17 February] 647; 8th day of the 1st lunar month of the 14th year of Inpyeong [인평 14년 정월 8일; 仁平14年正月8日]) reigned as Queen Regnant of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647.

She was the second female sovereign in recorded East Asian history and encouraged a renaissance in thought, literature, and the arts in Silla.

[7] She developed Buddhist culture, selected great talent, and established diplomacy with the Tang dynasty, laying the foundation for the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

[3] Born Princess Deokman (德曼), Seondeok was the daughter of King Jinpyeong and Queen Maya of Silla.

According to the disputed text Hwarang Segi, because King Jinpyeong had no son whom he could pass the crown to, he began to consider his son-in-law, Kim Yongsu (husband of Princess Cheonmyeong) as his successor - after recognizing his achievements for the country.

Although it was not unusual for women to wield power in Silla (Queen Sado also served as a regent for King Jinpyeong), the thought of having a female ruler sitting on the throne was still unacceptable for most of them.

The next year, the sea water on the eastern part of the Silla kingdom turned red, which caused all of the fish living in it to die.

General Yunchung conquered the strategically important Daeya Fortress with 10,000 men and executed the daughter and son-in-law of Kim Chunchu.

Second, the emperor would provide thousands of Tang uniforms and army flags in order to help Silla soldiers disguise themselves as Chinese troops.

He advised the queen and her counselors to build the great nine-story pagoda for the dual purpose of blocking foreign invasions and calming her people.

After careful consideration, the queen decided to accept Jajang's proposal, seeing it as necessary to overcome the crisis that they were facing at that time.

A series of attacks and raids by the combined forces of Baekje and Goguryeo had brought the kingdom to a point of crisis.

On February 8, 647 (January 8, lunar calendar), Queen Seondeok faced her greatest challenge when several of her highest officials started a rebellion against her.

Since most of the army had been sent to different parts of the Silla kingdom to defend it from potential foreign invasions, the rebellion was a great threat.

The queen, who heard of the event, became fearful and anxious, but Kim Yushin calmed her by telling her not to worry, for he had a plan to suppress the rebellion.

Queen Seondeok died on February 20, 647 (January 8, 647 in the lunar calendar) shortly before Bidam's rebellion was completely suppressed.

According to ancient architectural records, the pagoda was 68 or 80 meters in height, making it one of the tallest structures in East Asia at the time.

The pagoda represented the earnest wish of Queen Seondeok and the Silla people, to protect the country and bring the three kingdoms of Korea under one ruler.

The tower still stands in the old Silla capital of Gyeongju, South Korea and is the oldest surviving observatory in East Asia.

Supposedly King Jinpyeong ordered Kim Yong Chun to become Princess Deokman's consort, in hope that a son would be born, so that the kingdom would not be entrusted to a woman.

When they failed to conceive a child, Kim Yong Chun asked the king to allow him to retire as Princess Deokman's consort.

[18] Emperor Taizong of China once sent the queen a painting of three peony flowers in red, purple and white, along with its actual seeds.

[7] A man named Jigwi [ko], who lived near the border of Goguryeo, went to Seorabeol and saw the queen who was passing by while on a visit to the capital city.

When the queen asked one of her attendants about the commotion, she was told of his story and took pity on him, and allowed him to follow her retinue to the temple.

While the queen was praying inside the temple, Jigwi had to wait outside while sitting underneath a pagoda, where he fell asleep.

When Jigwi woke up and saw the bracelet that she had left for him, he was so overwhelmed with joy and love for the queen, that his whole body turned into a fire.

In another version of the story, Jigwi was beaten by the palace guards for calling out the queen's name every day until he could no longer move.

When Jigwi woke up, he was overwhelmed with love and longing for the queen, that his heart turned into a fire that spread through his whole body.

When this strange phenomenon was reported to the queen, she immediately ordered two of her generals to lead 2,000 of her best soldiers to the western suburb of the city, and to look for a valley named Yeogeungok ("Cradle of Life").

However, rather than prediction, some historians think of it as her last wish: having suffered so much jealousy and prejudice for being a woman during her reign, this may have been her way to show her desire to be reincarnated as a man in Doricheon in her next life.