Tudhaliya II (also Tudhaliya III; Hurrian name ''Tasmi-Sarri'') was a king of the

Hittite empire The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centra ...

(New kingdom) c. 1380–1370 BC (

middle chronology The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...

) or 1360? – 1344 BC ( short chronology). He was the son of King

Arnuwanda I Arnuwanda I was a king of the Hittite Empire. He became a ruler by marriage and was very religious. He ruled c. 1390–1380 BC (middle chronology). Biography Arnuwanda became a king by marriage. His wife was Ašmu-nikal, daughter of king Tudha ...

and Ašmu-nikal. Tudhaliya II also had a Hurrian name Tasmi-Sarri, in common with many other Hittite kings of that time, who also had Hurrian names. His queen was Tadu-Heba, which is also a Hurrian name. Their wedding ceremony is mentioned in many tablets from

Sapinuwa Sapinuwa (sometimes Shapinuwa; Hittite: ''Šapinuwa'') was a Bronze Age Hittite city at the location of modern Ortaköy in the province Çorum in Turkey. It was one of the major Hittite religious and administrative centres, a military base an ...

, as well as from

Hattusa Hattusa (also Ḫattuša or Hattusas ; Hittite: URU''Ḫa-at-tu-ša'', Turkish: Hattuşaş , Hattic: Hattush) was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of t ...

.Karen Radner, Nadine Moeller, D. T. Potts, eds (2022)
The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume III: From the Hyksos to the Late Second Millennium BC.
Oxford University Press - Dassow, p.570

Life

The Hittite empire suffered serious losses of territory during Tudhaliya's reign, with even the capital itself being burnt down. But, under the able guidance of Tudhaliya's son, the future Suppiluliuma I, the Hittites began to make a recovery while Tudhaliya reigned. The proper numbering of the Hittite rulers who bore the name Tudhaliya is problematic. There was a Hattian era figure who bore the name

Tudhaliya Tudhaliya is the name of several Hittite kings: *Tudhaliya (also Tudhaliya I) is a hypothetic pre-Empire king of the Hittites. He would have reigned in the late 17th century BC (short chronology). Forlanini (1993) conjectures that this king corres ...

who may or may not have ruled as king. Other reconstructions insert a Tudhaliya directly after

Muwatalli I :''See also Muwatalli II'' Muwatalli I was a king of the Hittites. Biography Muwatalli killed his predecessor Huzziya II. He was the Chief of the Royal Bodyguard of Huzziya, but later he killed him. He may have been Huzziya's younger brother. M ...

, but before the more famous ruler frequently credited with founding the Empire. The Tudhaliya discussed in this article will be generally found as either "the second" or "the third".

References

External links

Reign of Tudhaliya II (Tudhaliya III at this link)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tudhaliya 02 Hittite kings 14th-century BC people ru:Тудхалия II