A Study on the Periodization of Silla Historyand an Understanding of the Middle Period

People of late Silla perceived the period from the founding monarch Hyeokgeose to Queen Jindeok as the Early Period(上代), the reign from King Muyeol to King Hyegong as the Middle Period(中代), and the reign from King Seondeok to King Gyeongsun as the Late Period(下代). In the late Goryeo period, Ilyeon, in Samguk Yusa, focused on the official acceptance of Buddhism and the subsequent use of Buddhist-style royal titles, classifying the reign from King Beopheung to Queen Jindeok as the Middle Ancient Period(中古), and the periods before and after as the Early Ancient Period(上古) and Late Ancient Period(下古) respectively. During the reign of King Seongjong of Joseon, the compilers of Dongguk Tonggam regarded the unification of the Three Kingdoms in 668 as the most decisive event in the development of Silla history and proposed a new periodization that divided Silla history into the periods before and after this event. This view was widely accepted by Joseon dynasty historians. In contrast, Yu Deukgong and Kim Jeongho advanced the theory of the Northern and Southern States(南北國論), adopting a critical stance toward such a dichotomous understanding of Silla history. In the Middle Period, the core ideology of governance shifted from Buddhism to Confucianism, accompanied by changes in the political system and the system of state governance. Some socio-economic historians have argued that Silla entered a medieval feudal society during this period. Meanwhile, the Golpum system, which was institutionally completed during the reign of Queen Jindeok, came to function in the Middle Period as a fundamental principle regulating political and administrative operations as well as social order. This can be evaluated as a distinctive characteristic that differentiates Middle-Period Silla society from both the preceding Middle Ancient Period and the subsequent Late Period.