Mishil (c. 546/548 – c. 612) was a

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

aristocrat whose historical existence is debatable. According to the ''

Hwarang Segi Hwarang segi (lit. ''Annals of Hwarang'' or ''Generations of the Hwarang'') was a historical record of the Hwarang (lit. flower boys but referring to an elite warrior group of male youth) of the Silla kingdom in ancient Korea. It is said to have ...

'', she was a concubine to several kings and, along with her aunt

Queen Sado Queen Sado of the Park clan (; ? – February 614) was a Queen Consort of Silla as the spouse of king King Jinheung of Silla, and the mother of his successor, King Jinji of Silla. According to the disputed text ''Hwarang Segi'', she was regent ...

, played an instrumental role in dethroning King Jinji. However, it has been questioned whether Misil was truly a historical figure, as she is only mentioned in the Hwarang Segi, and not in the historical texts Samguk Sagi or Samguk Yusa.

Biography

According to the ''

'', Mishil was the daughter of Lord Mijinbu and Lady Myodo, a sister of Queen Sado, the consort of

Jinheung of Silla Jinheung (534–576; reign 540–576) was the 24th monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He followed King Beopheung (r. 514–540) and was followed by King Jinji (r. 576–579). Jinheung was the nephew / grandson of King Beo ...

. Her paternal grandmother was Princess Samyeop, daughter of King Beopheung. Due to her lineage, Mishil was a member of the (), or the noble true bone caste. Matrilineally, she belonged to the Matrilineal clan of Daewon Shintong () or directly translated as the divine succession of the great prime. The Daewon Shintong is believed to be descent from Bomi, however, the records in the reigns of Soji of Silla, that Bomi, the Lady Daewon (大元夫人), died and was buried at the age of 82. Lady Daewon has given birth to 12 children from several different fathers. Because of her nobility, her descendants were known as Daewon or great prime tribe. (大元族). She was the wife of Lord Sejong (the sixth Pungwolju), the lover of General Seolwon (the seventh Pungwolju) and the older sister of Lord Misaeng (the tenth Pungwolju). She was concubine to three successive Silla kings:

King Jinheung Jinheung (534–576; reign 540–576) was the 24th monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He followed King Beopheung (r. 514–540) and was followed by King Jinji (r. 576–579). Jinheung was the nephew / grandson of King Beo ...

, King Jinji, and King Jinpyeong. Legend states that she was in love with Crown Prince Dongnyeon. Her sons became the 11th and 16th pungwoljus, Hajong (through Sejong) and Bojong (through Seolwon), respectively. According to Hwarang Segi: Mishil became King Jinji's concubine after his father, King Jinheung died. However, he lost interest on her after falling in love with another woman. His mother, Queen Sado, was angered about his sudden change of heart and failing to keep his promise on making her niece (Mishil) into his Queen. As a result, Queen Sado, with the help of Mishil's lovers; Lord Sejong and General Seolwon, managed to get the support of the court to dethrone King Jinji. They gained people's support after blaming him for Silla's defeat which resulted to famines. They spread the rumor that heavens has forsaken Silla for having an immoral king. Jinji's removal resulted in the installation of his nephew, King Jinpyeong, to the throne. Jinji's grandson, Kim Chunchu, would later succeed the throne as

King Muyeol King Taejong Muyeol (603–661), born Kim Ch'un-ch'u, was the 29th ruler of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is credited for leading the unification of Korea's Three Kingdoms. Background King Taejong Muyeol was born with the "sac ...

Historicity

It has been questioned whether Misil was truly a historical figure, as she is only mentioned in the ''

'', and not in the historical texts ''

Samguk sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

'' or ''

Samguk yusa ''Samguk yusa'' (; ) or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales, and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, d ...

''. Additionally, her role as mother to her various sons and daughters is not acknowledged by either of these historical texts, only the ''Hwarang Segi''.

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Seo Kap-sook in 2006–2007 SBS TV series ''

Yeon Gaesomun Yeon GaesomunSome Chinese and Korean sources stated that his surname was Yeongae () and personal name was Somun (), but the majority of sources suggest a one-syllable surname and a three-syllable personal name. (; 594–666) was a powerful mili ...

''. *Portrayed by

Go Hyun-jung Go Hyun-jung (; born March 2, 1971), or Ko Hyun-jung, is a South Korean actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She debuted in the entertainment industry as a Miss Korea runner-up in 1989 and went on to star in '' Sandglass ''(1995), one of the ...

and

Uee Kim Yu-jin (; born April 9, 1988), better known by her stage name Uee (; sometimes romanized as U-), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known for being a former member of South Korean girl group After School from 2009 to 2017, ...

in the 2009 MBC TV series ''

Queen Seondeok Queen Seondeok ( ; ? – ; day of the lunar month of the year of Inpyeong []) reigned as Queen Regnant of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647. She was Silla's List of monarchs of Korea, twenty-seventh ruler, and its ...

''.

Genealogy

Ancestors

Family

*''For the lineage from Mishil's parents upwards, refer to the ancestry chart above'' *Younger Brother: Misaeng Rang (美生郞 미생랑), 10th Pungwolju *Husbands and lovers, and their respective issue: # Lord Sejong (世宗公 세종공, ?–588), 6th Pungwolju (561-568, 572) ## Lord Hajong (夏宗公 하종공, 564–?), 1st son, 11th Pungwolju (588–591) ## Lord Okjong (玉宗公 옥종공), 2nd son by Lord Sejong # Lord Sadaham (斯多含公 사다함공, 546–564), 5th Pungwolju (562-564) – No issue. # Seolwon Rang (薛原郞 설원랑, 549–606), 7th Pungwolju (572–579) ## Lord Bojong (寶宗公 보종공, 580–621), Only son, 16th Pungwolju (616–621) #

(眞興王 진흥왕), 24th King of Silla ## Prince Sujong (壽宗殿君 수종전군), Only son ## Princess Banya (般若公主 반야공주), 1st daughter ## Princess Nanya (蘭若公主 난야공주), 2nd daughter # Crown Prince Dongryun (銅輪太子 동륜태자, ?–572), son of King Jinheung ## Princess Aesong (艾松公主 애송공주), Only daughter # King Jinji (眞智王 진지왕), 25th King of Silla – No issue. # King Jinpyeong (眞平王 진평왕), 26th King of Silla ## Princess Bohwa (寶華公主 보화공주), Only daughter

References

{{Reflist 6th-century Korean women 6th-century Korean people 6th-century women Korean concubines Korean women in politics Royal consorts of Silla Silla people Silla Buddhists Hwarang Asian people whose existence is disputed