Yuri (?–57, r. 24–57) was the third king of

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 ...

, one of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

. He is commonly called Yuri Isageum.

Family

Parents *Father: King Namhae of Silla **Grandfather: King Hyeokgeose of Silla **Grandmother: Lady Aryeong ***Great-Grandmother: Lady Saso *Mother: Lady Unje () Consorts and their respective issue: *Queen Ilsaeng, of the Park clan (), his niece ** King Ilseong of Silla (일성 이사금; d.154), 1st son *Queen Kim, of the Kim clan (), daughter of Prince Sayo () ** King Pasa of Silla (이사금; d. 112), 2nd son **Eldest daughter

Name

As a descendant of Silla's founder Hyeokgeose, his surname was

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

. His title was ''Isageum'', also recorded as Ijilgeum or Chijilgeum. This title is a change from ''Geoseogan'' (the first king Hyeokgeose) and ''Chachaung'' (second king Namhae). The actual Silla word is thought to be ''Itgeum'

''Imgeum'' is the modern Korean word for "King".

Background

Yuri was the son of Silla's second ruler, Namhae, and his queen Lady Unje. It is unclear how many siblings Namhae had, but he did have a sister. This sister, Princess Ani, was married to a non-Sillan man named Talhae of Silla, Seok Talhae, who originated from an island nation called Tapana. Talhae became a very highly ranked official and Namhae seemed to prefer him as successor instead of his son. This is revealed on Namhae's deathbed, but Talhae insisted that the prince's rise to the throne would be righteous and allowed Yuri to become the next ruler of Silla.

Reign

According to the ''

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 ...

'', the principal source for events of this period, Yuri centralized rule over the aristocracy by turning the six tribes into six official administrative divisions of Silla in 32. He is said to have granted surnames to each of the clans: Yi, Choe,

Son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

, Jeong, Bae, and Seol. He is also said to have created 17 bureaucratic rank levels. However, modern scholars doubt that these occurred so early in Silla's development. In 37, When Muhyul (無恤) attacked Nakrang Kingdom and destroyed it, 5000 people of the Nakrang country surrendered. They were divided into Silla's six divisions. This is when the legend of Princess Nakrang occurred. Silla was attacked by

Lelang commandery The Lelang Commandery was a Commandery (China), commandery of the Han dynasty established after it had conquered Wiman Joseon in 108 BC and lasted until Goguryeo conquered it in 313. The Lelang Commandery extended the rule of the Four Commande ...

and other tribes, but made peace with Maekguk(貊國). The ''Samguk sagi'' records that Silla conquered Iseoguk (present-day

Cheongdo Cheongdo County (''Cheongdo-gun'') is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is connected to the national transportation grid by the Gyeongbu Line railroad and the Daegu-Busan Expressway. The seat of government is located in the ...

) in Yuri Isageum era During Yuri's reign, the Silla people celebrated a holiday during the 15th day of the 8th month, where two teams of women would compete in a contest. The losers of the contest would have to prepare songpyeon, rice cakes, meats, fruits, and other food, shared by everyone in a feast. This is said to have been the origin of the modern Korean holiday

Chuseok Chuseok (; , ), also known as Hangawi (; ; from Old Korean, "the great middle f autumn), is a major mid-autumn harvest festival and a three-day holiday in South Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunisolar calendar on the ...

. Also during Yuri Isageum's reign was the rise of the

Gaya confederacy Gaya (; ) was a Korean confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period. The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is AD 42– ...

as a military power in the region. Silla was under constant rivalry with Baekje(or maybe Mahan) already, but Gaya in the middle was even more of a direct threat.

Succession

Yuri Isageum had two sons, but his dying words were to make his brother-in-law, Talhae of Silla, Seok Talhae, his successor to the throne. Yuri Isageum died in 57 AD after 34 years of reign.

References