The Great Queen Seondeok

Queen Seondeok of Silla (Korean: 선덕여왕 Korean pronunciation: [sʌn.dʌk jʌ.waŋ]; c. 580 or 610 - 20 February [O.S. 17 February] 647; 8th day of the 1st lunar month of the 14th year of Inpyeong [仁平14年正月8日, 인평 14년 정월 8일]) reigned as Queen Regnant of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647.[3] She was Silla's twenty-seventh ruler, and its first reigning queen. She was the second female sovereign in recorded East Asian history and encouraged a renaissance in thought, literature, and the arts in Silla.[4] In Samguksagi, Queen Seondeok was described as "generous, benevolent, wise, and smart".[5] According to the Legend of Jigwi, she was also beautiful.[6] She developed Buddhist culture, selected great talent, and established diplomacy with the Tang dynasty, laying the foundation for the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.[7] Queen Seondeok is known as a wise and kind monarch, making her one of the most prominent monarchs in Korean history.

Born Princess Deokman (德曼), Seondeok was the daughter of King Jinpyeong and Queen Maya of Silla. She had two siblings, Princess Cheonmyeong and Princess Seonhwa (although Seonhwa's existence is controversial due to the discovery of evidence in 2009 that points to King Uija's mother as being Queen Sataek and not Seonhwa as indicated by historical records). It is uncertain whether she or Cheonmyeong was the first born. According to the disputed text Hwarang Segi, Cheonmyeong was older than Seondeok. According to the historical text Samguk sagi, Seondeok was the eldest daughter.