# Munmu becomes king of Silla (661)

URL: https://allhistories.com/south-korea/timeline/661-munmu-becomes-king-of-silla
Location: Gyeongju, Silla
Themes: Politics

In 661, after the death of King Muyeol, his eldest son Kim Beommin became king of Silla as King Munmu. He had fought alongside Kim Yu-sin in the conquest of Baekje the year before and had personally accepted the surrender of Baekje's crown prince. Munmu immediately faced continuing Baekje resistance and a joint Tang–Silla campaign against Goguryeo. In 661 and 662, Silla supplied grain to the Tang army besieging Pyongyang, a difficult winter operation led by Kim Yu-sin. Munmu's reign saw the fall of Goguryeo in 668 and, afterward, the war that drove Tang forces out of the peninsula. He is remembered for asking to be buried at sea so that he could become a dragon protecting Silla from Japanese raids. His accession brought to power the ruler who would complete Silla's unification of the Three Kingdoms.

## Why it matters
Munmu led Silla through the final wars that unified most of the peninsula.

Ruler at the Time: [Munmu of Silla](https://allhistories.com/south-korea/rulers/munmu-of-silla)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Munmu of Silla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munmu_of_Silla)
- [Wikipedia — Muyeol of Silla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muyeol_of_Silla)
- [Wikipedia — Kim Yu-sin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Yu-sin)
- [Wikipedia — Three Kingdoms (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms_of_Korea)