Tudhaliya III | |
---|---|
Reign | c. 1380–c. 1350 BC |
Predecessor | Arnuwanda I |
Successor | Šuppiluliuma I |
Spouse | Šatandu-Ḫeba, Tadu-Ḫeba |
Issue | Tudḫaliya the Younger Ḫenti |
Father | Arnuwanda I |
Mother | Ašmu-Nikkal |
Tudḫaliya III (sometimes designated Tudḫaliya II), with the additional Hurrian name Tašmi-Šarri,[1] was a Hittite great king in Anatolia during the Late Bronze in the 14th century BC, in c. 1380–1350 BC.[2][3]: 230, 252 He was the son and successor of Arnuwanda I[4] and the predecessor, father-in-law, and adoptive father of Šuppiluliuma I.[5]
The numbering of Hittite kings named Tudḫaliya varies between scholars because of debate over the identity (or not) between the first two bearers of the name.[6] Accordingly, some scholars designate Tudḫaliya III as "Tudḫaliya II" and apply the designation "Tudḫaliya III" to his son Tudḫaliya the Younger instead. While Tudḫaliya the Younger appears to have been the designated heir of Tudḫaliya III, it is not clear if he ever reigned before being eliminated by his brother-in-law Šuppiluliuma I.[7]
Texts from the reign of Tudḫaliya III's grandson Muršili II and great-grandson Ḫattušili III portray the Hittite Kingdom on the brink of collapse under concentric attacks from the outside during his reign, and there is some evidence for such setbacks, although the dire situation might have been exaggerated for rhetorical purposes.[8]