Unified Silla & Balhae
An age when Unified Silla in the south and Balhae (the "Flourishing Land of the East") in the north coexisted. The golden age of Buddhist culture.
- 676년
Silla unifies
King Munmu drove out Tang in the Silla–Tang War and completed the unification of the Three Kingdoms.
Related figures: King Munmu, Kim Yusin
- 682년
King Sinmun's Establishment of the Gukhak (National Academy)
King Sinmun founded the Gukhak, a Confucian educational institution, and reorganized the bureaucracy to strengthen royal authority. This laid the foundation for Unified Silla's governance system to take shape.
Related figures: King Sinmun
- 698년
Founding of Balhae
Dae Joyeong gathered Goguryeo refugees and the Mohe people to found Balhae, later called the "Flourishing Land of the East."
Related figures: Dae Joyeong (King Go)
- 722년
King Seongdeok's Allocation of Jeongjeon (Personal Fields)
King Seongdeok distributed jeongjeon (personal landholdings) to the common people, reorganizing the land system and establishing the tax base. This is a representative example of Unified Silla's agricultural economic policy.
- 727년
Hyecho's Authorship of 'Record of a Journey to the Five Indian Kingdoms'
Silla monk Hyecho made a pilgrimage to India and Central Asia and left a travel account, Wangocheonchukgukjeon. It is a precious world record conveying the conditions of the Western Regions in the 8th century.
Related figures: Hyecho
- 727년
Balhae King Muwang's Diplomatic Relations with Japan
Balhae King Muwang (Dae Muye) sent envoys to Japan to establish diplomatic relations, broadening his foreign ties as a check against Silla and Tang China. Afterward, exchanges between Balhae and Japan continued to flourish.
Related figures: King Mu of Balhae (Dae Muye)
- 8세기 전반
King Mu of Balhae's Territorial Expansion and Attack on Tang
King Mu of Balhae greatly expanded his territory and dispatched General Jang Mun-hyu to attack Dengzhou in the Shandong region of Tang. Challenging both Tang and Silla, Balhae asserted its regional power.
Related figures: King Mu of Balhae (Dae Muye)
- 751년
Bulguksa & Seokguram
Under King Gyeongdeok, Kim Daeseong began building Bulguksa and Seokguram — the pinnacle of Unified Silla Buddhist art.
Related figures: Kim Daeseong, King Gyeongdeok
- 788년
Silla's Three-Level Reading Examination (Dokseosapmumgwa)
King Wonseong established the dokseosapmumgwa, a system for selecting officials by testing National Academy students on their understanding of Confucian classics. Though its impact was limited by the constraints of the bone rank system, it contributed to the spread of Confucian learning.
- 8세기 후반
Balhae King Mun's Relocation to Sanggyeong and Administrative Reforms
Balhae's King Mun moved the capital to Sanggyeong Yongcheonbu and adopted Tang institutions, organizing a three-chancellery six-ministry system. The murals in Princess Jeonghyo's tomb convey Balhae culture of the time.
Related figures: King Mun of Balhae (Dae Heungmu), Princess Jeonghyo
- 9세기
Balhae's Provincial System: 5 Capitals, 15 Prefectures, 62 Districts
Around the reign of King Seonwang, Balhae established a provincial administrative system dividing the realm into 5 capitals, 15 prefectures, and 62 districts. This efficient governance of a vast territory laid the foundation for Balhae to be called the 'Prosperous Kingdom of the East.'
Related figures: King Seon of Balhae (Dae Insu)
- 9세기 전반
King Seon of Balhae and the 'Flourishing State East of the Sea'
Under King Seon, Balhae reached its greatest territorial extent and refined its institutions, entering a golden age. Tang came to call it Haedong Seongguk, meaning 'the flourishing state east of the sea.'
Related figures: King Seon of Balhae (Dae Insu)
- 822년
Kim Heonchang's Rebellion
Kim Heonchang, governor of Ungcheonju, rose in rebellion out of resentment that his father Kim Juwon had been passed over for the throne. The uprising was suppressed, but it revealed the weakening authority of the late Silla central government and its declining control over the provinces.
Related figures: Kim Heonchang
- 828년
Cheonghaejin established
Jang Bogo established Cheonghaejin on Wando and dominated maritime trade.
Related figures: Jang Bogo
- 9세기 말
Rise of Regional Strongmen and the Yukdupum Class in Late Silla
During the reign of Queen Jinseong, successive peasant uprisings shattered the central government's authority. In the provinces, local strongmen (hojok) built independent power bases, while the six-head-rank (yukdupum) scholars, blocked by the bone-rank system, sought a new social order.
Related figures: Queen Jinseong
- 889년
Rebellion of Wonjong and Aeno
During the reign of Queen Jinseong, Wonjong and Aeno launched a peasant uprising in Sabeolju in protest against excessive tax collection. The revolt spread to all corners of the country, deeply shaking Silla society.
Related figures: Queen Jinseong
- 926년
Fall of Balhae
Balhae fell to the invasion of the Khitan (Liao).
- 935년
Fall of Silla
King Gyeongsun surrendered to Goryeo, ending Silla's millennium-long reign.