Mursili III

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Mursili III
Other names Urhi-Teshub
Title King of the Hittites
Predecessor Muwatalli II
Successor Hattusili III
Parent(s) King Muwatalli II
Relatives Tudhaliya IV (cousin)

Mursili III, also known as Urhi-Teshub, was a king of the Hittites who assumed the throne of the Hittite empire (New Kingdom) at Tarhuntassa upon his father's death around 1272 BCE. He was a cousin of Tudhaliya IV and Queen Maathorneferure.


He was the eldest surviving son of Muwatalli II. He was a grandson of Mursili II.

The noted Hittologist Trevor Bryce credits this king with a reign of only 5 years and dates him at 1272 BC – 1267 BC.[1] However, Mursili III almost certainly ruled the Hittite Empire for 7 years, as his successor Hattusili III (his uncle) explains in an inscription justifying the latter's seizure of power from this king. Mursili III must, hence, be dated from ca. 1272–1265 BC (short chronology). The reigns of his successors should also be downdated by 2 years in Trevor Bryce's chronological table for the Hittite kings.[2] (Hattusili thus ruled Hatti from 1265-1235 BCE, rather than 1267-1237 BCE and so forth.)

During his reign, Mursili III reverted the capital from Tarhuntassa (as it had been under Muwatalli) back to Hattusa. (KBo 21.15 i 11-12) However, the Assyrians captured Hanigalbat, which severely weakened his legitimacy to rule over the Hittite Empire. In his seventh year, Mursili III attacked and seized control of his uncle Hattusili's regional strongholds of Hakpissa and Nerik within the Hittite Empire in order to remove Hattusili as a threat to the throne. Hakpissa served as the centre of Hattusili's power while Nerik was under Hattusilis's sway from the latter's position as high priest there. Hattusili then states in a well-known text:

Consequently, Mursili III's reign was 7 years. In the subsequent revolt, Hatusilli gathered a considerable force including natural allies from his local strongholds of Nerik and Hakpissa, as well as many non-aligned Hittites who were impressed with his record of service to the Hittite Empire including his strategic military victory over Ramesses II of Egypt in the 1274 BC Battle of Kadesh compared to the rather "undistinguished and largely unproven occupant of the throne of Hattusa" – Urhi-Teshub/Mursilis III – who had lost Hanigalbat to Assyria in his reign.[4] Hattusili's forces even included elements of the Kaska peoples who were sworn enemies of the Hittites.[5] Hatusilli quickly defeated Mursili III and seized the throne from his nephew; he then succeeded to power as King Hattusili III. After his victory, Hattusili appointed Mursili's brother or brother-in-law, Kurunta, as the vassal king over Tarhuntassa in order to win the latter's loyalty.

Mursili fled to Egypt, the land of his country's enemy, after the failure of his plots to oust his uncle from the throne. Hattusili III responded to this event by demanding that Ramesses II extradite his nephew back to Hatti.

This letter precipitated a crisis in relations between Egypt and Hatti when Ramesses denied any knowledge of Mursili's whereabouts in his country and the two empires came dangerously close to war. However, both kings eventually decided to resolve the issue by making peace in Year 21 of Ramesses II. An extradition clause was also included in the treaty. Mursili III soon thereafter disappears from history after his sojourn in Egypt.

Mursili III seemingly had a son. A certain Hartapu calls himself a great king and son of the great king Mursili, who normally is identified with Mursili III. Hartapu likely has ruled Tarhuntassa in the 2nd half of the 13th century BC.[6]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Trevor Bryce, The Kingdom of the Hittites, Oxford University Press, (1999), p.xiii Bryce does note that a reign of 7 years for Urhi-Teshub is possible due to the increasing number of documents found at the royal palace of Hattusa for him
  2. ^ Bryce, pp.xiii-xiv
  3. ^ Bryce, p. 286
  4. ^ Bryce, p. 287
  5. ^ Bryce, pp. 287-288
  6. ^ Trevor Bryce: The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms: A Political and Military History. Oxford, New York 2012, p. 21 f, 145.

External links[edit]

Regnal titles
Preceded by
Muwatalli II
Hittite king
ca. 1272–1267 BC
Succeeded by
Hattusili III