Tudhaliya I was a king of the Hittite empire (New kingdom) ca. the early 14th century BC (short chronology).
Identity
Proper numbering of the Hittite rulers who bore the name
TudhaliyaTudhaliya is the name of several Hittite kings*Tudhaliya is a hypothetic pre-Empire king of the Hittites. He would have reigned in the late 17th century BC . Forlanini conjectures that this king corresponds to the great-grandfather of Hattusili I.*Tudhaliya I , ruled ca...
is problematical. There was a Hattian era figure who bore the name Tudhaliya who may or may not have ruled as king. Other reconstructions insert a Tudhaliya directly after
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...
, but before the Tudhaliya discussed here.
Some scholars call Tudhaliya I the first king of the New Kingdom, or Empire. Others give this honor to
Suppiluliuma ISuppiluliuma I was king of the Hittites . He achieved fame as a great warrior and statesman, successfully challenging the then-dominant Egyptian empire for control of the lands between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates....
. Tudhaliya may have been the grandson of the Middle Kingdom ruler
Huzziya IIHuzziya II was a king of the Hittites. He was killed by Muwatalli I, who seized the throne and was possibly the Gal Mesedi of the royal bodyguard.-External links:*...
. He may have been the direct successor of
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...
, having overthrown him. The exact sequence of succession at the beginning of the New Kingdom is uncertain, however, because of the difficulty of placing
Hattusili IIHattusili II may have been a king of the Hittite Empire ca. the early 14th century BC .His existence is disputed...
. Tudhaliya I's reign includes a period of co-regency with
Arnuwanda IArnuwanda I was a king of the Hittite empire. He became a ruler by marriage and was very religious.- Biography :Arnuwanda became a king by marriage. His wife was Ašmu-nikal, daughter of king Tudhaliya I. He became a successor of Tudhaliya as his son-in-law. He began his reign under a co-regency...
, his son-in-law and adopted son.
Biography
The most famous event of Tudhaliya's reign was his conquest of the land
AssuwaThe Assuwa league was a confederation of states in western Anatolia, defeated by the Hittites under an earlier Tudhaliya I around 1400 BC. The league formed to oppose the Hittite empire. The list of its members contains 22 names, including [...]uqqa, Warsiya, Taruisa, Wilusiya and Karkija .Some of...
. Assuwa is believed to be the origin of
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Further, there were many component territories within Assuwa, including the lands
Taruisa and
Wilusiya, which are now generally accepted to be references to
Troy/IliosTroy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
, although there is not enough evidence at this time to explain how these two lands came to apply to a single location.
Family
Tudhaliya's wife was
Nikal-matiNikal-mati 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....
. He had a daughter
Ašmu-nikalAšmu-nikal was a Queen consort of Hittite empire. Her name can be written as Asmu-nikal.- 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 bore him two sons - Prince Ašmi-Šarruma and...
who married Arnuwanda.
In the Bible
A number of modern
biblical scholarsBiblical criticism is the scholarly "study and investigation of Biblical writings that seeks to make discerning judgments about these writings." It asks when and where a particular text originated; how, why, by whom, for whom, and in what circumstances it was produced; what influences were at work...
believe that either Tudhaliya I, or the proto-Hittite
TudhaliyaTudhaliya is the name of several Hittite kings*Tudhaliya is a hypothetic pre-Empire king of the Hittites. He would have reigned in the late 17th century BC . Forlanini conjectures that this king corresponds to the great-grandfather of Hattusili I.*Tudhaliya I , ruled ca...
, was the same individual as
Tidal, king of Nations, who is mentioned in the Book of Genesis as having joined
ChedorlaomerChedorlaomer "a handful of sheaves", was a king of Elam according to the Hebrew Bible book of Genesis Chapter 14. He ruled fourteen years, from the East in southwestern Persia, occupying the regions east of the Jordan river, in the days of Abram...
in attacking rebels in
CanaanCanaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
.
External links