Mursili III

Mursili III
Other names	Urhi-Teshub
Title	King of the Hittites
Predecessor	Muwatalli II
Successor	Hattusili III
Religion	Hittite religion
Parent(s)	King Muwatalli II
Relatives	Tudhaliya IV (cousin)

Mursili III, also known as Urhi-Teshub, was a king of the Hittites who assumed the throne of the Hittite empire (New Kingdom) at Tarhuntassa upon his father's death around 1272 BCE. He was a cousin of Tudhaliya IV and Queen Maathorneferure.

Biography

He was the eldest surviving son of Muwatalli II. He was a grandson of Mursili II.

The noted Hittologist Trevor Bryce credits this king with a reign of only 5 years and dates him at 1272 BC – 1267 BC.^[1] However, Mursili III almost certainly ruled the Hittite Empire for 7 years, as his successor Hattusili III (his uncle) explains in an inscription justifying the latter's seizure of power from this king. Mursili III must, hence, be dated from ca. 1272–1265 BC (short chronology). The reigns of his successors should also be downdated by 2 years in Trevor Bryce's chronological table for the Hittite kings.^[2] (Hattusili thus ruled Hatti from 1265-1235 BCE, rather than 1267-1237 BCE and so forth.)

During his reign, Mursili III reverted the capital from Tarhuntassa (as it had been under Muwatalli) back to Hattusa. (KBo 21.15 i 11-12) However, the Assyrians captured Hanigalbat, which severely weakened his legitimacy to rule over the Hittite Empire. In his seventh year, Mursili III attacked and seized control of his uncle Hattusili's regional strongholds of Hakpissa and Nerik within the Hittite Empire in order to remove Hattusili as a threat to the throne. Hakpissa served as the centre of Hattusili's power while Nerik was under Hattusilis's sway from the latter's position as high priest there. Hattusili then states in a well-known text:

“

"For seven years I submitted [to the king]. But at a divine command and with human urging, Urhi-Tesub sought to destroy me. He took Hakpissa and Nerik from me. Now I submitted to him no longer. I made war against him. But I committed no crime in doing so, by rising up against him with chariots or in the palace. In civilised manner I communicated thus with him: 'You have begun hostilities with me. Now you are Great King, but I am king of only one fortress. That is all you have left me. Come! Istar of Samuha and the Storm God of Nerik shall decide the case for us!' Since I wrote to Urhi-Tesub in this manner, if anyone now says: 'Why after previously making him king do you now write to him about war?' (my reply would be); 'If he had not begun fighting with me, would Istar and the Storm God have now subjected him to a small king?' Because he began fighting with me, the gods have subjected him to me by their judgement." (Apol. §10C, III 63-79)^[3]

”

Consequently, Mursili III's reign was 7 years. In the subsequent revolt, Hatusilli gathered a considerable force including natural allies from his local strongholds of Nerik and Hakpissa, as well as many non-aligned Hittites who were impressed with his record of service to the Hittite Empire including his strategic military victory over Ramesses II of Egypt in the 1274 BC Battle of Kadesh compared to the rather "undistinguished and largely unproven occupant of the throne of Hattusa" – Urhi-Teshub/Mursilis III – who had lost Hanigalbat to Assyria in his reign.^[4] Hattusili's forces even included elements of the Kaska peoples who were sworn enemies of the Hittites.^[5] Hatusilli quickly defeated Mursili III and seized the throne from his nephew; he then succeeded to power as King Hattusili III. After his victory, Hattusili appointed Mursili's brother or brother-in-law, Kurunta, as the vassal king over Tarhuntassa in order to win the latter's loyalty.

Mursili fled to Egypt, the land of his country's enemy, after the failure of his plots to oust his uncle from the throne. Hattusili III responded to this event by demanding that Ramesses II extradite his nephew back to Hatti.

This letter precipitated a crisis in relations between Egypt and Hatti when Ramesses denied any knowledge of Mursili's whereabouts in his country and the two empires came dangerously close to war. However, both kings eventually decided to resolve the issue by making peace in Year 21 of Ramesses II. An extradition clause was also included in the treaty. Mursili III soon thereafter disappears from history after his sojourn in Egypt.

Mursili III seemingly had a son. A certain Hartapu calls himself a great king and son of the great king Mursili, who normally is identified with Mursili III. Hartapu likely has ruled Tarhuntassa in the 2nd half of the 13th century BC.^[6]

Hittite New Kingdom royal family tree

Himuili?^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Tudhaliya I/II^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Nikkalmati^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Arnuwanda I^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Asmunikal^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Hattusili II?^{[lower-alpha 4]}

Tudhaliya III^{[lower-alpha 5]}

Daduhepa^{[lower-alpha 6]}

Zida^{[lower-alpha 7]}

Tudhaliya the Young^{[lower-alpha 8]}

Henti^{[lower-alpha 7]} (1)

Suppiluliuma I^{[lower-alpha 8]}

(2) Tawananna^{[lower-alpha 9]}

Arnuwanda II^{[lower-alpha 7]}

Telipinu^{[lower-alpha 10]}

Sarri-Kusuh^{[lower-alpha 11]}^{[lower-alpha 12]}

Zannanza^{[lower-alpha 13]}

Gassulawiya^{[lower-alpha 14]} (1)

Mursili II^{[lower-alpha 7]}

(2) Tanuhepa^{[lower-alpha 15]}

Talmi-Sarruma^{[lower-alpha 16]}

Sahurunuwa^{[lower-alpha 11]}^{[lower-alpha 17]}

Muwatalli II^{[lower-alpha 15]}

Halpasulupi^{[lower-alpha 18]}

Massanauzzi^{[lower-alpha 19]}

Hattusili III^{[lower-alpha 20]}

Puduhepa^{[lower-alpha 21]}

Ini-Tesub^{[lower-alpha 11]}^{[lower-alpha 22]}

Urhi-Tesub^{[lower-alpha 15]}

Kurunta^{[lower-alpha 23]}

Nerikkaili^{[lower-alpha 24]}

numerous daughters^{[lower-alpha 25]} and sons^{[lower-alpha 26]}

Tudhaliya IV^{[lower-alpha 27]}

Talmi-Tesub^{[lower-alpha 11]}^{[lower-alpha 28]}

Hartapu^{[lower-alpha 29]}

Arnuwanda III^{[lower-alpha 30]}

Suppiluliuma II^{[lower-alpha 30]}^{[lower-alpha 31]}

Kuzi-Tesub^{[lower-alpha 32]}

(1) = 1st spouse
(2) = 2nd spouse
Small caps indicates a Great King (LUGAL.GAL) of the Land of Hatti; italic small caps indicates a Great Queen or Tawananna.
Dashed lines indicate adoption.
Solid lines indicate marriage (if horizontal) or parentage (if vertical).

References:

Trevor Bryce (1997). The Kingdom of the Hittites. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
Trevor Bryce (2012). The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Volkert Haas (2006). Die hethitische Literatur. Berlin, Germany: de Gruyter.

Notes:

↑ Scholars have suggested that Tudhaliya I/II was the son of Himuili and thus a grandson of the Hittite king Huzziya II (Bryce 1997, p. 131).
↑ Bryce (1997) does not consider it clear whether Tudhaliya I/II was one king or two (p. 133).
1 2 3 Bryce (1997), p. 139.
↑ The existence of Hattusili II is doubtful (Bryce 1997, pp. 153–154).
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 158.
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 172.
1 2 3 4 Bryce (1997), p. 174.
1 2 Bryce (1997), p. 168.
↑ Also known as Malnigal; daughter of Burnaburias II of Babylonia (Bryce 1997, p. 173).
↑ ‘Great priest’ in Kizzuwadna and king (lugal) of Aleppo (Bryce 1997, p. 174).
1 2 3 4 King (lugal) of Carchemish.
↑ Bryce (1997), pp. 174, 203–204.
↑ Zannanza died on his way to Egypt to marry a pharaoh's widow, probably Ankhesenpaaten, the widow of Tutankhamun (Bryce 1997, pp. 196–198).
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 227.
1 2 3 Bryce (1997), p. 230.
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 220.
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 222.
↑ Haas (2006), p. 91.
↑ Massanauzzi married Masturi, king of the Seha River Land (Bryce 1997, p. 313).
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 296.
↑ Puduhepa was the daughter of the Kizzuwadnan priest Pentipsarri (Bryce 1997, p. 273).
↑ Bryce (1997), pp. 346, 363.
↑ King (lugal) of Tarhuntassa (Bryce 1997, p. 296); apparently later Great King of Hatti (Bryce 1997, p. 354).
↑ Nerikkaili married a daughter of Bentesina, king of Amurru (Bryce 1997, p. 294).
↑ Two daughters of Hattusili III were married to the pharaoh Ramesses II; one was given the Egyptian name Ma(hor)nefrure. Another, Gassuwaliya, married into the royal house of Amurru. Kilushepa was married to a king of Isuwa. A daughter married into the royal family of Babylon. A sister of Tudhaliya IV married Sausgamuwa, king of Amurru after his father Bentesina. From Bryce (1997), pp. 294 and 312.
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 332.
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 363. Tudhaliya IV probably married a Babylonian princess, known by her title of Great Princess (dumu.sal gal) (Bryce 1997, pp. 294, 331).
↑ Bryce (1997), p. 363.
↑ Great King of Tarhuntassa; son of Mursili, the Great King, who is likely identical with Mursili III/Urhi-Tesub (Bryce 2012, p. 21 f.).
1 2 Bryce (1997), p. 361.
↑ Last documented Great King of the Land of Hatti.
↑ King and then Great King of Carchemish (Bryce 1997, pp. 384–385).

Notes

↑ Trevor Bryce, The Kingdom of the Hittites, Oxford University Press, (1999), p.xiii Bryce does note that a reign of 7 years for Urhi-Teshub is possible due to the increasing number of documents found at the royal palace of Hattusa for him
↑ Bryce, pp.xiii-xiv
↑ Bryce, p. 286
↑ Bryce, p. 287
↑ Bryce, pp. 287-288
↑ Trevor Bryce: The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms: A Political and Military History. Oxford, New York 2012, p. 21 f, 145.

External links

Reign of Mursili III

Regnal titles
Preceded by Muwatalli II	Hittite king ca. 1272–1267 BC	Succeeded by Hattusili III

Hittite kings

Hattic kings

c. 23rd–18th centuries BC	Pamba Pithana Piyusti Anitta Tudhaliya PU-Sarruma

Old Kingdom

c. 16th–15th centuries BC	Labarna I Hattusili I Mursili I Hantili I Zidanta I Ammuna Huzziya I Telipinu

Middle Kingdom

c. mid-to-late 15th century BC	Alluwamna Tahurwaili Hantili II Zidanta II Huzziya II Muwatalli I

New Kingdom

c. 14th–12th centuries BC	Tudhaliya I Arnuwanda I Hattusili II Tudhaliya II Tudhaliya III Suppiluliuma I Arnuwanda II Mursili II Muwatalli II Mursili III Hattusili III Tudhaliya IV Arnuwanda III Suppiluliuma II

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

Mursili III

Biography

See also

Notes

External links