Muwatalli II
Encyclopedia
Muwatalli II (also Muwatallis, or Muwatallish) was a king of the New kingdom of the Hittite empire (ca. 1295–1272 BC (short chronology)).
and Queen Gassulawiya
, and he had several siblings.
He is best known as the Hittite ruler who fought Ramesses II
to a standstill at the Battle of Kadesh
around 1274 BC. Aside from the battle with Egypt, he is best known for relocating the Hittite capital to Tarhuntassa
and appointing his brother Hattusili
as governor in Hattusa
.
A copy of a treaty has been recovered between him and Alaksandu
, ruler of Wilusa
(Troy
), one of the Arzawa
lands.
Egyptologists suspect that some time prior to Ramesses II's accession to the Egyptian throne, Muwattalli had reached an informal peace treaty or understanding with Seti I
over Kadesh
to avoid a clash between the two superpowers over control of Syria. In it, Seti effectively ceded Kadesh to the Hittite king in order to focus on domestic issues in Egypt.
Muwatalli had at least two children. One was Urhi-Teshup, who became king Mursili III
until his uncle Hattusili III deposed him. Another was Kurunta
who became the vassal ruler of Tarhuntassa
during the reign of Hattusili III. Another person named Ulmi-Teshup is suggested to be a third son of Muwatalli II but it is quite likely that Ulmi-Teshup and Kurunta are the same person..
Tudhaliya IV
and Egyptian Queen Maathorneferure
were nephew and niece of Muwatalli.
Muwatalli's namesake, Muwatalli I
, was a pre-Empire king of the early 14th century, the predecessor of Tudhaliya I
.
Biography
He was the eldest son of Mursili IIMursili II
Mursili II was a king of the Hittite Empire ca. 1321–1295 BC .-Family:Mursili II was the younger son of Suppiluliuma I, one of the most powerful rulers of the Hittite Empire...
and Queen Gassulawiya
Gassulawiya
Gassulawiya was the tawanannas ruling at the side of Mursili II, a king of the Hittite Empire ca. 1321–1295 BC ....
, and he had several siblings.
He is best known as the Hittite ruler who fought Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
to a standstill at the Battle of Kadesh
Battle of Kadesh
The Battle of Kadesh took place between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River, in what is now the Syrian Arab Republic....
around 1274 BC. Aside from the battle with Egypt, he is best known for relocating the Hittite capital to Tarhuntassa
Tarhuntassa
Tarhuntassa is an as-yet undiscovered Bronze Age city south of Hattusa. Speculations of its site include Konya, Rough Cilicia, the Gok Su valley, and the vicinity of Kayseri. The site of Kilise Tepe has also been proposed for it. Still others speculate that Tarhuntassa may be a Kaskan name for the...
and appointing his brother Hattusili
Hattusili III
Hattusili III was a king of the Hittite empire ca. 1267–1237 BC . He was the fourth and last son of Mursili II...
as governor in Hattusa
Hattusa
Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. It was located near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of the Kızıl River ....
.
A copy of a treaty has been recovered between him and Alaksandu
Alaksandu
Alaksandu was a king of Wilusa who sealed a treaty with Muwatalli II ca. 1280 BC. This treaty implies that Alaksandu had previously secured a treaty with Muwatalli's father, Mursili II, as well....
, ruler of Wilusa
Wilusa
Wilusa was a city of the late Bronze Age Assuwa confederation of western Anatolia.It is known from six references in 13th century BC Hittite sources, including...
(Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
), one of the Arzawa
Arzawa
Arzawa in the second half of the second millennium BC was the name of a region and a political entity in Western Anatolia, the core area of which was centered on the Hermos and Maeander river valleys, corresponding with the Late Bronze Age kingdoms of the...
lands.
Egyptologists suspect that some time prior to Ramesses II's accession to the Egyptian throne, Muwattalli had reached an informal peace treaty or understanding with Seti I
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...
over Kadesh
Kadesh
This article is about Kadesh in the lands of the Amurru, bordering on Damascus Syria up to Hammath; see also Kadesh or Kedesh Kadesh was an ancient city of the Levant, located on or near the headwaters or ford of the Orontes River...
to avoid a clash between the two superpowers over control of Syria. In it, Seti effectively ceded Kadesh to the Hittite king in order to focus on domestic issues in Egypt.
Muwatalli had at least two children. One was Urhi-Teshup, who became king Mursili III
Mursili III
Mursili III, also known as Urhi-Teshub, was a king of the Hittites who assumed the throne of the Hittite empire at Tarhuntassa upon his father's death around 1272 BCE. He was a cousin of Tudhaliya IV and Queen Maathorneferure.- Biography :...
until his uncle Hattusili III deposed him. Another was Kurunta
Kurunta
Kurunta was an Anatolian tutelary deity in the Late Bronze Age frequently associated with stags. The Hittites typically wrote the name using the Sumerogram "dLAMMA"...
who became the vassal ruler of Tarhuntassa
Tarhuntassa
Tarhuntassa is an as-yet undiscovered Bronze Age city south of Hattusa. Speculations of its site include Konya, Rough Cilicia, the Gok Su valley, and the vicinity of Kayseri. The site of Kilise Tepe has also been proposed for it. Still others speculate that Tarhuntassa may be a Kaskan name for the...
during the reign of Hattusili III. Another person named Ulmi-Teshup is suggested to be a third son of Muwatalli II but it is quite likely that Ulmi-Teshup and Kurunta are the same person..
Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV was a king of the Hittite Empire , and the younger son of Hattusili III. He reigned ca. 1237 BCE–1209 BCE. His mother was called Puduhepa...
and Egyptian Queen Maathorneferure
Maathorneferure
Maathorneferure was an Ancient Egyptian queen, the Great Royal Wife of Ramesses II.-Family:Maathorneferure was a daughter of the Hittite king Hattusili III and his wife Queen Pudukhepa...
were nephew and niece of Muwatalli.
Muwatalli's namesake, Muwatalli I
Muwatalli I
- Biography :Muwatalli killed his predecessor Huzziya II. He was the Chief of the Royal Bodyguard of Huzziya, but later he killed him. He was maybe Huzziya's younger brother. Muwatalli's Chief of the Royal Bodyguard was called Muwa...
, was a pre-Empire king of the early 14th century, the predecessor of Tudhaliya I
Tudhaliya I
Tudhaliya I was a king of the Hittite empire ca. the early 14th century BC .- Identity :...
.
External links
- Reign of Muwatalli II
- The failed reforms of Akhenaten and Muwatalli by Itamar Singer in British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan (BMSAES) 6(2006), pp. 37–58