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Hyegong of Silla

Type Figure Region Korean Peninsula Time 758–780 Also known as 혜공왕、Kim Geon-un、金乾運、Hyegong of Silla

Hyegong of Silla (Kim Geon-un, 758–780, r. 765–780), the 36th monarch of Unified Silla and only son of King Gyeongdeok, ascended at eight amid weaken…

Timeline

  1. 765–768Geumseong (Gyeongju) · GyeongjuAfter his father King Gyeongdeok died, the eight-year-old Hyegong succeeded as the last descendant of the line of King Muyeol; his mother Queen Gyeongsu served as regent, and the young king could not effectively control the court.
  2. 768–775Geumseong (Gyeongju) · GyeongjuRebellions broke out in succession: the Daegong rebellion of 768, the Geumyong rebellion of 770, and the Kim Eungyo rebellion of 775, as noble factions contended for the throne and real power, steadily weakening Hyegong's governing authority.
  3. 774–777Geumseong (Gyeongju) · GyeongjuIn 774 Kim Yang-sang was appointed Sangdaedeung, replacing the previous ruling faction; in 777 he submitted a memorial criticizing current policies and diplomacy with Tang, sharply intensifying conflict between Hyegong's faction and Kim Yang-sang's.
  4. 780Geumseong (Gyeongju) · GyeongjuIn 780 the ilchan Kim Jijeong rose in revolt and attacked the palace; Hyegong ordered Kim Yang-sang to suppress it, but the rebels broke into the inner palace, killing Hyegong and his queen—the first Silla king explicitly recorded as assassinated.

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