Best of Season 1: Seondeok

Episode Summary

Paragraph 1: This episode of Encyclopedia Womanica tells the story of Queen Seondeok, the first female ruler of the Korean peninsula. She ruled the kingdom of Silla in the 7th century. Legend has it that Queen Seondeok was incredibly perceptive and could predict events like attacks from rival kingdoms. Paragraph 2: Queen Seondeok became the first woman to hold the highest seat of power in Silla in 632. She proved to be a caring and wise leader who worked to help the poor and vulnerable. She cut taxes for peasants and forged an alliance with the Tang dynasty against neighboring kingdoms. Paragraph 3: Under Queen Seondeok's rule, the arts and sciences flourished. She oversaw the rebuilding of Buddhist temples, including one with a nine-story pagoda. However, some aristocrats rebelled against having a queen on the throne and she died during this rebellion in 647. She was succeeded by another queen. Paragraph 4: Queen Seondeok used her power to lift up her people. Despite challenges, she is remembered as an excellent leader who continues to inspire today. This episode gives insight into her accomplishments as the first female monarch of the Korean peninsula.

Episode Show Notes

Seondeok (c. 595-c. 647) was the first queen on the Korean Peninsula and second recorded female ruler in East Asian history.

Episode Transcript

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Get Mini Bar Delivery on the go, available on iOS or Android. SPEAKER_04: Warning, the following message contains an app recommendation you won't be able to resist. SPEAKER_09: Girl, how do you keep getting all these things for free? Coffee, makeup and now lunch? SPEAKER_06: You haven't heard of the Drop app? Drop is a free app that rewards you for shopping at places like Ulta, Adidas and Sam's Club. I've already earned $100 this month. SPEAKER_03: Download the Drop app and get $5. Use invite code GETDROP222. SPEAKER_07: Hey everyone, I'm Louisa, one of the script writers for Encyclopedia Womanica. One of my favorite things about the show is when listeners engage with our team and suggest future episodes and themes. Learning about all the remarkable women throughout history is a reminder that anything is possible under any circumstance. So if you love Encyclopedia Womanica as much as I do, show your support by becoming a Womaniac. Head to glow.fm slash womannica for more information. SPEAKER_08: Hello, I'm Liz Smith, the director of audio at Wonder Media Network. And today I'm excited to introduce one of our favorite episodes that's been featured on Encyclopedia Womanica, the first female ruler of the Korean peninsula, Queen Seon-dee-yuk of Silla. While editing this episode, I was surprised to find out that legend has it that she was so incredibly perceptive that she could actually interpret signs and predict events, like an attack from a rival kingdom after hearing the croaking of frogs by a pond, or even the prediction of the exact day, almost to the minute of her own death at 37 years of age. Queen Seon-dee-yuk used the sixth sense to successfully rule and lead Silla into years of prosperity and cultural advancement, which continues to inspire today. This episode initially aired in January during the leaders theme. Now here's host Jenny Kaplan to tell you more about Queen Seon-dee-yuk. Enjoy. SPEAKER_05: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Encyclopedia Womanica. In case you're just tuning in for the first time, here's the deal. Every weekday, we're telling the stories of women from throughout history and around the world, who you may not know about, but definitely should. Each month is themed, and in honor of the new year and the new decade, this month is all about leaders. Today, we're heading back to early seventh century Korea to talk about the first queen of the peninsula and the second recorded female ruler in East Asian history. Meet Queen Seon-dee-yuk of Silla. Seon-dee-yuk was born around the year 595 to Queen Maya and King Jin-pyeong of Silla. Silla was one of three kingdoms that made up what became known as Korea. It was located on the southern and central Korean peninsula. Seon-dee-yuk's father ruled the kingdom for 58 years. Seon-dee-yuk had at least one sister, but no brothers, so when it was time for him to pick an heir, her father eventually chose Seon-dee-yuk. It was a very difficult time for her, It wasn't unheard of for a woman to control power in Silla as a regent, but in the year 632, Seon-dee-yuk became the first woman to sit on the top seat of power. She was the kingdom's 27th ruler. When she ascended to the throne, Silla was in a good spot. The kingdom was flourishing. From the beginning of her reign, Queen Seon-dee-yuk proved to be a caring and concerned leader of her people. In a historical record of the three kingdoms of Korea, she was described as generous, benevolent, wise, and smart. After rising to power, she took inventory of what was happening in her kingdom by sending inspectors throughout her dominion to take stock of and care for the vulnerable, including the poor, the elderly, and orphans. In her first year of rule, she also sent a diplomatic mission to Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty of China. Despite her friendly overtures, the emperor refused to recognize the new sovereign of Silla because of her gender. Still, Queen Seon-dee-yuk pressed on with continual efforts to try to improve the lots of her people. In her second year of rule, a stargazing tower was built. The observatory is actually still standing. It's considered the oldest building of its kind in East Asia. Queen Seon-dee-yuk also pulled a move that's made politicians popular with their people throughout time. She slashed taxes entirely for peasants and reduced taxes for the middle class. Unsurprisingly, these efforts were very popular among the people of Silla. Queen Seon-dee-yuk tried again that second year to send tribute to the Chinese emperor. He still wasn't into it and refused to acknowledge her position. Eventually, he gave in, and Queen Seon-dee-yuk and the Tang dynasty even formed an alliance against the neighboring kingdoms trying to encroach on Silla. Under Queen Seon-dee-yuk's rule, the arts and sciences prospered. She was a Buddhist and also oversaw the rebuilding of many temples. One particularly notable building project, completed during Seon-dee-yuk's reign, was the Temple of the Illustrious Dragon. The finished pagoda on the site was nine stories tall, making it one of the tallest structures in East Asia at the time. The temple also had a very large statue of the Buddha. Despite the fact that Seon-dee-yuk had managed to ally with the Tang dynasty at one point, the emperor was part of her eventual demise. Around the year 647, a group of Silla's aristocrats led a rebellion against Queen Seon-dee-yuk because they didn't approve of having a queen on the throne. The group was backed by the Tang dynasty. Queen Seon-dee-yuk died during the rebellion. She was succeeded by her cousin, another queen, which likely annoyed those who'd fought to try to get a woman off the throne. Queen Seon-dee-yuk wielded power in a way that lifted up many in her kingdom. Despite facing diplomatic challenges inside and outside of her borders, she's remembered as an excellent leader who spawned many legends to this day. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you soon. Before you go, I have a quick request. We're eager to know more about our audience, so we created a short listener survey to help us learn more about you. Visit wondermedianetwork.com slash survey to share your thoughts and be entered to win some Wonder Media Network swag. That's wondermedianetwork.com slash survey. I'll also post the link in the episode notes. SPEAKER_02: Do you hear it? The clock is ticking. It's time for the new season of 60 Minutes. 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