Queen Seondeok of Silla (Korean: 선덕여왕 Korean pronunciation: [sʌn.dʌk jʌ.waŋ]; c. 580 or 610 – 20 February 647/January 8, Lunar Calendar[clarification needed][citation needed]) reigned as Queen Regnant of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647.[3] She was Silla's twenty-seventh ruler, and its first reigning queen. She was the second female sovereign in recorded East Asian history and encouraged a renaissance in thought, literature, and the arts in Silla.[4] In Samguksagi, Queen Seondeok was described as "generous, benevolent, wise, and smart".[5] According to the Legend of Jigwi, she was also beautiful.[6] 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.[7] Queen Seondeok is known as a wise and kind monarch, making her one of the most prominent monarchs in Korean history.