Tukulti-Ninurta I
Encyclopedia
Tukulti-Ninurta I was a king of Assyria
.
He succeeded Shalmaneser I
, his father, as king and won a major victory against the Hittites at the Battle of Nihriya
in the first half of his reign. Tukulti-Ninurta I later defeated Kashtiliash IV, the Kassite
king and captured the rival city of Babylon
to ensure full Assyrian supremacy over Mesopotamia. Kashtiliash IV was captured and deported to Assyria. After a rebellion in Babylon, he plundered Babylon's temples, and later began to build a new city, Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta
. However, his sons rebelled against him and besieged him in his new city. During the siege, he was murdered. One of them, Ashur-nadin-apli
, would succeed him on the throne.
After his death, the Assyrian Empire fell into decline. The Tukulti-Ninurta Epic
describes the war between Tukulti-Ninurta I and Kashtiliash IV.
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
.
He succeeded Shalmaneser I
Shalmaneser I
Shalmaneser I was a king of Assyria.Son of Adad-nirari I, he succeeded his father as king in 1265 BC....
, his father, as king and won a major victory against the Hittites at the Battle of Nihriya
Battle of Nihriya
The Battle of Nihriya was the culminating point of the hostilities between Hittites and Assyrians for control over the remnants of the former empire of Mitanni....
in the first half of his reign. Tukulti-Ninurta I later defeated Kashtiliash IV, the Kassite
Kassites
The Kassites were an ancient Near Eastern people who gained control of Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire after ca. 1531 BC to ca. 1155 BC...
king and captured the rival city of Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
to ensure full Assyrian supremacy over Mesopotamia. Kashtiliash IV was captured and deported to Assyria. After a rebellion in Babylon, he plundered Babylon's temples, and later began to build a new city, Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta
Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta
Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta was a new cult center for Ashur and perhaps a new capital city founded by the Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I just north of Assur...
. However, his sons rebelled against him and besieged him in his new city. During the siege, he was murdered. One of them, Ashur-nadin-apli
Ashur-nadin-apli
Ashur-nadin-apli was king of Assyria . The alternate dating is due to uncertainty over the length of reign of a later monarch, Ninurta-apal-Ekur, where conflicting king lists differ by ten years. His name meant “Ashur has given an heir” in the Akkadian language...
, would succeed him on the throne.
After his death, the Assyrian Empire fell into decline. The Tukulti-Ninurta Epic
Tukulti-Ninurta Epic
Tukulti-Ninurta Epic is an Assyrian epic, written in the Akkadian language that describes and glorifies the wars and conquests of the Assyrian King Tukulti-Ninurta I against Kashtiliash IV, King of the Kassites....
describes the war between Tukulti-Ninurta I and Kashtiliash IV.