Suppiluliuma I () or Suppiluliumas I ()
was king of the
Hittites
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 ...
(r. c. 1344–1322 BC (
short chronology)). He achieved fame as a great warrior and statesman, successfully challenging the then-dominant
Egyptian Empire
The New Kingdom, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the sixteenth century BC and the eleventh century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth dynasties of Egypt. Radioca ...
for control of the lands between the Mediterranean and the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers''). Originating in Turkey, the Eup ...
.
Early life
Suppiluliuma was the son of
Tudhaliya II
Tudhaliya II (also Tudhaliya III; Hurrian name ''Tasmi-Sarri'') was a king of the Hittite empire (New kingdom) c. 1380–1370 BC (middle chronology) or 1360? – 1344 BC (short chronology). He was the son of King Arnuwanda I and Ašmu-nikal.
Tudh ...
and Queen Daduhepa.
[Trevor Bryce, The Kingdom of the Hittites, Oxford University Press, 1999] He began his career as the chief advisor and general to
Tudhaliya II
Tudhaliya II (also Tudhaliya III; Hurrian name ''Tasmi-Sarri'') was a king of the Hittite empire (New kingdom) c. 1380–1370 BC (middle chronology) or 1360? – 1344 BC (short chronology). He was the son of King Arnuwanda I and Ašmu-nikal.
Tudh ...
, then based at
Samuha. In this capacity, he defeated the Hittites' enemies among the
Azzi-Hayasa and the
Kaskas. Both enemies then united around charismatic leaders to counter him; of these Karanni founded a semblance of a royal court in Hayasa, and Piyapili failed to do likewise for the Kaska. Suppiluliuma and Tudhaliya defeated these threats in turn, to the extent that the Hittite court could settle in
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 ...
again.
When Tudhaliya II died,
Tudhaliya III succeeded to the throne. Soon after his accession, however, he was overthrown and succeeded by his younger brother Suppiluliuma. Some of the Hittite priests later reported this to Suppiluliumas's son, successor, and biographer
Mursili II There were three Hittite kings called Mursili:
* Mursili I, ca. 1556–1526 BCE (short chronology), and was likely a grandson of his predecessor, Hattusili I. His sister was Ḫarapšili and his wife was queen Kali.
*Mursili II, (also spelled Mursi ...
, holding it out as an outstanding crime of the whole dynasty.
Reign
Suppiluliuma married a sister to the Hayasan king Hukkana, and his daughter Muwatti to Maskhuiluwa of the
Arzawa
Arzawa was a region and a political entity (a " kingdom" or a federation of local powers) in Western Anatolia in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC (roughly from the late 15th century BC until the beginning of the 12th century BC). The core ...
n state Mira. He also married a Babylonian princess and retook Arzawan territory as far as
Hapalla Hapalla ( Hittite: 𒄩𒁄𒆷 ''Hapalla'' or ''Haballa''), also written as Haballa, was a kingdom in central-western Anatolia around the middle of the 14th century BCE. Inhabited by speakers of the Luwian language, Hapalla was one of the Arzawa st ...
. His most permanent victory was against the
Mitanni
Mitanni (; Hittite cuneiform ; ''Mittani'' '), c. 1550–1260 BC, earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, c. 1600 BC; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat (''Hanikalbat'', ''Khanigalbat'', cuneiform ') in Assyrian records, or ''Naharin'' in ...
kingdom, which he reduced to a client state under his son-in-law
Shattiwazza. He was also a master builder of large stone structures decorated with stone reliefs. It was during his reign that concepts of the sacred nature of royal leaders developed.
Suppiluliuma then took advantage of the tumultuous reign of the
Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...
Akhenaten
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...
, and seized control of Egyptian territory in
Syria, inciting many Egyptian vassals to revolt.
His success encouraged the widow (who is called
Dakhamunzu Dakhamunzu (sometimes ''Dahamunzu'') is the name of an Egyptian queen known from the Hittite annals '' The Deeds of Suppiluliuma'', which were composed by Suppiluliuma I's son Mursili II. The identity of this queen has not yet been established ...
in the annals) of the Egyptian king ''Nibhururiya'' (usually identified with
Tutankhamun) to write to him, asking him to send one of his sons to be her husband and rule Egypt, since she had no heir and was on the verge of being forced to marry "a servant", usually thought to be the Egyptian general
Horemheb or her late husband's vizier
Ay. Suppiluliuma dispatched an ambassador to Egypt to investigate; he reported that the situation was accurately described, and the king decided to take advantage of this windfall. Unfortunately, Prince
Zannanza
Zannanza (died c. 1324 BC) was a Hittite prince, son of Suppiluliuma I, king of the Hittites. He is best known for almost becoming the Pharaoh of Egypt, and because his death caused a diplomatic incident between the Hittite and Egyptian Empire ...
died on the way, and the marriage alliance never came to be. Angry letters were exchanged between Suppiluliuma and the Pharaoh
Ay, who had assumed the Egyptian throne, over the circumstances of
Zannanza
Zannanza (died c. 1324 BC) was a Hittite prince, son of Suppiluliuma I, king of the Hittites. He is best known for almost becoming the Pharaoh of Egypt, and because his death caused a diplomatic incident between the Hittite and Egyptian Empire ...
's death and the allegation that he had been murdered by Egyptians.
Suppililiuma was furious at this turn of events and unleashed his armies against Egypt's vassal states in Canaan and Northern Syria, capturing much territory.
Unfortunately, many of the Egyptian prisoners carried a plague which would eventually ravage the Hittite heartland and lead to the deaths of both Suppiluliuma I and his successor,
Arnuwanda II
Arnuwanda II was a king of the Hittite Empire (new kingdom) ca. 1330 BC (middle chronology) or 1322–1321 BC (short chronology). He succeeded his father Suppiluliuma I, who succumbed to the plague which Egyptian captives from his Canaan campaig ...
.
Family
Suppiluliuma had two wives. The first wife who served as his queen was a woman named Henti. A badly damaged text from the reign of her son Mursili II implies that
Queen Henti may have been banished by her husband to the land of Ahhiyawa. An advantageous marriage with a Babylonian princess might have resulted in her banishment.
She is likely the mother of all of Suppiluliuma's sons.
*
Arnuwanda II
Arnuwanda II was a king of the Hittite Empire (new kingdom) ca. 1330 BC (middle chronology) or 1322–1321 BC (short chronology). He succeeded his father Suppiluliuma I, who succumbed to the plague which Egyptian captives from his Canaan campaig ...
, a king of the Hittite Empire (new kingdom) c. 1322–1321 BC
* Telipinu, who is known from a decree appointing him as a priest of Kizzuwadna.
*
Piyassili, later known as Sarri-Kusuh and governor of the former territory of Hanigabat west of the Euphrates
*
Mursili II There were three Hittite kings called Mursili:
* Mursili I, ca. 1556–1526 BCE (short chronology), and was likely a grandson of his predecessor, Hattusili I. His sister was Ḫarapšili and his wife was queen Kali.
*Mursili II, (also spelled Mursi ...
, a king of the Hittite Empire (New kingdom) c. 1321–1295 BC
*
Zannanza
Zannanza (died c. 1324 BC) was a Hittite prince, son of Suppiluliuma I, king of the Hittites. He is best known for almost becoming the Pharaoh of Egypt, and because his death caused a diplomatic incident between the Hittite and Egyptian Empire ...
, the Hittite prince who was sent to Egypt in response to the
Dakhamunzu Dakhamunzu (sometimes ''Dahamunzu'') is the name of an Egyptian queen known from the Hittite annals '' The Deeds of Suppiluliuma'', which were composed by Suppiluliuma I's son Mursili II. The identity of this queen has not yet been established ...
letter and possibly murdered en route.
After Henti's disappearance, the next queen is a Babylonian princess named Malnigal. She is the daughter of King
Burna-Buriash II
Burna-Buriaš II, rendered in cuneiform as ''Bur-na-'' or ''Bur-ra-Bu-ri-ia-aš'' in royal inscriptions and letters, and meaning ''servant'' or ''protégé of the Lord of the lands'' in the Kassite language, where Buriaš (, dbu-ri-ia-aš₂) is a ...
. Malnigal adopts the title Tawananna as her personal name.
Suppiluliuma is known to have had at least one daughter. Her name was Muwatti.
Sources
The ''Deeds of Suppiluliuma'', compiled after his death by his son Mursili, is an important primary source for the king's reign. One of Suppiluliuma's letters, addressed to Akhenaten, was preserved in the
Amarna letters (EA 41) archive at
Akhetaten. It expresses his hope that the good relations which existed between Egypt and Hatti under Akhenaten's father (
Amenhotep III) would continue into Akhenaten's new reign.
"In relating the wars of his father
Suppiluliuma I and his victories the Hittite king Mursili II mentions that after the death of the king of Egypt
Tutankamon, Queen Dahamunzu (
Ankhesenamun
Ankhesenamun (, "Her Life Is of Amun"; c. 1348 or c. 1342 – after 1322 BC) was a queen who lived during the 18th Dynasty of Egypt as the pharaoh Akhenaten's daughter and subsequently became the Great Royal Wife of pharaoh Tutankhamun. Born Ank ...
) asked his father to send a prince to become her husband and king from the country. When the inhabitants of Egypt heard about Amqa's attack, they were afraid because to make matters worse their king
Tutankhamun had just died, the widowed Queen of Egypt sent a message to my father saying the following: "My husband is dead and I do not have a son. It is said that you have many sons, if you sent one, he could be my husband. "When my father learned that he summoned the Great Council. He decided to send Hattu-Zili, the chamberlain, went to him saying I am sure of information "During the absence of Hattu-Zili in Egypt, my father conquered the city of Kargamis. The Egyptian envoy, the Honorable Hani, came to see him. The Queen sent her letter saying, "Why do you say do not deceive me that way? If I had a son would I write to a foreign country in such a humiliating way for me and my country? Give me one of your sons and he will be my husband and the king of Egypt. " because my father had a good heart, he accepted the lady's wish and decided to send his son".
In fiction
Suppiluliuma I appears in
Mika Waltari
Mika Toimi Waltari (; 19 September 1908 – 26 August 1979) was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel '' The Egyptian'' ( fi, Sinuhe egyptiläinen). He was extremely productive. Besides his novels he also wrote poetry, short stor ...
's
historical novel ''
The Egyptian
''The Egyptian'' (''Sinuhe egyptiläinen'', Sinuhe the Egyptian) is a historical novel by Mika Waltari. It was first published in Finnish in 1945, and in an abridged English translation by Naomi Walford in 1949, from Swedish rather than Finni ...
'', in which he is presented as the ultimate villain, a ruthless conqueror and utterly tyrannical ruler. Popular culture researcher Abe Brown notes that "As Waltari's book was written during the Second World War, Suppiluliuma's depiction is likely to be at least in part inspired by
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, rather than by historical facts. Unlike quite a few other historical figures of many times and places who got cast in the role of Hitler, Suppiluliuma has not yet attracted the attention of any historical novelist to write a bit more nuanced popular account—though his life certainly offers rich untapped material".
Janet Morris wrote a detailed
biographical novel, ''I, the Sun'', whose subject was Suppiluliuma I, in which all characters are from the historical record, about which O.M. Gurney, Hittite scholar and author of ''The Hittites'', commented that "the author is familiar with every aspect of Hittite culture".
Suppiluliuma appears in a minor role in the novel ''The Shadow Prince'' by
Philip Armstrong, as the grandfather of the hero, Tupiluliuma, in which he is
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 ...
's nephew and adopted son. It is explained that he was reluctantly forced to take the throne and exclude his adoptive brother,
the younger Tudhaliyas, as a result of his predecessor's descent into madness. He is regarded as one of the greatest of the Great Kings of Hatti, but is not a man to be crossed lightly.
[Philip Armstrong, 'The Shadow Prince' ]
He is also a character in the
historical fiction manga ''
Red River'', introduced as an old man who has retired from warfare. He dies shortly after the start of the story.
Suppilulima may be depicted in the 'Nantucket' novels of
S.M. Stirling, but under an alternative name, with a son called Kalkash.
See also
*
Piyashshili
*
Suppiluliuma II
*
Zita (Hittite prince), brother of Suppiluliuma
References
Literature
*
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1320s BC deaths
Hittite kings
Amarna letters writers
14th-century BC rulers
Year of birth unknown