Gyeongae of Silla (r. 924–927) was the 55th ruler of the Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n kingdom of Silla

Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

. He was the son of King Sindeok

Sindeok of Silla

Sindeok of Silla was the 53rd ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He was born to the Pak clan, and was the son of Daeachan Pak Ye-gyeom. He was chosen to succeed the childless King Hyogong, because he was a descendant of King Adalla Sindeok of Silla (died 917) (r. 912–917) was the 53rd ruler...

 by Princess Uiseong, and was the younger brother of King Gyeongmyeong

Gyeongmyeong of Silla

Gyeongmyeong of Silla was the 54th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the eldest son of King Sindeok and Princess Uiseong...

, who preceded him to the throne.

Gyeongae ascended the Silla throne in the midst of the Later Three Kingdoms

Later Three Kingdoms

The Later Three Kingdoms of Korea consisted of Silla, Hubaekje , and Hugoguryeo . The latter two were viewed as heirs to the earlier Three Kingdoms of Korea, which had been united by Silla, even though Hugoguryeo has little to do with Goguryeo...

 period, and thus ruled over only a small portion of what had once been Unified Silla

Unified Silla

Unified Silla or Later Silla is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, when it conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668, unifying the southern portion of the Korean peninsula...

. In the end, even that last small portion was overwhelmed by Hubaekje

Hubaekje

Hubaekje, or Later Baekje, was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Hugoguryeo and Silla. It was officially founded by the disaffected Silla general Gyeon Hwon in 900, and fell to Wanggeon's Goryeo army in 936. Its capital was at Jeonju, in present-day North Jeolla province...

 forces under Gyeon Hwon

Gyeon Hwon

Gyeon Hwon was the king and founder of Hubaekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" . He was also the progenitor of the Hwanggan Gyeon clan...

.

When Gyeon Hwon's army sacked Gyeongju

Gyeongju

Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of the...

 in 927, they found Gyeongae partying at the Poseokjeong

Poseokjeong

The Poseokjeong site near Namsan in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do South Korea, was built in the Silla period. The site once featured a royal pavilion–said to have been the most beautiful royal villa of the time—, but the only remains today is a granite water feature. This abalone-shaped watercourse...

 pavilion. The king killed himself rather than surrender. Gyeon Hwon set Gyeongsun

Gyeongsun of Silla

Gyeongsun of Silla was the 56th and final ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. A sixth-generation descendant of King Munseong, he was the son of Hyojong by Princess Gyea, who was the daughter of King Heongang...

 on the throne in his stead, and returned to the west.

King Gyeongae was buried on Namsan

Namsan (Gyeongju)

Namsan is a 494-meter peak in the heart of Gyeongju National Park, just south of Gyeongju, South Korea. The mountain is within easy reach from the city and attracts a large number of national tourists. Namsan covers an area of about 8 km by 12 km...

. His tomb is called "Haemongnyeong."

See also

• List of Korean monarchs
• List of Silla people
• Later Three Kingdoms of Korea