Hittite Empire. In academic literature, this name can refer to two separate individuals. One is known under the Hurrian name Tasmi-Sarri. He could also be referred to as Tudhaliya II
or Tudhaliya III.
The other was a short-lived king of the
short chronology
) also known as Tudhaliya the Younger (Amelie Kuhrt refers to him as Tudhaliya III).
This Tudhaliya the Younger was the son of
Suppiluliuma I
. He is not explicitly known to have been king at all.
According to Kuhrt (2020), Tudhaliya III (or II) was the successor of
Suppiluliuma I was the son and eventual heir of Tudhaliya II/III.[2]
: 252
Tudhaliya II or III
Military situation
At the time Tudhaliya II/III inherited the kingdom, the Hittites were under attack.
Two documents were found there that bear his seal together with the name of Great Queen Šatandu-Ḫepa, his first wife (it:Satanduhepa). His second wife Tadu-Ḫepa is better known, and she survived as Great Queen into the reign of Suppiluliuma I. It seems that it was at some point during Tudhaliya’s reign that the capital was burnt down by the enemies of Kaska, and he had to move the capital elsewhere. This was the time known in literature as the ‘concentric invasions’ of Hatti.[4]
Tudhaliya chose to make the city of
Marassantiya river"[5]: 160 as a temporary home for the Hittite royal court sometime after his abandonment of Hattusa in the face of attacks against his kingdom by the Kaska, Hayasa-Azzi
and other enemies of his state.
Nevertheless, Samuha too was, in its turn, seized by the forces from the country of Azzi,[5]: 160 so the capital had to be moved to Sapinuwa.[6]
At this time, the kingdom of Hatti was so besieged by fierce attacks from its enemies that many neighbouring powers expected it to soon collapse. The Egyptian pharaoh,
Tarhundaradu, king of Arzawa: "I have heard that everything is finished and that the country of Hattusa is paralysed." (EA 31, 26–27)[7]
However, Tudhaliya managed to rally his forces; indeed, the speed and determination of the Hittite king may have surprised Hatti's enemies including the Kaska and Hayasa-Azzi.[5]: 160–162
Defeat of Hayasa-Azzi
Tudhaliya sent his general Suppiluliuma, who would later serve as king himself under the title
notes, however, that Tudhaliya and Suppiluliuma eventually:
... invaded Hayasa-Azzi and forced a showdown with its king Karanni (or Lanni) near the city of Kumaha. The passage (in the 'Deeds of Suppiluliuma') recording the outcome of this battle is missing. But almost certainly, the Hittite campaign resulted in the conquest of Hayasa-Azzi, for subsequently Suppiluliuma established it as a Hittite vassal state, drawing up a treaty with Hakkana, its current ruler.[8][5]: 162–163
The Hayasans were now obliged to repatriate all captured Hittite subjects and cede "the border [territory] which Suppiluliuma claimed belonged to the Land of Hatti."[5]: 163
Tudhaliya the Younger
Some Hittite texts also refer to 'Tudhaliya the child' or, as an alternate translation, 'Tudhaliya the Young(er)'.
According to Bilgin (2018) (based on the words of
Mursili II), Tudhaliya the Younger, was the son and the intended heir of Tudhaliya II/III. Yet he was ‘eliminated’ by his brother Suppiluliuma I on his way to kingship. And so he was killed by a group of officers that included his successor Suppiluliuma I.[9]
So Tudhaliya the Younger was the brother of Suppiluliuma.
There is some difficulty concerning numbering of the Tudhaliyas (and Hattusilis) of the Hittite empire. This Tudhaliya the Younger is normally not included in Hittite king lists; his father will often be seen listed in modern literature as Tudhaliya II or III.
^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. 363. Tudhaliya IV probably married a Babylonian princess, known by her title of Great Princess (dumu.sal gal) (Bryce 1997, pp. 294, 331).
^ abcdeBryce, Trevor R. (1998). The Kingdom of the Hittites. Oxford University Press. It should be mentioned that Bryce's Tudhaliya III is equivalent to Wikipedia's Tudhaliya II. There is some disagreement among Hittitologists over the precise number of kings named Tudhaliya.
^It should be mentioned that there is some disagreement on the order in which Samuha and Sapinuwa became capitals. Samuha could have been the first substitute capital, and then Sapinuwa – or it could have been the other way around.
^William L. Moran, The Amarna Letters, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992, p. 101