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(1) Adjustment of the Political
System |
Shilla, which unified the
Three Kingdoms. readjusted its political and other
ruling institutions, thus stablizing both government and
society.
After unification, the royal powers of the
King were strengthened as a result of the unbroken
lineage from King Muyol, and the power of aristocrats
was weakened. From then on, the powers of the Sijung,
who served as executives and who promulgated the King's
orders and enforced laws, were greater than the
Sangdaedung, who represented the aristocracy. Marching
abreast with many social developments, many offices were
established, and schools known as Kukhak were set up to
teach Confucianism.
Local administrative systems were
also reorganized. During the reign of King Sinmun, the
country was divided into nine provinces, and under each
province, counties (Kun and Hyon) were organized. Five
cities were stationed as the heads of these localities
to make them the hearts of local government and
culture.
Shilla reorganized and strengthened the
military. In the central headquarters, nine Sodangs
(king's guards) were stationed, and in the local areas,
10 Chongs were stationed in important locations of the
nine provinces. |
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| (2) Aristocrat-centered
Economic Life |
The economic life of unified
Shilla prospered with the aristocrats at its center. The
aristocrats received and owned large acreages of land,
and also possessed wide meadows in the mountain valleys
and islands. They also possessed many slaves and amassed
huge wealth through the practice of usury.
The
wealthy aristocrats who lived in luxurious houses fell
into a life of extravagance and pleasure. In this way,
the traditionally strong-spirited Shilla people began to
decay spiritually. |
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Thin-ringed gold earings,
5th or
6th century.
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| On the other hand, farmers in
the villages and menials, who lived in the special
administration districts, Hyang, So, and Pugok, had to
led difficult lives because of their heavy indebtedness
to either the state or aristocrats. The government
investigated the local lands, population, livestock and
even the number of standing trees once every three years
in order to administer the labor force and production
resources. |
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| (3) Social Changes During
the Last Stage of Shilla |
Shilla, which enjoyed
prosperity for about 100 years after the unification,
fell into hardship beginning with the latter half of the
8th century. The continuous royal line of King Muyol was
broken with King Hyegong as the last of that lineage,
and there was a scramble for the crown among the
Chin'gol aristocrats.
As a result, in the later
Shilla years, confusion was prevalent as 20 kings
reigned during a 150-year period. In the countryside,
Rebellions headed by Kim Hon-ch'ang sprung up to weaken
the power of the central government.
When the
government and society was in a state of confusion as a
result of the scramble for the crown among the Chin'gol
aristocrats, the local powers of the chieftains and sea
captains gathered strength. As a good example, Chang
Po-go maintained power over sea trade in the South and
Yellow Seas and monopolized trade with both Tang and
Japan to became the master of the sea for a time.
The
local powers indigenous to their area had their
independent ambitions, calling themselves city masters
or generals. They were the chieftains who played
important roles in weakening the royal structure of the
Chin'gol government of Shilla.
On the other hand,
impoverished peasants became either slaves or thieves.
During the reign of Queen Chinsong, peasants rose up in
rebellion everywhere, and Shilla fell into a swirl of
civil wars. | |
