A History of Korea (17 page)

Another notable feature of the observatory’s construction is its shape (see image 2), which is very different from other astronomical observatories in traditional Korea. While one could easily regard this shape as that of a vase, one could also argue that, because it was built during the reign of Queen S
nd
k and may have even stood as an altar to her, the observatory actually is shaped to resemble a female body. Whether this is true or not, the possibility leads us to the other feature of Silla and ancient
Korea evoked by Queen S
nd
k, and that is the surprisingly high status of females. Textual and archaeological sources point toward practices, such as uxorilocalism, or the custom of the husband living in his bride’s household, suggesting a relatively high standing of females in the ancient kingdoms. The Kogury
tomb paintings discussed in
Chapter 1
also feature prominent females in a way never seen again in later Korean eras. Perhaps the most convincing sign of high female standing, however, are Silla’s three female monarchs, starting with S
nd
k, then with her successor, Chind
k, and finally Queen Chins
ng, who reigned in the late ninth century toward the end of the Unified Silla kingdom. A female ruler of Korea would not reappear thereafter.

Image 2
   The Ch’
ms
ngdae Observatory, Ky
ngju, South Korea. (Author’s photo.)

There remain competing interpretations about the background of S
nd
k’s ascent to the throne, which laid the foundation for the other two female monarchs, but the important point is that S
nd
k was almost certainly much more than a figurehead, and that indeed she elicited fierce pride and loyalty. The legends surrounding her mystical powers, described above, point to this, but a more convincing source is the
History of the Three Kingdoms
, which notes that, even before her reign, she had proven herself “generous, benevolent, wise, and smart.” This source reveals that, upon ascension to the throne, she undertook a major relief campaign on behalf of frail commoners in the countryside, and later she coordinated efforts to find a solution to the constant barrage of attacks from the other two peninsular kingdoms. The most memorable episode came in 643, when she dispatched a diplomatic mission to the Tang emperor of China, only to be ridiculed for being a female monarch in the first place! The Tang emperor, it is recorded, put forth three proposals in response to the Silla ambassador’s pleas. First, he would attack Liaodong in order to divert the attention of Kogury
, China’s longtime nemesis, and carry out a naval campaign on the western coast of the peninsula to preoccupy Paekche. Second, the Tang emperor would provide thousands of Tang uniforms and Tang army flags in order to help Silla soldiers disguise themselves as fearsome Chinese troops. Finally, the emperor would send a Tang prince to serve as the new monarch of Silla, for Silla, according to the emperor, faced constant siege because its enemies were
emboldened by Silla’s female monarch. The unsettling implications of this final proposal could not have escaped the Silla ambassador, who is recorded as having simply but respectfully acknowledged the emperor’s proposals. This only invited more scorn from the Tang emperor, who wondered about the fitness of such a man as a diplomatic envoy.