Arnuwanda I 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-centr ...
. He became a ruler by marriage and was very religious. He ruled c. 1390–1380 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 ...
).
Biography
Arnuwanda became a king by marriage. His wife was
Ašmu-nikal
Ašmu-nikal was a Queen consort of Hittite empire.
Biography
Ašmu-nikal was born as a princess, the daughter of King Tudhaliya I and Queen Nikal-mati. She married a man called Arnuwanda, who later became a king. She had two sons with him: P ...
, daughter of king
Tudhaliya I (also known as Tudhaliya I/II). He became a successor of Tudhaliya as his son-in-law. He began his reign under a co-regency with Tudhaliya.
During his time, the kingdom suffered what is known as the period of ‘concentric invasions’, when they were surrounded on all sides by enemies. A major enemy was the kingdom of
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 ...
in the southwest. Arnuwanda may have led an unsuccessful expedition against Arzawa.
At the time, Arzawa was led by king
Tarhuntaradu, who was corresponding with the Egyptian Pharaoh
Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III ( egy, jmn-ḥtp(.w), ''Amānəḥūtpū'' , "Amun is Satisfied"; Hellenized as Amenophis III), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. According to different ...
. Tarhuntaradu was a powerful leader, and the Egyptians clearly saw Arzawa as capable of controlling that whole area.
Hattusa was sacked, and the court had to move to a temporary base, probably at
Samuha
Šamuḫa is an ancient settlement near the village of Kayalı Pinar, c. 40 km west of Sivas, in the Sivas Province of Turkey. Located on the northern bank of Kizil Irmak river, it was a city of the Hittites, a religious centre and, for a ...
. But later, under
Suppiluliuma I, many of those losses were reversed.
According to Kuhrt (2020),
Tudhaliya III
Tudhaliya III was a king of the 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 the successor of Arnuwanda I. Since several scholars refer to him also as Tudhaliya II, he can also be described as Tudhaliya II/III. Further,
Suppiluliuma I was the son and eventual heir of Tudhaliya II/III.
Family
Arnuwanda's parents are not known. He was a son-in-law of Tudhaliya and
Nikal-mati
Nikal-mati (14th century BC) was a queen of the Hittite empire, the wife of king Tudhaliya I. She was a mother of queen Ašmu-nikal and grandmother of King Tudhaliya II
Tudhaliya II (also Tudhaliya III; Hurrian name ''Tasmi-Sarri'') was a king o ...
. He had two sons, prince
Ašmi-Šarruma and king
Tudhaliya II (or II/III). There is a very fragmentary text in which Arnuwanda names his son Tudhaliya as his future successor.
Gallery
File:Prayers of Arnuwanda and Asmu-Nikkal, 14th century BC, from Hattusa, Istanbul Archaeological Museum.jpg, Prayers of Arnuwanda and Asmu-Nikkal, 14th century BC, from Hattusa, Istanbul Archaeological Museum
File:Gifts given by Arnuwanda and Asmu-Nikkal, 14th century BC, from Hattusa, Istanbul Archaeological Museum.jpg, Gifts given by Arnuwanda and Asmu-Nikkal, 14th century BC, from Hattusa, Istanbul Archaeological Museum
See also
*
History 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-cent ...
*
Madduwatta
Madduwatta (or Madduwattas) was a Late Bronze Age warlord who conquered a portion of southwest Anatolia. He is known from the Hittite text known as the ''Indictment of Madduwatta''.
Textual background
The fragmentary ''Indictment of Madduwatt ...
References
External links
Reign of Arnuwanda I
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnuwanda 01
Hittite kings
14th-century BC rulers