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PersonAD 647

Queen Seondeok

Twenty-seventh ruler and Silla's first queen, under whom Cheomseongdae and the nine-storey pagoda of Hwangnyongsa were built

The eldest daughter of King Jinpyeong, she took the throne because no male of hallowed-bone rank remained. She built Cheomseongdae around 633 and founded Bunhwangsa in 634. On the advice of the monk Jajang she brought the Baekje master builder Abiji to raise the nine-storey wooden pagoda of Hwangnyongsa in 645, its nine storeys meant to subdue the nine nations around Silla. She lost Daeya Fortress to Baekje in 642 and died in 647 during the revolt of the sangdaedeung Bidam. The Samguk yusa tells of three things she foresaw, including that peonies painted without butterflies would have no scent.

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4 related events

  1. 1
    AD 633Cheomseongdae Builtmonarch

    In the reign of Queen Seondeok, the stone observatory Cheomseongdae was built in Gyeongju.

  2. 2
    AD 634Brick-imitating Stone Pagoda of Bunhwangsa, Gyeongjumonarch

    Built with Bunhwangsa in 634 under Queen Seondeok. Its stones are cut and stacked like bricks, and it is the oldest surviving Silla stone pagoda.

  3. 3
    AD 645Nine-Storey Pagoda of Hwangnyongsamonarch

    On the monk Jajang’s advice, Queen Seondeok built a nine-storey wooden pagoda some 80 m tall at Hwangnyongsa, raised by the Baekje master builder Abiji.

  4. 4
    AD 647Bidam’s Rebellionmonarch

    The chief minister Bidam rebelled, claiming a queen could not rule, and was crushed by Kim Yu-sin and Kim Chun-chu.

Related works

Dramatized works (films, dramas, novels) may differ from the historical record.

People who appear alongside

  • Jajang

    Silla monk who, back from Tang, urged Queen Seondeok to build the nine-storey pagoda of Hwangnyongsa

  • BidamAD 647

    Silla chief minister whose revolt against the queen was crushed by Kim Yu-sin

  • Kim Yu-sinAD 595 – AD 673

    Silla general of Geumgwan Gaya royal descent who defeated Gyebaek and led the unification wars

  • King Muyeol (Kim Chun-chu)AD 603 – AD 661

    Twenty-ninth king of Silla, who forged the Tang alliance, became the first jingol king and conquered Baekje

  • Queen JindeokAD 654

    Twenty-eighth ruler and last "hallowed-bone" monarch of Silla, enthroned during Bidam’s revolt, under whom the Silla–Tang alliance was made and the Jipsabu set up

Themes this person appears in

  • Changes in PagodasAD 634 – 1467

    From Baekje stone pagodas copying timber ones and Silla pagodas copying brick ones, to Unified Silla three-story pagodas and stupas, Goryeo multi-sided pagodas and Yuan-influenced marble towers

  • Science and Technology HeritageAD 633 – 1861

    From Cheomseongdae to the Daedong yeojido — instruments and maps that measured the sky, kept time, gauged rain and charted the land

  • Intangible and World Heritage2000 BC – 1850

    From the dolmens to Namhansanseong on the World Heritage List, from Jongmyo ritual music to ssireum on the Intangible Heritage lists — where each came from and when it was inscribed

  • Gyeongju57 BC – 1860

    Silla’s capital for a thousand years — tombs, pagodas, temples and bells from every age of Silla, and the birthplace of Donghak