King Nulji of Silla (r. 417-458, d. 458) was the 19th ruler of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the son of King Naemul and Lady Boban, who was the daughter of King Michu .
King Nulji married the daughter of King Silseong , who nonetheless sent Nulji's younger brothers into exile as hostages in Goguryeo and the Yamato Japanese kingdom of Wa. King Silseong also plotted to have Nulji killed, but with Goguryeo aid Nulji was able to turn the tables and slay King Silseong in 417, after which he ascended to the throne.
According to one story, in 418 Nulji sent a loyal retainer named Bak Je-Sang to rescue his brothers from Goguryeo and Wa. He was successful in retrieving the brother who was held in Goguryeo, but he was captured while trying to rescue the one held by Wa. Refusing to serve the Wa king, he died under torture. The story of Bak's loyalty has endured as a popular Korean morality tale.
After these difficult events, King Nulji worked to free himself from Goguryeo domination. He set up diplomatic relations with Goguryeo on an equal footing in 424, and established a military alliance (Naje Dongmaeng ) with Baekje in 433 to help counter the Goguryeo threat.
King Nulji's reign saw the continuation of a long process of centralization in Silla, marked by the fact that his father had been the first to take on the title "maripgan," which is believed to represent a higher level of authority than the old title "isageum." Under Nulji's rule, the official pattern of father-son succession was established (Yang, 1999, p. 16). Thus after his death in 458 he was succeeded by his son Jabi , rather than his brother.
See also
References
Yang, S.C. The North and South Korean political systems: A comparative analysis. Seoul: Hollym. ISBN 1-56591-105-9
