Queen Seondeok of Silla

Queen Seondeok of Silla (606 – 8 January 647) was 27th ruler of Silla, one of the three ancient kingdoms of Korea. She was a daughter of King Jinpyeong and Lady Maya of the Kim clan. Because King Jinpyeong did not have any sons, Queen Seondeok became the first female ruler in Korean history after her father died. Besides the name Seondeok, she was also called Sung-Jo Hwang-Go which means "sacred and dedicated queen".

Queen Seondeok was an intelligent and capable ruler who established the foundation of Silla's unity of Korea peninsula. She ruled her kingdom wisely and improved her people’s life. Also, she made a lot of effort to accept advanced culture of ancient China by sending international students and monks. The star-gazing tower named Cheomseongdae and wooden tower with nine floors in Hwangnyongsa temple are the results of her effort.

According to some legend (in Korean history book Samguk Sagi) related to her, Queen Seondeok had great intuition and foresight. She noticed where the enemy was hiding by natural phenomena, predicted many incidents before it happened, and even knew when she would die a couple of days ago and left her will before death. Because of her extraordinary and heroic life, many Korean people make novels, plays, musicals and so on till now.

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Category:606 births
Category:647 deaths
Category:Kings and queens
Category:Korean monarchs