Hyoso of Silla

Hyoso of Silla
Hangul	효소왕
Hanja	孝昭王
Revised Romanization	Hyoso Wang
McCune–Reischauer	Hyoso Wang
Birth name
Hangul	이홍 or 공
Hanja	理洪 or 恭
Revised Romanization	Ihong or Gong
McCune–Reischauer	Ihong or Kong

Monarchs of Korea Silla (Post-unification)

Munmu 661–681 Sinmun 681–691 Hyoso 692–702 Seongdeok 702–737 Hyoseong 737–742 Gyeongdeok 742–765 Hyegong 765–780 Seondeok 780–785 Wonseong 785–798 Soseong 798–800 Aejang 800–809 Heondeok 809–826 Heungdeok 826–836 Huigang 836–838 Minae 838–839 Sinmu 839 Munseong 839–857 Heonan 857–861 Gyeongmun 861–875 Heongang 875–886 Jeonggang 886–887 Jinseong 887–897 Hyogong 897–912 Sindeok 912–917 Gyeongmyeong 917–924 Gyeongae 924–927 Gyeongsun 927–935

Hyoso (687-702) (r. 692–702) was the thirty-second monarch of Silla, a kingdom that flourished on the Korean peninsula from approximately 200 to 927 CE. He was the eldest son of King Sinmun and his second queen consort Sinmok 神穆. He reigned for a decade and died of illness in the Silla capital in the autumn of 702.

Hyoso's reign was characterized by a continuing trend towards centralization following Silla's unification of the peninsula. Like his father, Hyoso faced some opposition in the form of revolts by high-ranking members of the Silla aristocracy. In the summer of 700, for instance, the ichan (a high rank in Silla's strict bone rank system) Gyeong-yeong 慶永 was implicated in treasonous plots and executed. These machinations also apparently involved Silla's Chief Minister of State, who was removed from office.^[1]

Relations with Tang also saw improvement during Hyoso's reign following the diplomatic disintegration that followed in the wake of the wars of unification during the 660s and 670s and the foundering of the Tang-Silla alliance. Tribute relations were steadily maintained and Hyoso, as Sinmun before him, was "enfeoffed" by the Tang emperor as King of Silla.

A few citations in the record of King Hyoso in the 12th century Korean history Samguk Sagi also attest to steady diplomatic contact with Japan, and Japanese histories (notably the Shoku Nihongi) are reliable sources for confirming death dates of Silla's kings and queens during this period, as Japan would often hear of their deaths through diplomatic envoys.

King Hyoso died in 702. Because he had no son he was succeeded by his younger full brother who reigned as King Seongdeok.

See also

• History of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics
• List of Koreans
• Three Kingdoms of Korea
• Unified Silla

References

1. Samguk Sagi, Annals of Silla, book 8, King Hyoso, year 9.