 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Beopheung of Silla" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| King Beopheung 법흥왕 法興王 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King ofSilla | |||||
| Reign | 514–540 | ||||
| Coronation | 514 | ||||
| Predecessor | Jijeung of Silla | ||||
| Successor | Jinheung of Silla | ||||
| Died | 540 Silla | ||||
| Spouse | Queen Kim | ||||
| |||||
| House | Kim | ||||
| Father | King Jijeung of Silla | ||||
| Mother | Queen Yeonje of the Park Clan | ||||
| Beopheung of Silla | |
| Hangul | 법흥왕 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 法興王 |
| Revised Romanization | Beopheung wang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Pŏphŭng wang |
| Monarchs of Korea |
| Silla |
|---|
| (Pre-unification) |
|
Beopheung (r. 514–540 AD) was the23rd monarch ofSilla, one of theThree Kingdoms ofKorea. He was preceded byKing Jijeung (r. 500–514) and succeeded byKing Jinheung.[1] His name was inscribed on Bongpyeong Silla Stele and Cheonjeonri Petroglyphs asMojeukji (牟卽智, 另卽智). In Chinese literature, his name was written asMojin (募秦) as well.
By the time of his reign,Buddhism had become fairly common in Silla, as it had been introduced much earlier byGoguryeo monks during KingNulji's reign. One of King Beopheung's ministers, a man namedIchadon, was a Buddhist convert who had even shaved his head and took the tonsure. He constantly implored the king to adopt Buddhism as the state religion, and in fact King Beopheung himself had become fond of Buddha's teachings.[2] However, the other ministers of Silla were greatly opposed to this, and expressed such defiance to the king. Beopheung, having been persuaded by his ministers, was at a crossroads, and encountered great reluctance to change. At this time, Ichadon suggested his own martyrdom and pleaded with the king to execute him in public for the cause of Buddhism. This the king refused to do, and so Ichadon deliberately insulted the ministers of the kingdom, thus provoking the anger of the king. In the end, Ichadon was executed in public, but before his head was cut off, he stated that the blood spilled from his body would not be red but milky white.[3] According to theSamguk yusa, his predictions proved correct, and Ichadon's milky blood horrified the ministers of the kingdom. As a result of Ichadon's martyrdom, King Beopheung finally chose Buddhism as the state religion. However, true Buddhist freedom in Silla would not begin until the reign of KingJinheung.
Beopheung sent a tribute mission to theEmperor Wu of Liang in 523. This envoy visitedLiang China with the help of Baekje. In this tribute, Baekje represents Silla as a subordinate to Baekje. However, Silla acknowledges this because Baekje is needed to guard against Goguryeo and Japan.
Beopheung of Silla Died: 540 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King ofSilla 514–540 | Succeeded by |
 | This Korean biographical article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
 | This biography of a member of a noble house or article about nobility is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |