TUSHRATTA
Tushratta
or Tyshratha / Thesh·ratha was a king of Mitanni at the end
of the reign of Amenhotep III and throughout the reign of Akhenaten—approximately
the late 14th century BC. He was the son of Shuttarna II. His sister
Gilukhipa and his daughter Tadukhipa were married to the Egyptian
pharaoh Amenhotep III; Tadukhipa later married Akhenaten who took
over his father's royal harem.
He
had been placed on the throne after the murder of his brother Artashumara.
He was probably quite young at the time and was destined to serve
as a figurehead only but he managed to dispose of the murderer.
![](534px-thumbnail.jpg)
One
of the Amarna letters. A letter from Tushratta king of Mitanni to
the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III. 1st half of the 14th century
BCE. From Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin
![](434px-Amarna_letter._Letter_from_Tushratta_king_of_Mitanni_to_Amenhotep_III._From_Tell_el-Amarna,_Egypt._1st_half_of_the_14th.jpg)
Amarna
letter. Letter from Tushratta king of Mitanni to Amenhotep III.
From Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. 1st half of the 14th century BCE. British
Museum, London
History
:
At the beginning of his reign the Hittite King Suppiluliuma I reconquered
Kizzuwatna, then invaded the western part of the Euphrates valley
and conquered the Amurru and Nuhašše in Hanigalbat. According
to the Suppiluliuma-Shattiwaza treaty, Suppiluliuma had made a treaty
with Artatama, a rival of Tushratta. Nothing is known of Artatama's
previous life or connection, if any, to the royal family. The document
calls him king of the Hurrians, while Tushratta is given the title
of "King of Mitanni", which must have disagreed with Tushratta.
Suppiluliuma started to plunder the lands of the west bank of the
Euphrates river and he annexed Mount Lebanon. Tushratta threatened
to raid beyond the Euphrates if even a single lamb or kid was stolen.
Suppiluliuma
then recounts how the land of Isuwa on the upper Euphrates had seceded
in the time of his grandfather. Attempts to conquer it failed. In
the time of his father, other cities rebelled. Suppiluliuma claims
to have defeated them, but the survivors fled to the territory of
Isuwa that must have been part of Tushratta's realm. A clause to
return fugitives was part of many treaties made at the time, so
possibly the harbouring of fugitives by Isuwa formed the pretext
for the Hittite invasion. A Hittite army crossed the border, entered
Isuwa and returned the fugitives (or deserters or exile governments)
to Hittite rule. "I freed the lands which I captured; they
dwelt in their places. All the people whom I released rejoined their
peoples and Hatti incorporated their territories," Suppiluliuma
later boasted.
The
Hittite army then marched through various districts towards the
Mitanni capital of Washshukanni. Suppiluliuma claims to have plundered
the district and to have brought loot, captives, cattle, sheep and
horses back to Hatti. He also claims that Tushratta fled, but obviously
he failed to capture the capital. While the campaign weakened Tushratta's
kingdom, he still held onto his throne.
A
second campaign :
In a second campaign, the Hittites again crossed the Euphrates and
subdued Halab, Mukish, Niya, Arahati, Apina, and Qatna as well as
some cities whose names have not been preserved. Charioteers are
mentioned among the booty from Arahati, who were brought to Hatti
together with all their possessions. While it was common practice
to incorporate enemy soldiers in the army, this might point to a
Hittite attempt to counter the most potent weapon of the Mitanni,
the war-chariots, by building up or strengthening their own chariot
forces.
Tushratta
had possibly suspected Hittite intentions on his kingdom, for the
Amarna letters include several tablets from Tushratta concerning
the marriage of his daughter Tadukhipa with Akhenaten, explicitly
to solidify an alliance with the Egyptian kingdom. However, when
Suppiluliuma invaded his kingdom, the Egyptians failed to respond
in time—perhaps because of the sudden death of Akhenaten,
and the resulting struggle for control of the Egyptian throne.
According
to a treaty later made between Suppiluliuma and Tushratta's brother
[contradictory] Shattiwaza, after a third devastating Hittite raid
led to the fall of Carchemish, Tushratta was assassinated by a group
led by one of his sons. A time of civil war followed which came
to an end when Suppiluliuma placed Shattiwaza on the Mitannian throne.
Amarna
letters from King Tushratta to Amenhotep III :
• Amarna letter EA 17,
• Amarna letter EA 18,
• Amarna letter EA 19, "Love and Gold"
• Amarna letter EA 20,
• Amarna letter EA 21,
• Amarna letter EA 22, "Presents from
Tushratta to Amenhotep III, when he gave to him his daughter Tadukhipa
to wife"
• Amarna letter EA 23, "A Goddess travels
to Egypt"
• Amarna letter EA 24,
Amarna letters from King Tushratta to Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten)
:
• Amarna letters EA 25
• Amarna letter EA 27, "The missing
gold statues again"
• Amarna letter EA 28,
• Amarna letter EA 29,
Amarna letters from King Tushratta to Queen Tiye :
Amarna letter EA 26, "To the Queen Mother, some missing gold
statues"
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tushratta