer, revolted against Tang Chinese rule
and began reconquering former Goguryeo territories.

96. Archaeology on the Three
Kingdoms of Korea
✣Korean historians use the concept of (guk or Sino ko, walled-
town state, etc) to describe early Korean history
✣The vast majority of archaeological evidence of the Three
Kingdoms Period of Korea consists of burials
✣Since the 1990s excavations of craft sites, roads, palace
grounds and elite precincts, ceremonial sites, commoner
households, and fortresses have been uncovered during the
building boom in South Korea

97. Tombs of three
kingdom

98. Tomb of The General ~ King Jangsu
~

100. The Royal Palace restores the
cultural and historical
importance the Baekje
Kingdom has left on Korea

101. General's tomb in Ji'an China, next to
North Korea. Ji'an ( called Gungnae
seong ) was the Koguryo capital for
from 3 AD to 427

102. Facts about korea
✣Pot is not considered an illegal
substance
✣North Korea bases its calendar on
Kim Il-Sung’s date of birth: 15 April
1912.
✣North Korea hands out ballots with
only one option on them, so votes
swing, you guessed it, 100% for the
leader.
✣Aren’t any traffic lights
✣World largest stadium
✣Three generation of punishment rule
✣Has only 3 TV channels
✣Koreans Don’t Do ‘Sweet 16’
✣Believe In The Influence Of Blood
Types On Personalities
✣Half The Population Has Identical
Surnames
✣People With The Same Surname
Can’t Marry Each Other
✣The Biggest Church In The World
✣In Korea, babies are considered one
year old at birth
✣South Korea is famous for its
practice of “crime re-creation.”
✣ number 4 as unlucky, and it is
associated with deat
North koreaSouth korea