Volta
PersonAD 737

King Seongdeok

33rd king of Silla, who granted jeongjeon fields to commoners and restored relations with Tang

In 722 he granted jeongjeon fields to adult commoners to stabilise farmers’ lives and tighten the state’s hold over the people. After King Mu of Balhae attacked Tang’s Dengzhou, Silla struck Balhae from the south at Tang’s request in 733 but withdrew in heavy snow and cold; in return Tang recognised Silla’s possession of the land south of the Pae River (Taedong) in 735. The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, begun by King Gyeongdeok to pray for his soul, was completed under King Hyegong in 771.

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2 related events

  1. 1
    AD 722Grant of Jeongjeon Fieldsmonarch

    King Seongdeok for the first time granted jeongjeon fields to the common people.

  2. 2
    AD 771Completion of the Divine Bell of King Seongdeokrelated figure

    King Hyegong completed the great bell begun by Gyeongdeok in memory of his father Seongdeok; it is also known as the Emille Bell.

People who appear alongside

  • King HyegongAD 780

    36th king of Silla, enthroned at eight and killed amid aristocratic revolts, ending the direct line of King Muyeol

  • King GyeongdeokAD 765

    35th king of Silla, who sinicized official titles and place names but restored the nogeup stipend villages; Bulguksa and Seokguram were begun in his reign

Themes this person appears in

  • Changes in the Land SystemAD 687 – 1950

    From nogeup to the end of office land — how the rights granted to officials shrank, and gave way to modern land ownership

  • Crafts and MetalworkAD 346 – 1392

    From the Seven-Branched Sword to mother-of-pearl lacquer — Three Kingdoms crowns, censers and daggers, the great bell of Unified Silla, Goryeo silver inlay and najeon

  • Gyeongju57 BC – 1860

    Silla’s capital for a thousand years — tombs, pagodas, temples and bells from every age of Silla, and the birthplace of Donghak