My Treasure Basket

The 27th Ruler

Previously in My Treasure Basket’s - Queen Seon Deok, I talked about Deokman who, according to the story, became the first woman ruler of Silla. I was so captivated by how she used her wit to contend and win over her opponent Mishil. I wondered if the story really existed in Korea and so I went online and looked for the answer to my question.

The real story is that Princess Deokman, who later became known as Queen Seon Deok, was the eldest daughter of three of King Jinpyeong. Because the king did not have a son, he selected Deokman to become his heir. According to wikipedia.com, Seon Deok was the first of three female rulers who ruled from 632 to 647 as the 27th ruler of Silla. She built the Star-Gazing Tower which still stands today and is considered to be the first observatory in the Far East.

I was amazed that there really existed a queen who was very intelligent and was able to use it to her advantage in keeping the goal of the  kingdom and the people together. Marvelous!