Silla Korea Flashcards
Bone rank (kolp’um)
*System of hierarchical hereditary ranks
*Sŏnggol – “sacred bones” – Kim family of kings
*chin’gol – “true bones”
*Hwabaek: Governing council
*Dying out of sŏnggol in 632, later kings from chin’gol
*6 numbered ranks below
Carried privileges (right to hold office, material goods)
Top ranks the songgol (sacred bones) and chin’gol (true bones) ○ Sacred: members of main royal family
○ True bones: cadet branches, other nobles
True bones served on governing council (Hwabaek)
632 no male songgol heir
○ Succeeded by daughter, succeeded by cousin
○ No sacred bones left: inheritance needed 2 songgol parents-
Later kings from chin’gol
○ Different rank for imperial family possibly related to priestly privilege ○ After songgol died out Silla kings were merely 1st among equals
○ Led to them facing frequent aristocratic challenges
○ For silla, goryeo, choson, held less exalted position than emperors of China, Japan -
6 numbered ranks below
○ Three top ranks (6,5,4) only ones w/ significance
○ 6 rank held many middle bureaucracy positions, produced scholars ○ Enduring form of Korean pre-modern social structure
Chin’gol continued to monopolize power
○ Modeled after Tang state (grown out of northern Chinese, mixed setting) ○ True bone elites active participants in hunting, horse-riding, poling ○ Activities carried out by both men and women
In Unified Silla period
○ Many descendants of conquered old aristocracy became rank 6
○ Formed 2nd tier of aristocracy
○ Like true bones, many resided in capital
○ Many rank 6 people become best educated
▪ Competitive advantage for them as they lack same hereditary rights as chin’gol
Silla monarchs wanted to offer more power to Rank 6 (to counter aristocratic power) ○ Not totally successful
○ Reflects weakened power relative to other aristocrats
Hwarang – “flower boys”
*System of training for young men destined for role in military-administrative elite
*Emphasis on bravery in battle
*Religious rituals important
*Link to physical beauty and sexuality, bonds formed between warrior aristocrats
System of training for young men destined for role in military-administrative elite ○ Important bc referenced a lot in sources
○ Debate about what this group was
○ Practiced hunting in prep for military work
○ Involved religious work: pilgrimage to sites, rituals
▪ Incorporated some pre-Buddhist rites but eventually linked to Buddhism, Confucianism
Boys just reaching puberty swear oaths to each other, travel around country ○ Most prominent military leaders in Silla served as Hwarang in youth -
600: monk develops injunctions for Hwarang
○ Honor parents, don’t retreat in battle (idea of brave military service) ○ Willingness to risk life, die in battle for monarch key tenet of Hwarang -
Silla highly valued military contributions (especially death)
Honor to die for king
○ Honor to die for king
Close bonds of loyalty between Hwarang warrior aristocrats
○ Potentially sexual function in group: chosen for physical beauty
○ Homosocial bonds between elite young men link Silla to other elite warrior aristocrats
Discussion: Nelson, “The Statuses of Women in Ko-Shilla”
1.How does Nelson interpret the burial in Tomb 98 (the largest Silla tomb)? What evidence does she have for her position?
2.What evidence does Nelson have for the idea that there was a relatively high degree of gender equality in Old Silla?
3.Are you convinced by Nelson’s arguments – why or why not?
Discussion: Nelson, “The Statuses of Women in Ko-Shilla”
- How does Nelson interpret the burial in Tomb 98 (the largest Silla tomb)? What evidence? - Paired tombs of king and queen
- Male skeleton, swords in one tomb
- Ruler-y regalia in the other tomb
- Argument: complementary king/queen rulers
○ Men as wartime ruler, women as secular ruler
- What evidence does Nelson have for idea of relatively high degree of gender equality in Old Silla?
- Censuses: Land allocated to both men and women ○ Women as functioning members of society
- Mobility amongst women
○ Saddles (talked about in sumptuary laws, based on rank)
- Not that much difference in what was found in grave mounds - Religious activity: many deities were women
- Inheritance pattern
○ Mother-daughter pattern (as opposed to father-son)
- Censuses:
○ Don’t show overabundance of men vs women (no sex-selective infanticide)
- Convinced by Nelson’s arguments?
- Not objective facts: arguments
- Next essay will be asking to analyze historians’ arguments
Unified Silla
*King Sinmun (reigned 681-692) creates “oath banners”, and new regional administration
*At time Unified Silla gained control, it made use of “tax villages” and “stipend villages” – these were later replaced with “office fields” (in 687) and the “able-bodied field system” (in 722) (though both later systems would not last past the 8th century
*Close links to Tang, participated in tribute system, many Sillans studied in Tang and took the examinations
*But Silla not just Tang in miniature, certain key differences
- Silla’s rulers attempted state dentralization after defeating Goguryeo, Paekche - King Sinmun (r. 6810692) creates “oath banners” , new regional admin
- Oath banners
○ Directly under his control
○ Recruits from defeated Korean states, ppl from northern Borderlands
○ So they wouldn’t have ties to aristocracy (in contrast to previous armies headed by aristocrats)
Regional admin
○ 9 provinces, each garrisoned by one of his armies ○ 5 secondary capitals
○ Silla’s capital far from center of country
○ Each province sub-divided into prefectures, counties
▪ Lowest level was village
○ System modeled on tang China
▪ In practice top aristocrats came from chin’gol, local elites from local aristocracy ○
Silla established hostage system
▪ Family members served on courts on rotational basis
▪ Esp. if from conquered lands
Complex revenue, labor extraction systems established
○ “tax villages”, existing at time of Goguryeo’s fall given to prominent elite as reward for service
▪ Elite could extract as much revenue as they wished
○ “stipend villages” supported other individuals
▪ Extract set stipends, some labour ▪ Extract set stipends, some labour
○ Formed in years after Silla’s takeover of southern Korea -
687: creation of “office fields”
○ Tied to job (office)
○ Entitled grain tax, but not some stipends
- Older stipend system abolished
- 722: able-bodied field system
○ Based on able-bodied adult males (shift from Ko-Shilla)
○ Redistributed based on death of man
○ Goal was to prevent large landowners to control resources, deny state access -
Over time office fields, able bodied systems collapsed
○ Returned to stipend villages
○ Kept track of many things in 8th century
○ By latter half of 9th century this changes, state revenue rapidly drops ▪ Helps lead to collapse of Silla
Close links to Tang, participated in tribute system
○ In early period tension w/ Tang (Silla kicked Tang out of peninsula) ○ In later period, formation of Balhae between them created incentive for alliance
○ Participated in tribute system
▪ Now true-bones, need to establish authority over others (endorsement a tool for this) ○ Used Tang calendar (unlike in 3 periods calendar where rulers used own era names) ▪ In past could start era over again if things going badly
▪ Calendar important as way of interfacing with the heavens
○ Every Silla king sent envoy to Chang’an
▪ In 7th, 8th centuries (?)
○ Many Sillans studied in Tang, took the examinations
▪ Silla promoted Confucianism
▪ 213 subjects studying in one year (in era w/o much travel)
▪ 88 Silla men passed Tang examinations during this period
○ Tang court sent embassies to Silla
▪ As much as 800 in size
▪ Influenced by Tang culture
▪ Adopted Chinese dress
▪ Silla aristocrats wrote Chinese poetry, adopted Tang music, drinking □ Influence did not stretch to ordinary commoners
However: key differences between Silla, Tang
○ System of provinces modeled after Zhou, not Tang
○ In Silla aristocracy remained in control of govt (not so in Early Tang)
○ Buddhism much stronger in Silla than Tang (especially compared to late Tang which had anti-Buddhist sentiment)
Parhae (Bohai)
*Ruled by Mohe/Malgal rulers who also made up much of population (in addition to Koreans)
*Was it Korean?
*Frequently aligned with Japan – numerous embassies sent back and forth
*Also participated in Chinese-style culture
- Ruled by Mohe/Malgal rulers who also made up much of population (in addition to Koreans) ○ Not Korean or Chinese
○ Believed ancestors of Jurchens and Manchus (of Jin, Qing)
○ Much of Parhae consisted of groups like Mohe, not ancestral to modern Koreans
- Not clear what language to use to talk about Parhae - 3/4 capitals outside of modern Korea
- Controlled northern 3rd of modern Korea
- Rulers claimed to have legacy of Goguryeo
○ Frequently allied w/ Japan, Turks (often competed with Silla, Tang) -
Many of state’s ruling families traced ancestry to Goguryeo ○ Goguryeo’s Koreanness questionable (language not really Korean)
- Goguryeo, Parhae neither Korean/non-Korean as Korea was not yet a concept
- Goguryeo, Parhae neither Korean/non-Korean as Korea was not yet a concept
○ Has modern political implications: Parhae means Korea should control substantial parts of China
- Parhae important dangerous rival to Silla
○ Silla forced in 721 to construct northern fortifications
○ 723: allied w/ Tang to attack Parhae, but this was a disaster
○ Parhae then allied w/ Japan, retained close relations for entirety of existence ○ 727-919: 35 to Japan, 13 embassies in other direction
○ Parhae also traded w/ Emishi
- Parhae, Silla not always at war
○ Diplomatic missions, trade across border
○ However still competition
Also participated in Chinese-style culture
○ Tang admitted equal numbers of Parhae, Silla students to exams ○ Tang preferred Silla as Sillan envoys received higher place in China
Increasing regionalism in late Silla
*Expansion of aristocratic and Buddhist estates
*Growth of slavery, loss of tax revenue from commoners
*Rise of local strongmen (many of whom became “castle lords” – sŏngju
*True bone aristocrats and 6th rank holders who retreated to provinces
*Merchant families
*Garrison commanders
*Local elites
*Spread of Sŏn (chan/zen) Buddhism
*Geomancy (fengshui/p’ungsu)
- Beginning mid-8th centuries, aristocrats amassed landholdings - Buddhist estates as well
- Extracted increasing revenues from commoners
- Growth of slavery, loss of tax revenue from commoners
○ People forced to sell themselves
○ Slaves didn’t pay taxes: more slaves = less taxes
- Shortfall meant Silla taxed remaining taxpayers more
○ Caused more weakening as more taxpayers had to sell land -
Rise of local strongmen (many of whom become “castle lords” - songju) ○ True bone aristocrats, 6th rank holders (not having power in capital)
maritime merchants (traveling between North China, Japan)
○
▪ Only period in Korean history in which Korea plays central role in maritime trade
○ Garrison commanders
○ Local elites
- Spread of Son (chan/zen) Buddhism
○ Beginning in 8th century, spread widely in Korea
○ Emphasized self-control, meditation, gaining insight into one’s Buddha nature ○ Focused a lot on meditative practices
○ Became popular w/ strongmen
▪ Collaborated with them to establish monastery
▪ Contributed to development of local cultures that challenged central culture
Geomancy (fengshui/p’ungsu) becomes popular
○ Defines sites as auspicious/inauspicious based off topography ○ Helps castle lords choose sites for palaces, capitals
○ Helped choose auspicious sites outside capital
▪ Rejecting centrality of Sillan capital, come to support Sillan
The collapse of Silla
*Silla, Later Paekche, Later Koguryŏ
*Kungye, king of Later Koguryŏ
*Wang Kŏn, Later Koguryŏ commander who eventually takes over
Recap
*Silla had a rigid hereditary social order defined by the institution of bone rank
*Some evidence that early Silla in particular was a relatively gender-equal society
*Silla attempted to centralize with some success after its takeover of the southern 2/3 of Korea, but eventually many of its centralizing reforms collapsed
*Parhae shows us the problems with treating “Korea” as a clear and stable entity in the pre-modern period
