Mursili I (also known as Mursilis; sometimes transcribed as Murshili) was a 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 ...

1620-1590 BC, as per the

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 ...

, the most accepted chronology in our times, (or alternatively c. 1556–1526 BC, short chronology), and was likely a grandson of his predecessor,

Hattusili I Ḫattušili (''Ḫattušiliš'' in the inflected nominative case) was the regnal name of three Hittite kings: * Ḫattušili I (Labarna II) * Ḫattušili II * Ḫattušili III It was also the name of two Neo-Hittite kings: * Ḫattušili I (Laba ...

. His sister was Ḫarapšili and his wife was queen Kali. Mursili came to the throne as a minor. Having reached adulthood, he renewed

's warfare in northern Syria. He conquered the kingdom of

Yamhad Yamhad was an ancient Semitic people, Semitic kingdom centered on Aleppo, Ḥalab (Aleppo), Syria. The kingdom emerged at the end of the 19th century BC, and was ruled by the Yamhad dynasty, Yamhadite dynasty kings, who counted on both military ...

and its capital, Aleppo, which had eluded Hattusili. He then led an unprecedented march of 2,000 km south into the heart of

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

, where in 1595 BC he sacked the city of Babylon. Mursili's motivation for attacking Babylon remains unclear, though William Broad has proposed that the reason was obtaining grain because the clouds from the

Thera eruption The Minoan eruption was a catastrophic volcanic eruption that devastated the Aegean island of Thera (also called Santorini) circa 1600 BCE. It destroyed the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri, as well as communities and agricultural areas on near ...

decreased the Hittites' harvests. The raid on Babylon could not have been intended to exercise sovereignty over the region; it was simply too far from

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

and the Hittites' center of power. It is thought, however, that the raid on Babylon brought an end to the

Amorite The Amorites (; sux, 𒈥𒌅, MAR.TU; Akkadian: 𒀀𒈬𒊒𒌝 or 𒋾𒀉𒉡𒌝/𒊎 ; he, אֱמוֹרִי, 'Ĕmōrī; grc, Ἀμορραῖοι) were an ancient Northwest Semitic-speaking people from the Levant who also occupied la ...

dynasty of

Hammurabi Hammurabi (Akkadian: ; ) was the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire, reigning from to BC. He was preceded by his father, Sin-Muballit, who abdicated due to failing health. During his reign, he conquered Elam and the city-states ...

and allowed the Kassites to take power, and so might have arisen from an alliance with the Kassites or an attempt to curry favor with them. It might also be that Mursili undertook the long-distance attack for personal motives, namely as a way to outdo the military exploits of his predecessor, Hattusili I. When Mursili returned to his kingdom, he was assassinated in a conspiracy led by his brother-in-law,

Hantili I Hantili I was a king of the Hittites during the Hittite Old Kingdom. His reign lasted for 30 years, from c. 1590 to c. 1560 BC (middle chronology). Biography Rise to power According to the Telepinu Proclamation, Hantili was the royal cup-bearer ...

(who took the throne), and Hantili's son-in-law,

Zidanta I Zidanta I was a king of the Hittites (Old Kingdom), ruling for 10 years, ca. 1560–1550 BC (middle chronology) or 1496–1486 BC ( short chronology timeline). According to the Telepinu Proclamation, this king became a ruler by murder. Zidanta wa ...

.The Hittites and their World
/ref> His death inaugurated a period of social unrest and decay of central rule, followed by the loss of the conquests made in Syria.

In popular culture

Mursili I is a playable leader (as the Latinized form "Mursilis") of the Hittite state in the 2001 video game '' Civilization III''.

References

Reign of Mursili I
*Trevor Bryce, ''The Kingdom of the Hittites'', Oxford: University Press (1998) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mursili 01 16th-century BC rulers 16th-century BC murdered monarchs Hittite kings Assassinated royalty Ancient murdered monarchs Year of birth unknown

In popular culture

See also

References