Hyegong of Silla
Hyegong of Silla (758–780) (r. 765–780) was the 36th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He was the son of King Gyeongdeok by Lady Manwol. Hyegong was the last descendant of King Muyeol to sit on the throne. Because of this, his reign is often regarded as the end of the middle period of the Silla state.

Hyegong became king at the age of 8, and did not adapt well to the role. According to the "Samguk Sagi", as a young man Hyegong's dissolute life kept the palace in disarray. They faced rebellions led by high officials (Kim Daegong and others) in 768, 770 and 775. Faced in 780 with another rebellion, by his "ichan" Kim Ji-jeong, the king dispatched "sangdaedeung" Kim Yang-sang to put down the uprising. However, the rebel forces stormed the palace and slew the king and queen. Kim Yang-sang, who was an eleventh-generation descendant of King Naemul, then took the throne as King Seondeok.

Records show that Hyegong's behaviour was effeminate and his sexual orientation was either homosexual or bisexual. Historians of his era described him as a man by appearance but a woman by nature, and so he was killed in the April 780 rebellion that stormed the palace, for his subordinates could not accept his 'femininity'. Today's historians often speculate that Hyegong was a trans woman.
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Korea
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Silla
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Hyegong of Silla
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