Hittite empire during the reign of Mursili.Mursili II prayers to the gods to end a plague, 14th century BC, from Hattusa, Istanbul Archaeological Museum
Mursili was the third born son of King Suppiluliuma I, one of the most powerful men to rule over the Hittite Empire, and Queen Henti. He was the younger brother of Arnuwanda II, he also had a sister and one more brother.
Mursili assumed the Hittite throne after the premature death of Arnuwanda II who, like their father, fell victim to the plague which ravaged the Hittites in the 1330s BC. He was greeted with contempt by Hatti's enemies and faced numerous rebellions early in his reign, the most serious of which were those initiated by the Kaskas in the mountains of Anatolia, but also by the Arzawa kingdom in southwest Asia Minor and the Hayasa-Azzi confederation in the Armenian Highlands. This was because he was perceived to be an inexperienced ruler who only became king due to the early death of Arnuwanda. Mursili records the scorn of his foes in his Annals:
You are a child; you know nothing and instill no fear in me. Your land is now in ruins, and your infantry and chariotry are few. Against your infantry, I have many infantry; against your chariotry I have many chariotry. Your father had many infantry and chariotry. But you who are a child, how can you match him? (Comprehensive Annals, AM 18-21)[3]
While Mursili was a young and inexperienced king, he was almost certainly not a child when he took the Hittite throne and must have reached an age to be capable of ruling in his own right.[3] Had he been a child, other arrangements would have been made to secure the stability of the Empire; Mursili after all had two surviving elder brothers who served as the viceroys of Carchemish (i.e.: Sarri-Kush) and Aleppo respectively.[3]
Mursili II would prove to be more than a match for his successful father, in his military deeds and diplomacy. The Annals for the first ten years of his reign have survived and record that he carried out punitive campaigns against the Kaska tribes in the first two years of his reign in order to secure his kingdom's northern borders. The king then turned to the West to resist the aggression of Uhhaziti, king of Arzawa, who was attempting to lure away Hittite allies into his camp. During his ninth year his cupbearer Nuvanza decisively defeated Hayasan forces at the Battle of Ganuvara, after which the Hayasa-Azzi would be reduced to Hittite vassals. The Annals also reveal that an "omen of the sun," or solar eclipse, occurred in his tenth year as king, just as he was about to launch his campaign against the Hayasa-Azzi.
While Mursili II's highest confirmed date was his twenty-second year,[4] he is believed to have lived beyond this date for a few more years and died after a reign of around 25 to 27 years. He was succeeded by his son Muwatalli II.
Mursili's Year 10 solar eclipse is of great importance for the dating of the Hittite Empire within the chronology of the Ancient Near East. There are only two possible dates for the eclipse: 24 June 1312 BC or 13 April 1308 BC. The earlier date is accepted by Hittitologists such as Trevor R. Bryce (1998), while Paul Åström (1993) has suggested the later date. However, most scholars accept the 1312 BC event because this eclipse's effects would have been particularly dramatic with a near total eclipse over the Peloponnese region and Anatolia (where Mursili II was campaigning) around noon. In contrast, the 1308 BC astronomical event began in Arabia and then travelled eastwards in a northeasterly direction; it only reached its maximum impact over Mongolia and Central Asia. It occurred over Anatolia around 8:20 in the morning making it less noticeable.[5]
Familyedit
Mursili is known to have had several children with his first wife Gassulawiya including three sons named Muwatalli, Hattusili III and Halpasulupi. A daughter named Massanauzzi (referred to as Matanaza in correspondence with the Egyptian king Ramesses II) was married to Masturi, a ruler of a vassal state. Mursili had further sons with a second wife named Tanuhepa. The names of the sons of this second wife have not been recorded however.[6]
Through his son Muwatalli he had a grandson who also ruled the kingdom, Mursili III, Queen Maathorneferure and Tudhaliya IV were also grandchildren of Mursili II.
^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).
Janet Morris wrote a detailed biographical novel, I, the Sun, whose subject was Suppiluliuma I. Mursili II is an important figure in this novel, in which all characters are from the historical record, which Dr. Jerry Pournelle called "a masterpiece of historical fiction" and about which O.M. Gurney, Hittite scholar and author of The Hittites,[7] commented that "the author is familiar with every aspect of Hittite culture".[8] Morris' book was republished by The Perseid Press in April 2013.
Chie Shinohara wrote the manga series Red River (also known as Anatolia Story), about a fifteen-year-old Japanese girl named Yuri Suzuki, who is magically transported to Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia. She was summoned by Queen Nakia who means to use Yuri as a human sacrifice. Yuri's blood is the key element needed in placing a curse upon the princes of the land so that they will perish, leaving Nakia's son Juda as the sole heir to the throne. As the story progresses, however, Yuri not only repeatedly manages to escape Nakia's scheming, she also becomes revered as an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar and falls in love with prince Kail. Mursili II is portrayed as Prince Kail Mursili. In the end, Yuri decides to stay in the past, and after Juda renounces his claim out of disgust towards his mother, Kail and Yuri ascend as the rulers of Hattusa.
Mursili II is a major figure in all three books of the Amarna Trilogy by Grea Alexander. In the series, Mursili becomes obsessed with appeasing the gods and regaining their favor after his father's betrayal of the Telepenus's Proclamation and the disasters that befall the Hittites following the so-called Zannanza affair.
Mursili II is an important presence in Gordon Doherty's novel, Empires of Bronze: Son of Ishtar (2019), whose protagonist is Mursili's third son, Hattusilis III.
Referencesedit
^Kuhrt, Amélie (2020). The Ancient Near East: c.3000–330 BC, Volume One. Routledge. p. 230. ISBN978-1-136-75548-4.
Åström, Paul (1993). "The Omen of the Sun in the Tenth Year of the Reign of Mursilis II". In Paul Åström (ed.). Horizons and Styles: Studies in Early Art and Archaeology in Honour of Professor Homer L. Thomas. Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology. Vol. CI. Paul Åström Förlag. ISBN91-7081-072-9.
muršili, mursili, also, spelled, mursilis, king, hittite, empire, kingdom, 1330, 1295, middle, chronology, 1321, 1295, short, chronology, contents, king, hittites, eclipse, family, also, fiction, references, sources, external, linksking, hittites, edit, nbsp, . Mursili II also spelled Mursilis II was a king of the Hittite Empire New kingdom c 1330 1295 BC middle chronology 1 or 1321 1295 BC short chronology 2 Contents 1 King of the Hittites 2 The eclipse 3 Family 4 See also 5 In fiction 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksKing of the Hittites edit nbsp Hittite empire during the reign of Mursili nbsp Mursili II prayers to the gods to end a plague 14th century BC from Hattusa Istanbul Archaeological MuseumMursili was the third born son of King Suppiluliuma I one of the most powerful men to rule over the Hittite Empire and Queen Henti He was the younger brother of Arnuwanda II he also had a sister and one more brother Mursili assumed the Hittite throne after the premature death of Arnuwanda II who like their father fell victim to the plague which ravaged the Hittites in the 1330s BC He was greeted with contempt by Hatti s enemies and faced numerous rebellions early in his reign the most serious of which were those initiated by the Kaskas in the mountains of Anatolia but also by the Arzawa kingdom in southwest Asia Minor and the Hayasa Azzi confederation in the Armenian Highlands This was because he was perceived to be an inexperienced ruler who only became king due to the early death of Arnuwanda Mursili records the scorn of his foes in his Annals You are a child you know nothing and instill no fear in me Your land is now in ruins and your infantry and chariotry are few Against your infantry I have many infantry against your chariotry I have many chariotry Your father had many infantry and chariotry But you who are a child how can you match him Comprehensive Annals AM 18 21 3 While Mursili was a young and inexperienced king he was almost certainly not a child when he took the Hittite throne and must have reached an age to be capable of ruling in his own right 3 Had he been a child other arrangements would have been made to secure the stability of the Empire Mursili after all had two surviving elder brothers who served as the viceroys of Carchemish i e Sarri Kush and Aleppo respectively 3 Mursili II would prove to be more than a match for his successful father in his military deeds and diplomacy The Annals for the first ten years of his reign have survived and record that he carried out punitive campaigns against the Kaska tribes in the first two years of his reign in order to secure his kingdom s northern borders The king then turned to the West to resist the aggression of Uhhaziti king of Arzawa who was attempting to lure away Hittite allies into his camp During his ninth year his cupbearer Nuvanza decisively defeated Hayasan forces at the Battle of Ganuvara after which the Hayasa Azzi would be reduced to Hittite vassals The Annals also reveal that an omen of the sun or solar eclipse occurred in his tenth year as king just as he was about to launch his campaign against the Hayasa Azzi While Mursili II s highest confirmed date was his twenty second year 4 he is believed to have lived beyond this date for a few more years and died after a reign of around 25 to 27 years He was succeeded by his son Muwatalli II The eclipse editMain article Mursili s eclipse Mursili s Year 10 solar eclipse is of great importance for the dating of the Hittite Empire within the chronology of the Ancient Near East There are only two possible dates for the eclipse 24 June 1312 BC or 13 April 1308 BC The earlier date is accepted by Hittitologists such as Trevor R Bryce 1998 while Paul Astrom 1993 has suggested the later date However most scholars accept the 1312 BC event because this eclipse s effects would have been particularly dramatic with a near total eclipse over the Peloponnese region and Anatolia where Mursili II was campaigning around noon In contrast the 1308 BC astronomical event began in Arabia and then travelled eastwards in a northeasterly direction it only reached its maximum impact over Mongolia and Central Asia It occurred over Anatolia around 8 20 in the morning making it less noticeable 5 Family editMursili is known to have had several children with his first wife Gassulawiya including three sons named Muwatalli Hattusili III and Halpasulupi A daughter named Massanauzzi referred to as Matanaza in correspondence with the Egyptian king Ramesses II was married to Masturi a ruler of a vassal state Mursili had further sons with a second wife named Tanuhepa The names of the sons of this second wife have not been recorded however 6 Through his son Muwatalli he had a grandson who also ruled the kingdom Mursili III Queen Maathorneferure and Tudhaliya IV were also grandchildren of Mursili II vteHittite New Kingdom royal family treeHimuili a Tudhaliya I II b Nikkalmati c Arnuwanda I c Asmunikal c Hattusili II d Tudhaliya III e Daduhepa f Zida g Tudhaliya the Young h Henti g 1 Suppiluliuma I h 2 Tawananna i Arnuwanda II g Telipinu j Sarri Kusuh k l Zannanza m Gassulawiya n 1 Mursili II g 2 Tanuhepa o Talmi Sarruma p Sahurunuwa k q Muwatalli II o Halpasulupi r Massanauzzi s Hattusili III t Puduhepa u Ini Tesub k v Urhi Tesub o Kurunta w Nerikkaili x numerous daughters y and sons z Tudhaliya IV aa Talmi Tesub k ab Hartapu ac Arnuwanda III ad Suppiluliuma II ad ae Kuzi Tesub af 1 1st spouse 2 2nd spouse Small caps indicates a Great King LUGAL GAL of the Land of Hatti italic small caps indicates a Great Queen or Tawananna Dashed lines indicate adoption Solid lines indicate marriage if horizontal or parentage if vertical References Trevor Bryce 1997 The Kingdom of the Hittites Oxford England Clarendon Press Trevor Bryce 2012 The World of the Neo Hittite Kingdoms Oxford England Oxford University Press Volkert Haas 2006 Die hethitische Literatur Berlin Germany de Gruyter Notes Scholars have suggested that Tudhaliya I II was the son of Himuili and thus a grandson of the Hittite king Huzziya II Bryce 1997 p 131 Bryce 1997 does not consider it clear whether Tudhaliya I II was one king or two p 133 a b c Bryce 1997 p 139 The existence of Hattusili II is doubtful Bryce 1997 pp 153 154 Bryce 1997 p 158 Bryce 1997 p 172 a b c d Bryce 1997 p 174 a b Bryce 1997 p 168 Also known as Malnigal daughter of Burnaburias II of Babylonia Bryce 1997 p 173 Great priest in Kizzuwadna and king lugal of Aleppo Bryce 1997 p 174 a b c d King lugal of Carchemish Bryce 1997 pp 174 203 204 Zannanza died on his way to Egypt to marry a pharaoh s widow probably Ankhesenpaaten the widow of Tutankhamun Bryce 1997 pp 196 198 Bryce 1997 p 227 a b c Bryce 1997 p 230 Bryce 1997 p 220 Bryce 1997 p 222 Haas 2006 p 91 Massanauzzi married Masturi king of the Seha River Land Bryce 1997 p 313 Bryce 1997 p 296 Puduhepa was the daughter of the Kizzuwadnan priest Pentipsarri Bryce 1997 p 273 Bryce 1997 pp 346 363 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 332 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 Bryce 1997 p 363 Great King of Tarhuntassa son of Mursili the Great King who is likely identical with Mursili III Urhi Tesub Bryce 2012 p 21 f a b Bryce 1997 p 361 Last documented Great King of the Land of Hatti King and then Great King of Carchemish Bryce 1997 pp 384 385 See also edit nbsp Asia portalHistory of the HittitesIn fiction editJanet Morris wrote a detailed biographical novel I the Sun whose subject was Suppiluliuma I Mursili II is an important figure in this novel in which all characters are from the historical record which Dr Jerry Pournelle called a masterpiece of historical fiction and about which O M Gurney Hittite scholar and author of The Hittites 7 commented that the author is familiar with every aspect of Hittite culture 8 Morris book was republished by The Perseid Press in April 2013 Chie Shinohara wrote the manga series Red River also known as Anatolia Story about a fifteen year old Japanese girl named Yuri Suzuki who is magically transported to Hattusa the capital of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia She was summoned by Queen Nakia who means to use Yuri as a human sacrifice Yuri s blood is the key element needed in placing a curse upon the princes of the land so that they will perish leaving Nakia s son Juda as the sole heir to the throne As the story progresses however Yuri not only repeatedly manages to escape Nakia s scheming she also becomes revered as an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar and falls in love with prince Kail Mursili II is portrayed as Prince Kail Mursili In the end Yuri decides to stay in the past and after Juda renounces his claim out of disgust towards his mother Kail and Yuri ascend as the rulers of Hattusa Mursili II is a major figure in all three books of the Amarna Trilogy by Grea Alexander In the series Mursili becomes obsessed with appeasing the gods and regaining their favor after his father s betrayal of the Telepenus s Proclamation and the disasters that befall the Hittites following the so called Zannanza affair Mursili II is an important presence in Gordon Doherty s novel Empires of Bronze Son of Ishtar 2019 whose protagonist is Mursili s third son Hattusilis III References edit Kuhrt Amelie 2020 The Ancient Near East c 3000 330 BC Volume One Routledge p 230 ISBN 978 1 136 75548 4 Bryce 1999 p xiii a b c Bryce which p 208 Bryce The Kingdom of the Hittites New Edition 2005 p 215 two references to Mursili II s twenty second year Total and Annular Solar Eclipse Paths 1319 1300 1320 BCE 1301 BCE Sun Earth Connection Education Forum NASA Archived from the original on January 18 2006 Retrieved March 29 2006 Bryce Trevor 1998 How Old Was Matanazi The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 84 1 212 215 doi 10 1177 030751339808400120 S2CID 220269600 Gurney O M 1952 The Hittites Penguin Morris Janet 1983 I the Sun Dell Sources editAstrom Paul 1993 The Omen of the Sun in the Tenth Year of the Reign of Mursilis II In Paul Astrom ed Horizons and Styles Studies in Early Art and Archaeology in Honour of Professor Homer L Thomas Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology Vol CI Paul Astrom Forlag ISBN 91 7081 072 9 Bryce Trevor 1999 The Kingdom of the Hittites Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 924010 4 Bryce Trevor 2004 Life and society in the Hittite world Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 924170 8 External links edit Late Empire Part I Hittites info June 24 2000 Archived from the original on July 29 2013 Regnal titlesPreceded byArnuwanda II Hittite kingc 1330 1295 BC Succeeded byMuwatalli II Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mursili II amp oldid 1214712747, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
