Yuri of Silla


Yuri was the third king of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is commonly called Yuri Isageum.

Family

Parents
Consorts and their respective issue:
As a descendant of Silla's founder Hyeokgeose, his surname was Park.
His title was Isageum, also recorded as Ijilgeum or Chijilgeum. This title is a change from Geoseogan and Chachaung. 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 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, 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, 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 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 and other tribes, but made peace with Maekguk.
The Samguk sagi records that Silla conquered Iseoguk 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.
Also during Yuri Isageum's reign was the rise of the Gaya confederacy as a military power in the region. Silla was under constant rivalry with Baekje 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, Seok Talhae, his successor to the throne. Yuri Isageum died in 57 AD after 34 years of reign.