# Sangdaedŭng

Sangdaedŭng (Korean: 상대등; Hanja: 上大等, the First of Taedŭngs or Peers, Extraordinary Rank One) or Sangsin (상신; 上臣), was an office of the Silla state. The Sangdaedŭng was the head of the Council of Nobles and was considered as the highest and most prestigious office that one could attain next to the throne itself. The position was established during King Beophung's 18th year as a king (531) and survived until the end of Silla.

## Selection

The Sangdaedŭng was chosen from among those men of "true bone" (진골; 眞骨) lineage in Silla's strict aristocratic social order. He presided over the Hwabaek Council (화백; 和白), an advisory and decision-making committee composed of other high-ranking officials holding the office of Taedŭng (대등; 大等). The council's primary duties lay in rendering decisions on important state matters, such as succession to the throne and declarations of war. Its existence dated back to the early Silla state and reflected that state's tribal origins. Throughout Silla history the Hwabaek Council led by the Sangdaedŭng served as a check on the king's authority.
During the middle period of Silla, following that state's unification of the peninsula, the focus of government authority shifted from the Hwabaek Council and Sangdaedŭng to the Chancellery Office (Jipsabu, 집사부; 執事部) and its Chief Minister (Sijung, 시중; 侍中, or alternately Jungsi, 중시; 中侍), an office instituted in Silla in 651 as the highest organ in the central government apparatus. This reflected the monarchy's efforts to curb the power of an independent nobility by relying on the Chinese inspired Jipsabu rather than the Hwabaek Council, whose existence was predicated on age old aristocratic and clan prerogatives. In the wake of several challenges to his authority King Sinmun dared even execute the Sangdaedŭng Gungwan in 681 for complicity in the revolt of Kim Hŭmdol (김흠돌; 金欽突).
Despite these attempts to limit its power, the office of Sangdaedŭng remained until the end of Silla the highest and most prestigious office one could attain short of the throne itself. In the later period of Silla, during which the throne was continuously contested, several monarchs emerged from the office of Sangdaedŭng.

## List of Sangdaedŭng

| Monarch | Name | Name | Name | Years in Service | Ref |
| Monarch | Romanized | Hangul | Hanja | Years in Service | Ref |
| Beopheung | Ch'ŏlbu | 철부 | 哲夫 | 531–534 | |
| Beopheung/Jinheung? | Kim Guhae | 김구해 | 金仇亥 | 532?–576? | |
| Jinji | Geochilbu | 거칠부 | 居柒夫 | 576–? | |
| Jinpyeong | Noribu | 노리부 | 弩里夫 | 579–588? | |
| Jinpyeong | Sueulbu | 수을부 | 首乙夫 | 588?–? | |
| Seondeok | Eulje | 을제 | 乙祭 | 632–636 | |
| Seondeok | Sup'um | 수품 | 水品 | 636–645? | |
| Seondeok | Bidam | 비담 | 毗曇 | 645?–647 | |
| Jindeok | Alcheon | 알천 | 閼川 | 647–654 | |
| Muyeol | Kŭm Kang | 금강 | 金剛 | 655–660 | |
| Muyeol/Munmu | Kim Yu-sin | 김유신 | 金庾信 | 660–673 | |
| Munmu | Kim Gungwan | 김군관 | 金軍官 | 680?–681 | |
| Sinmun/Hyoso? | Chin Pok | 진복 | 眞福 | 681–694? | |
| Hyoso | Munyŏng | 문영 | 文穎 | 694–695 | |
| Hyoso | Kaewŏn | 개원 | 愷元 | 695–? | |
| Seongdeok | Inp'um | 인품 | 仁品 | 706–720 | |
| Seongdeok | Pae Pu | 배부 | 裵賦 | 720–728 | |
| Seongdeok | Kim Sagong | 김사공 | 金思恭 | 728–? | |
| Seongdeok | Chŏng Chong | 정종 | 貞宗 | 737–? | |
| Gyeondeok | Kim Sain | 김사인 | 金思仁 | 745–757 | |
| Gyeondeok | Sinch'ung | 신충 | 信忠 | 757–764 | |
| Gyeondeok | Manjong | 만종 | 萬宗 | 764–768? | |
| Hyegong | Sin Yu | 신유 | 神猷 | 768–? | |
| Hyegong | Kim Yang-sang | 김양상 | 金良相 | 774–780 | |
| Seondeok | Kim Kyŏngsin | 김경신 | 金敬信 | 780?–785 | |
| Wonseong | Ch'ungnyŏm | 충렴 | 忠廉 | 785–792 | |
| Wonseong/Soseong? | Segang | 세강 | 世強 | 792–? | |
| Aejang | Kim Ŏnsŭng | 김언승 | 金彦昇 | 801–809 | |
| Heondeok | Kim Sungpin | 김숭빈 | 金崇斌 | 809?–819 | |
| Heondeok | Kim Suchong | 김수종 | 金秀宗 | 819–? | |
| Heungdeok | Kim Kyunchŏng | 김균정 | 金均貞 | 835–836 | |
| Huigang | Kim Myŏng | 김명 | 金明 | 836?–838 | |
| Minae | Kim Kwi | 김귀 | 金貴 | 838–? | |
| Sinmu? | Jang Bogo | 장보고 | 張保皐 | 839–? | |
| Munseong | Yejing | 예징 | 禮徵 | 840–849 | |
| Munseong | Kim Ŭichŏng | 김의정 | 金義正 | 849–857 | |
| Heonan | Kim An | 김안 | 金安 | 857–? | |
| Gyeongmun | Kim Chŏng | 김정 | 金正 | 862–874 | |
| Gyeongmun | Wijin | 위진 | 魏珍 | 874–875 | |
| Heongang/Jinseong? | Kim Wihong | 김위홍 | 金魏弘 | 875–888? | |
| Hyogong | Chunhŭng | 준흥 | 俊興 | 898–? | |
| Hyogong/Gyeongmyeong | Kim Sŏng | 김성 | 金成 | 906–912, 919–? | |
| Sindeok | Kyegang | 계강 | 繼康 | 912–? | |
| Gyeongmyeong | Wiŭng | 위응 | 魏鷹 | 917–924 | |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Kim Guhae, previously King Guheyong of Geumgwan Gaya, was given the title Sangdŭng (Korean: 상등; Hanja: 上等) upon his surrender to Bopheung in 532. Historians are still unsure whether Sangdŭng was a different rendering of Sangdaedŭng, or simply an honorary title.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"'