King Taejong Muyeol / 태종 무열왕 (602 – 661)
King Taejong Muyeol / 태종 무열왕 (602 – 661, Birth name: Kim Chunchu / 김춘추), was the 29th monarch of the southern Korean kingdom of Silla(Sinra) and ruled from 654 to 661. He is credited for leading the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a childhood friend of Kim Yusin, who eventually became his brother-in-law after his marrying the latter's sister.
King Taejong Muyeol was born with "sacred blood." He was born with the rank of seonggol. His father, Kim Yongsu, was the son of Silla's 25th ruler, King Jinji. When King Jinji was overthrown, all royalty from his line were deemed unfit to rule over the kingdom. This fate was brought down upon Kim Yongchoon. However, as he was one of the few remaining seonggols, and married a princess (Princess Chunmyung) who was a seonggol as well, their child, Kim Chunchu, became seonggol. Kim Yongsu was a powerful figure in the government. However, he lost all of his power to Kim Baekban, the brother of the king. In order to survive, he had to become a jingol, the rank that was right below seonggol. Therefore, he lost his chance of becoming the king, and so did his child, Kim Choonchu. However, when all the seonggols were dead, somebody with the royal blood in the jinggol rank had to succeed the throne. The people in the government wanted Kim Alcheon (a.k.a. So Alcheon), who was then Sangdaedeung(highest post of government) of Silla to succeed the throne. His father was a seonggol, who married a jingol wife so that his son would not be a seonggol and suffer from the fight for the throne. However, Kim Yusin supported Kim Chunchu, and Kim Alcheon refused the throne and supported Kim Chunchu. As a result, Kim Chunchu succeeded the throne.
He was well acquainted with the Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, for he and the Emperor were friends before the Emperor became an Emperor. King Muyeol was a great support to the Emperor, and the Emperor returned the support to King Muyeol. He constantly pleaded with the Tang for reinforcements to destroy Baekje, to which the Tang finally acquiesced in 660, sending 130,000 troops under General Su Dingfang. Meanwhile, Kim Yusin set out from Silla with 50,000 soldiers and fought the bloodly battle of Hwangsanbeol leaving Baekje devastated and unprotected. King Uija of Baekje finally surrendered, leaving only Goguryeo to face Silla as an adversary on the Korean peninsula.
In June of the following year King Muyeol died, leaving his son Kim Beopmin to assume the throne as King Munmu.
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