Call It Intuition
In the mid-7th century, medieval Korea saw the rise of one of its most memorable and beloved rulers. Queen Seondeok spent nearly her whole life proving her naysayers wrong, becoming known as not only a benevolent monarch but a truly effective one. Her records are vague, but many stories portray her as bold, generous, intelligent—and possibly even prophetic.
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1. She Was Born Of Royalty
During her reign, Queen Seondeok had no shortage of enemies, even among those closest to her. Many were against her ascendancy and actively worked against her, despite her noble birth. Around AD 606, she was born Princess Deokman of the Korean kingdom of Silla, the child of King Jinpyeong and Queen Maya.
She wasn’t their only child, but they still faced a problem down the line.
2. He Had Few Options
When it came time for King Jinpyeong to choose a successor to the throne, the problem of his children presented itself. He had only daughters, so without an immediate male heir, he turned to the next best choice. Initially, the most prominent contender was Kim Yongsu, the husband of King Jinpyeong’s daughter, Princess Cheonmyeong.
During these difficult decisions, Princess Deokman saw her opportunity.
3. She Seized Her Chance
Seeing that the throne was about to be left to her father’s last resort, Princess Deokman was bold enough to throw her hat in the ring. Speaking with King Jinpyeong, she insisted that she had just as much claim to rule as her brother-in-law, and demanded recognition. Thankfully, her father was relatively open-minded.
4. He Saw Her Potential
Silla had never been ruled solely by a Queen before, and there had only been one female ruler in all of East Asia before this. Still, King Jinpyeong could not deny his daughter's persistence and initiative, soon relenting and allowing her to prove herself the better candidate.
Unfortunately, not everyone was of the same mind.
5. They Weren’t On Board
Her father was willing to bet on Deokman as Silla’s first reigning Queen, but others weren’t as welcoming of change. It wasn’t rare for women to be in government positions at the time, such as Queen Regents taking care of the throne until the King came of age. However, most considered the ruling monarch a station belonging to men only.
Still, this didn’t dissuade her.
6. She Didn’t Back Down
Soon, Princess Deokman proved that the King’s consideration was more than just the loving bias of a father. Through the wisdom and fairness she demonstrated early on, the people of Silla eventually came to trust and revere her. King Jinpyeong couldn’t deny that she was born to be Queen, and he officially chose her as his successor.
At the same time, this is all just one version of events.
7. Her Truth Is Unclear
This account tells of Princess Deokman proving herself the better heir over her brother-in-law, but it’s only according to the Hwarang Segi, a disputed historical record. In several other accounts, such as the Samguk yusa, these events are never written about, instead stating that Princess Deokman was simply the only option available.
No matter how, Princess Deokman did become an heiress—which angered some in the court.
8. They Planned To Rebel
Princess Deokman possessed the qualities of a great ruler, and many appreciated that. However, this wasn’t enough for those who would stop at nothing to prevent her from reaching the throne. In AD 631, officials Chilsuk and Seokpum plotted a rebellion that ended before it began. Caught and penalized, the guards publicly beheaded Chilsuk and his family.
As for Seokpum, he didn’t get away scot-free in the end.
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9. He Came Back
Unlike his co-conspirator, Seokpum escaped the executioner’s block and fled the kingdom. However, upon reaching the border between Silla and the kingdom of Baekje, the thought of his wife stopped him from going any further. Missing her, he returned home in disguise—only to find the authorities waiting for him, who captured and later executed him.
Needless to say, nothing would keep the Princess from her ambitions.
10. She Took The Throne
The following year, Princess Deokman came to the bittersweet event of her ascension to the throne. King Jinpyeong passed, and at 26 years old, the Princess assumed the role of Silla’s first reigning Queen. To go with her new and well-earned title, she took the name Queen Seondeok.
Many were unsure about this new concept, but she did her best to answer their concerns.
11. She Assured Everyone
Part of what made Queen Seondeok stand out from the countless other monarchs before and after her time was her respect for the people she served. Rather than enjoy her power while disregarding the apprehension of her subjects, Seondeok made a point to explain her plans and policies immediately.
Shortly after her ascension, she tried to cultivate an alliance.
12. She Sent A Message
Later in AD 632, Queen Seondeok sent an emissary to the Chinese Emperor, Taizong of Tang. This was to notify him of her succession, as well as to deliver tribute. Concerning the former, Emperor Taizong exemplified the stubbornness of the times, upholding the belief that women couldn’t be rulers and refusing to recognize Seondeok as one.
Not about to let this rejection keep her down, she instead focused on her own people.
National Palace Museum, Wikimedia Commons
13. She Investigated Her Kingdom
With aspirations to better the lives of her subjects, Queen Seondeok spent many of her resources to get to the root of their issues. To this end, she ordered royal inspectors to examine her people’s everyday lives, especially focusing on the problems facing the poor, the elderly, and other overlooked citizens.
This led to many improvements within her domain.
14. She Helped Their Financials
During Seondeok’s second year as Queen, the benefits of her rule only accumulated further, especially for the less fortunate. Easing the financial hardships of those most affected, she enacted policies that allowed the middle class to pay less taxes and made peasants tax-exempt.
Naturally, her people began to appreciate her rule.
15. They Supported Her
Through the many early changes she made during her reign, Queen Seondeok proved her devotion to her subjects, and they put more of their faith in her. Slowly but surely, any further protestors or enemies of hers within Silla became a minority among its citizens. With all this, she etched her name in history.
16. She Built A Legacy
One of her efforts to help the everyday people in Silla also became one of her most historically significant contributions. Built in AD 633 by Seondeok, Cheomseongdae was a tower used to study astronomy and help anyone whose work was affected by celestial events, such as farmers. It was the first observatory in East Asia and survives to this day.
Leading her people to prosperity, she also paved the way towards unification.
J. Patrick Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
17. She Bridged A Gap
In the efforts to influence her subjects to band together as one people, Queen Seondeok paved the way for all of Korea to do the same. Through her facilitation, the families of General Kim Yu-sin and Taejong the Great joined through marriage. This would later be integral to the alliances which ended the Three Kingdoms period in Korea.
On the personal side of things, the truth is a bit more unclear.
18. She May Have Married
Through the various historical records of Queen Seondeok’s life, there are several mentions of potential men she could have married. These range from officials to other royals, and even possibly her uncle. However, another conflicting belief is that she never married to reduce any political threats.
Of course, this wasn’t the only vague part of her life.
19. She Lived In Legend
As much as there are historical accounts of Seondeok’s reign and accomplishments, many events are told from other perspectives or with different interpretations. Furthermore, numerous aspects of her life seemingly transcend the laws of reality and transform her into a supernaturally benevolent Queen.
These qualities lived on in several stories.
20. She Received A Painting
In one story, Emperor Taizong sent a painting of peonies to Seondeok, including the flower’s seeds. The Queen accurately predicted that while they were beautiful, they would have no fragrance once the seeds grew. She knew this since the painting didn’t feature any bees or butterflies, believing the Emperor was taunting her for being unmarried.
Another story focused on how beloved she was.
21. The Legend Of Jigwi
A prominent story involves one of Seondeok’s subjects, who became deeply infatuated with her. The Legend of Jigwi tells of a man who loved Seondeok so much that he did nothing but constantly call out her name. Seondeok felt pity and gifted him her bracelet, after which his intense love manifested as actual fire and burned down the nearby Buddhist temple.
However, even this story has multiple versions.
22. They Beat Him
A different account of the legend depicts Jigwi being so in love that he calls out Seondeok’s name day and night—but this tale features a brutal twist. In response to this, the palace guards fatally beat him, transforming him into a vengeful fire spirit. After he burned down the temple and several homes, Seondeok created talismans to protect against him.
One version of the story, however, was much more pleasant.
23. He Visited Her Dreams
A retelling took place during a drought in Silla and portrayed Jigwi as Seondeok’s lover, although only while she slept. The two regularly met at a Silla bridge in Seondeok’s dreams but she found only a sleeping beggar at the bridge once awake. After receiving her bracelet, the fires of love engulfed the beggar and he ascended to heaven, finally making it rain.
In another legend, she protected her Kingdom from grave harm.
24. She Saw Them Coming
According to one story, Seondeok’s wisdom proved life-saving, when she was told of a group of croaking white frogs at a pond called Okmun—or Jade Gate. Using the philosophy of Yin and Yang, she correctly understood these spiritual signs as an invading army waiting in a valley to the West. Dispatching her forces, they caught the army by surprise and wiped them out.
Being a wise ruler, she attempted to reach out to a potential ally for a second time.
25. She Tried Again
Still in the second year of her rule, Seondeok didn’t give up on trying to mend the relationship with Silla’s potential ally. She sent another envoy to Emperor Taizong of China to deliver tribute. Like before, however, Taizong continued to be disrespectful and deny her role as Queen.
Around this time, Seondeok and her people fell on hard times.
26. They Grew Worried
From AD 636 to AD 639, Silla witnessed a series of cataclysms, beginning with Queen Seondeok falling ill with a seemingly incurable sickness. With the passing of each disaster, the Queen’s people grew increasingly unnerved, believing that their doom was being foretold.
To make matters worse, this included an untimely visit from their enemies.
27. They Launched An Attack
Early in AD 638, an unexplained phenomenon preceded a devastating attack on Silla. To the bewilderment of Seondeok and her people, reports reached the kingdom of a giant stone that had moved on its own on top of a nearby mountain. Seven months later, one of the other two Korean kingdoms—Goguryeo—besieged the valley.
Beyond this, some of Silla’s calamities were more biblical.
28. They Witnessed A Plague
The bad omens continued for the Queen’s subjects, and the following year, they witnessed a truly terrifying change to their surroundings. If there was any question as to whether Silla was cursed, it was answered in AD 639 when the sea to the east of the kingdom turned red, resulting in the demise of all its fish.
Soon, Seondeok would face her most dangerous threat yet.
29. He Invaded Silla
Passing into the next decade, Queen Seondeok had to contend with the two other Korean kingdoms closing in. In 642, Uija, the ruler of Baekje, led an invasion into Silla and made significant progress through the west. A year later, both Baekje and Goguryeo teamed up to continue the hostility.
Once more, Seondeok tried to make an ally.
30. She Asked For Help
For the third time, Seondeok reached out to Emperor Taizong in the hopes of gaining his support, but this time she had leverage. Silla’s enemies had overtaken Danghang Fortress, which blockaded a prominent route to China and left the Emperor little choice but to involve himself.
He was more responsive this time around—but he had some conditions.
31. He Sent His Answer
Surprisingly, Emperor Taizong gave his first positive response to Queen Seondeok, agreeing to assist in defeating the other two kingdoms. To do this, he submitted two strategies for her acceptance, the first of which involved his navy taking the fight to Baekje at the Liaodong Peninsula. Secondly, he agreed to outfit Silla’s forces in Chinese uniforms to disguise them.
However, the third stipulation was a deal-breaker.
32. He Still Rejected Her
Queen Seondeok was likely willing to agree to the Chinese Emperor’s first two proposals but drew a line at the third. Taizong was still adamantly against Seondeok’s rule, so he hinged his assistance on the condition that she accepted a male royal from China as her replacement, which she was unwilling to do.
Luckily, he wasn’t her last option.
33. She Looked Elsewhere
Exhausting what would have been one of her most helpful resources, Seondeok turned to another potential ally—this time, a more spiritual one. The Queen enlisted the help of Jajang, a famous monk who studied under China’s great Buddhist masters for many years. Agreeing to help, Jajang traveled to Silla in AD 643 and proposed some interesting ideas.
Museum of Tongdosa Temple's Homepage, Wikimedia Commons
34. He Suggested A Project
Unlike Emperor Taizong, the monk Jajang took Seondeok’s request for help seriously and relayed his best idea. According to him, the most effective course of action would be to build an enormous pagoda, both to defend the kingdom and spiritually appease its citizens. In the eyes of Silla’s subjects, this was a drastic decision.
riNux, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
35. They Were Hesitant
Although after much deliberation, Queen Seondeok was on board with Jajang’s idea, the rest of Silla needed more convincing. The people’s biggest concern was the financial side of the project, foreseeing that the temple’s construction would greatly increase their taxes. Nevertheless, she was sure of her plan.
36. She Took A Leap Of Faith
Seondeok understood her subjects’ worries and empathized with them, but she believed this new project was the right choice. Not only would it unify Silla under the banner of Buddhism, but it would give her people confidence in Silla’s future. Firm in her path, the Queen made the executive decision to move forward.
To calm her people’s concerns, she gave them a promise.
37. She Made A Deal
The Queen was so sure that her plan would succeed that she was willing to stake her own property. To calm the fears of her subjects, Seondeok offered up the materials from her palace if the construction ran out of funds. In the end, the project worked out better than expected.
38. It Became A Monument
At the end of a two-year construction, Jajang and Seondeok’s project reached completion and stood as a marvel to behold. Given the name “Hwangnyongsa” ("Imperial Dragon Temple"), the temple was the tallest in East Asia when finished, standing an impressive 80 meters with nine stories. Furthermore, each level symbolized an enemy of Silla, representing the kingdom’s strength against them.
Shortly after this, the Queen made an addition to her retinue.
Gyeongju City, KOGL Type 1, Wikimedia Commons
39. She Gained A Courtier
Shortly after the completion of Hwangnyongsa, Queen Seondeok added a new face to her court—which she would later regret. Becoming the Sangdaedeung, the leader of the Council of Nobles, a politician named Lord Bidam joined the Queen’s side. At the time, Seondeok was unable to perform all of her duties, so much was delegated to Bidam.
At last, someone else finally joined her side.
40. They Finally Teamed Up
Eventually, the allied forces of Baekje and Goguryeo grew even stronger, prompting Seondeok to seek external aid again. Fortunately, Emperor Taizong finally came to his senses and realized the true danger rising against them. At last, he agreed to an alliance between China and Silla.
Unfortunately, while she found allies outside her Kingdom, those within now posed a threat.
41. Her Noblemen Were Unhappy
Although Seondeok had proven her effectiveness as a ruler many times over, those who were against her just because of her gender were still present in Silla. Beyond that, many of them had seeded themselves throughout the higher ranks of her staff. This displeasure culminated in early AD 647 when they initiated a rebellion.
This wasn’t taken lightly.
42. He Had A Large Backing
Unfortunately for Seondeok, several factors made this rebellion the biggest in her kingdom’s history. Led by Bidam, the revolt was supported by his allies in court, the number of which was considerable. To make things worse, the majority of Silla’s army was away dealing with the kingdom’s outside threats.
Naturally, Bidam wasn’t shy about his disdain.
43. He Was Completely Against Her
To inspire his fellow rebels, Bidam aired out his grievances with Seondeok, which went beyond any personal issues with the Queen. In his eyes, she had somehow been such an incompetent ruler that it convinced him women should never rule again. While the Queen remained indisposed, someone else stepped up against this threat.
44. They Were Stopped
Although Bidam’s rebellion posed a grave danger, it was relatively short-lived. Two of Seondeok’s generals remained loyal to her and after just 10 days, Kim Alcheon and Kim Yu-sin swiftly ended the uprising, capturing Bidam and his followers. According to one account, one general shrewdly outsmarted them.
45. He Used His Wits
In one version of events, Bidam’s rebellion strengthened when a star fell near Seondeok’s palace. Using this to his benefit, Bidam explained that this meant the Queen’s reign was at an end. In a clever ruse, Kim Yu-sin tied a burning scarecrow to a kite and flew it into the sky, emulating the star returning to the heavens and demoralizing Bidam’s supporters.
Sadly, not long after the failed rebellion, the Queen would depart this world.
46. She Met Her End
Tragically, the Queen had no choice but to put her faith in her generals, as she wouldn’t see their victory over Bidam’s rebellion. Sadly, a few weeks before the execution of all the conspirators, in February of AD 647 (January, according to the Korean lunar calendar), Seondeok passed at around 40 years old. For those close to her, this likely wasn’t a surprise, despite her young age.
47. She Was Sick
Playing into Bidam’s lack of confidence in her, Seondeok suffered from an unknown sickness shortly before the end. While the true cause of her demise was never confirmed, many accept that this illness was the culprit. In one story, however, something else played a large factor in her passing.
48. She May Have Been Shocked
According to several historians, a more emotional malady was either the cause of Seondeok’s passing or at least contributed to it. In this theory, the fact that Bidam had enacted a revolt against her was so jarring that her health deteriorated. Thankfully, she was able to name her successor before the end.
49. She Chose Her Heir
As one final affront to everyone who couldn’t stand having a female ruler, Queen Seondeok named another woman as her successor. Whether or not she married, she had no children to be her heirs and instead chose her cousin Kim Seung-man, who assumed the name Queen Jindeok after her ascension.
Mysteriously, she had already uttered one more prophecy.
50. She Made A Final Prediction
Even from the grave, Queen Seondeok contributed to the legends that she could see the future—even her own. Allegedly, at some point before the end, she foretold that she would perish in January AD 647. Lo and behold, according to several accounts, she passed on the exact date she had prophesied.
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