Yuri (?–57, r. 24–57) was the third king of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is commonly called Yuri Isageum.
Family Parents Father: King Namhae of Silla Grandfather: King Hyeokgeose of Silla Grandmother: Lady Aryeong Great-Grandmother: Lady Saso Mother: Lady Unje () Consorts and their respective issue: unnamed daughter of Ilji Galmunwang (일지갈문왕) from the Park clan; or daughter of Heoru Galmunwang (허루갈문왕); or daughter of Prince Sayo (사요왕). There is no mention of secondary queens in historical records. King Ilseong of Silla (d.154), 1st son according to Samguk sagi, although the same record also mentions the possibility of Ilseong being the son of Ilji Galmunwang. King Pasa of Silla (d. 112), 2nd son, or the son of Yuri's brother Naro. Prince Ado, whom modern scholars consider the actual father of Ilseong. Two unnamed daughters
Name As a descendant of Silla's founder Hyeokgeose, his surname was Park.
His title was Isageum, also recorded as Ijilgeum or Chijilgeum. This title is a change from Geoseogan (the first king Hyeokgeose) and Chachaung (second king Namhae). The actual Silla word is thought to be Itgeum . Imgeum is the modern Korean word for "King".
Background Yuri was the son of Silla's second ruler, Namhae, and his queen Lady Unje. It is unclear how many siblings Namhae had, but he did have a sister. This sister, Princess Ani, was married to a non-Sillan man named Seok Talhae, who originated from an island nation called Tapana. Talhae became a very highly ranked official and Namhae seemed to prefer him as successor instead of his son. This is revealed on Namhae's deathbed, but Talhae insisted that the prince's rise to the throne would be righteous and allowed Yuri to become the next ruler of Silla.
Reign According to the Samguk sagi, the principal source for events of this period, Yuri centralized rule over the aristocracy by turning the six tribes into six official administrative divisions of Silla in 32. He is said to have granted surnames to each of the clans: Yi, Choe, Son, Jeong, Bae, and Seol.This is presumed to have been granted to the existing six divisions of Saro that did not use surnames due to the emergence of Seok. These surnames are believed to have imitated Chinese surnames that were frequently contacted.However, the actual appearance of the surname was the late Silla period.It is claimed that Korea's Silla was founded by Six-clans of Gojoseon people, an immigrant from the northern part of the peninsula. The Six-clans of Gojoseon appears in the Samguk sagi, which was written in 1145 by Kim Pusik. But there are some suspicion about this record. The six-clans of Gojoseon are correspond to the Chinese surname distributed in northern China. If the six-clans existed from the early Silla period, they should exist from the early Japanese and Korean records. However, the first appearance of history books was in the 700s. He is also said to have created 17 bureaucratic rank levels. However, modern scholars doubt that these occurred so early in Silla's development.
In 37, When Muhyul (無恤) attacked Nakrang Kingdom and destroyed it, 5000 people of the Nakrang country surrendered. They were divided into Silla's six divisions. This is when the legend of Princess Nakrang occurred.三國史記 卷第一 新羅本紀 第一 儒理 尼師今 十四年 高句麗王無恤 襲樂浪滅之 其國人五千來投 分居六部
Silla was attacked by Lelang commandery and other tribes, but made peace with Maekguk(貊國).三國史記 卷第一 新羅本紀 第一 儒理 尼師今 十三年 秋八月 樂浪犯北邊 攻陷朶山城: In 36, Nakrang invaded the northern frontier and occupied Tasan Fortress.三國史記 卷第一 新羅本紀 第一 儒理 尼師今 十七年 秋九月 華麗不耐二縣人連謀 率騎兵犯北境 貊國渠帥 以兵要曲河西敗之 王喜 與貊國結好: In 40, people from Hwaryeo and Bulnaeye joined forces to lead cavalry and invade the northern frontier. Maek was waiting in the west of the curved river using a military force and struck and defeated. The king rejoiced and established friendly relations with the Maek The Samguk sagi records that Silla conquered Iseoguk (present-day Cheongdo) in Yuri Isageum era.but Korean academic community think this appears to be a mistaken recording of an Yurye-era event.
During Yuri's reign, the Silla people celebrated a holiday during the 15th day of the 8th month, where two teams of women would compete in a contest. The losers of the contest would have to prepare songpyeon, rice cakes, meats, fruits, and other food, shared by everyone in a feast. This is said to have been the origin of the modern Korean holiday Chuseok.
Also during Yuri Isageum's reign was the rise of the Gaya confederacy as a military power in the region. Silla was under constant rivalry with Baekje(or maybe Mahan) already, but Gaya in the middle was even more of a direct threat.
Succession Yuri Isageum had two sons, but his dying words were to make his brother-in-law, Seok Talhae, his successor to the throne. Yuri Isageum died in 57 AD after 34 years of reign.
See also Three Kingdoms of Korea Rulers of Korea Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea
References The Academy of Korean Studies Korea Britannica