Nabopolassar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nabopolassar |
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Clay cylinder of Nabopolassar from Babylon
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| King of the Neo-Babylonian Empire | |
| Reign | 22/23 November 626 BC – July 605 BC |
| Predecessor | Sinsharishkun (Neo-Assyrian Empire) |
| Successor | Nebuchadnezzar II |
| Born | c. 658 BC Uruk (?) |
| Died | 605 BC (aged c. 53) Babylon |
| Issue | Nebuchadnezzar II Nabu-shum-lishir Nabu-zer-ushabshi |
| Akkadian | Nabû-apla-uṣur |
| Dynasty | Chaldean dynasty |
| Father | Kudurru (?) |
Nabopolassar (meaning "Nabu, protect the son") was a very important king in ancient history. He founded the Neo-Babylonian Empire and was its first ruler. He reigned as king of Babylon from 626 BC until his death in 605 BC.
At first, Nabopolassar only wanted to make Babylonia free from the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians had ruled Babylonia for over a hundred years. But his fight for freedom ended up destroying the Assyrian Empire completely. In its place, the powerful Neo-Babylonian Empire rose.
Nabopolassar's background is not fully clear. He might have been from a group called the Chaldeans. He started his rebellion against the Assyrian king Sinsharishkun at a good time. Babylonia was already having political problems. After nearly ten years of fighting, Nabopolassar finally pushed the Assyrians out of Babylonia.
In 614 BC, Nabopolassar's allies, the Medes, attacked the Assyrian city of Assur. In 612 BC, the Medes and Babylonians together attacked Nineveh, the Assyrian capital. Both cities were badly damaged, and many people were killed. The Assyrian Empire was defeated.
After this, Egypt tried to help the remaining Assyrians. But the Egyptians were defeated by Nabopolassar's son, Nebuchadnezzar II, at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. Nabopolassar died that same year. His son, Nebuchadnezzar II, became the next king. Nabopolassar was remembered for a long time as a hero who freed Babylonia.
Contents
Who Was Nabopolassar?
His Early Life and Family
Nabopolassar's early life is a bit of a mystery. In his own writings, he called himself a "son of a nobody." This was unusual because other kings usually proudly named their fathers. It's likely he wasn't truly a "nobody." Someone with no connections would not have become king.
Historians think he might have been a Chaldean. The royal family he started is often called the "Chaldean dynasty." Some old texts suggest he came from southern Babylonia.
Possible Link to Uruk
Nabopolassar seems to have had strong ties to the city of Uruk, south of Babylon. He might have been an important leader there before becoming king. Some historians believe his family was a powerful political family from Uruk.
One idea is that his father was a governor of Uruk named Kudurru. Kudurru was a high-ranking official under an Assyrian king. If this is true, Nabopolassar might not have mentioned his father because Kudurru had been loyal to the Assyrians. Also, Kudurru's grave was damaged because his sons were fighting against Assyria. This would have been a big dishonor.
It's interesting that Nabopolassar named his own son Nebuchadnezzar. This was a very rare name in Babylonia at the time. Naming a son after a father was a common tradition. This makes the idea that Kudurru was his father more likely.
Why Babylonia Was a Problem for Assyria
The Neo-Assyrian Empire was very powerful in the 7th century BC. It ruled most of the Near East. Assyria had a strong army and a well-organized government. Babylonia, to the south, was often weaker. It had many different groups of people who often fought among themselves. These groups included native Babylonians, Chaldean tribes, and Arameans.
Because of these internal fights, Babylonia was often an easy target for Assyria. The two kingdoms had been rivals for a long time. In 729 BC, the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III conquered Babylon.
The Assyrians respected Babylon's long history and culture. So, they kept it as a kingdom, either ruled by an Assyrian king or a local ruler. Assyria and Babylonia shared the same language, Akkadian. They were like a "husband" (Assyria) and "wife" (Babylon). Assyrians loved Babylon but also wanted to control it.
The Assyrians tried many ways to keep Babylonia peaceful. But the Chaldeans and Arameans often rebelled. Babylonia was too important to let go. But no matter what Assyria did, rebellions kept happening. This constant problem was called the "Babylonian problem" by historians.
In 631 BC, the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal died. In 627 BC, the Assyrian-appointed ruler of Babylonia, Kandalanu, also died. These deaths ended a long period of peace. Ashurbanipal's son, Sinsharishkun, became the new Assyrian king. Soon after, an Assyrian general rebelled, causing more chaos. This was the perfect time for Nabopolassar to start his own rebellion.
Nabopolassar's Reign as King
Fighting for Babylonia's Freedom
Nabopolassar likely held an important position in Uruk before his rebellion. In early 626 BC, he started his fight against Sinsharishkun. The war for Babylonia lasted about ten years. Both sides had good and bad times during the fighting.
Nabopolassar used the political problems in Assyria to his advantage. He attacked and took control of Babylon and Nippur. The Assyrians quickly fought back. In October 626 BC, they took back Nippur and tried to attack Babylon. But Nabopolassar's forces stopped them. This was the last time an Assyrian army tried to take Babylon.
After this victory, Nabopolassar was officially crowned king of Babylon on November 22 or 23, 626 BC. This made Babylonia an independent kingdom again. The Assyrians tried to defeat him again in 625–623 BC. They had some success, even taking back Uruk for a short time.
But then, another Assyrian general rebelled in 622 BC. This forced Sinsharishkun to leave Babylonia to deal with the new threat. While he was gone, the Babylonians took over the last Assyrian strongholds in Babylonia. By 620 BC, Nabopolassar had pushed the Assyrians completely out of Babylonia. However, some cities still had people loyal to Assyria, so it took time for Nabopolassar to fully control the south.
Early Attacks on Assyria
At first, the Assyrians probably didn't think losing Babylonia was a big deal. They had faced similar problems before. They thought Nabopolassar's success was just temporary.
But in 616 BC, Nabopolassar led his army into Assyrian territory for the first time. He captured the city of Hindanu and defeated an Assyrian force. He pushed north, showing his growing strength. Assyria's ally, Pharaoh Psamtik I of Egypt, sent troops to help Sinsharishkun. Egypt wanted Assyria to remain a buffer between them and the rising powers of Babylonia and the Medes. A joint Egyptian-Assyrian attack failed. Nabopolassar kept Hindanu, which was a big win. This showed he was planning to secure Babylonia's borders, not yet to conquer Assyria itself.
In March 615 BC, Nabopolassar won another big victory against the Assyrian army. This weakened Assyria's control over the lands between the two kingdoms. Now, the Babylonians were right next to the Assyrian heartland.
The Fall of Assyria
In May 615 BC, Nabopolassar attacked Assur, the religious center of Assyria. Sinsharishkun fought back and forced Nabopolassar to retreat. The war was still a back-and-forth fight. The Assyrian army was still strong.
Then, in late 615 BC or 614 BC, the Medes, led by their king Cyaxares, joined the fight. They attacked Assyrian cities. In July or August 614 BC, the Medes attacked Nimrud and Nineveh. They then captured Assur. The Medes brutally looted Assur and killed many people. This shocked everyone in the Near East, even the Babylonians.
Nabopolassar arrived at Assur after it was already looted. He met with Cyaxares and formed an alliance against Assyria. To make the alliance stronger, Nabopolassar's son, Nebuchadnezzar, married Cyaxares's daughter, Amytis.
In 613 BC, Sinsharishkun tried to fight back. He rescued a city from Nabopolassar's forces. Around this time, Sinsharishkun tried to make peace with Nabopolassar. But Nabopolassar refused. He declared that he would completely destroy Nineveh.
In April or May 612 BC, the combined Medo-Babylonian army marched on Nineveh. Sinsharishkun tried to defend his capital, but it was too big to protect. From June to August 612 BC, the army surrounded Nineveh. In August, they broke through the walls. The city was brutally looted and burned to the ground. Many people, even children, were killed. Sinsharishkun likely died defending the city.
Other Assyrian cities were also destroyed. The Medes were so brutal, even destroying temples, that it shocked the Babylonians. Nabopolassar sometimes said his victory was divine will, to avoid blame. But in other writings, he boasted about destroying Assyria. The destruction was so bad that the region didn't recover for a hundred years.
The Last Assyrian King and Egyptian Help
Some Assyrian survivors followed a new ruler, Ashur-uballit II, to the city of Harran. He was likely Sinsharishkun's son. Ashur-uballit became the new Assyrian king, though he used the title "crown prince" because he couldn't have a proper coronation in Assur.
In 610 BC, the Medo-Babylonian army attacked Harran. Ashur-uballit and some Egyptian soldiers fled into the desert. Harran fell in early 609 BC. This was the end of the ancient Assyrian monarchy. Ashur-uballit and the Egyptians tried to retake Harran, but they failed. After this, Ashur-uballit is no longer mentioned in historical records. His fate is unknown.
After Harran, Nabopolassar continued his campaigns. In 608 BC, the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II (Psamtik I's son) led a large army into former Assyrian lands. He wanted to save what was left of Assyria. Necho fought for three years, but the Assyrian Empire was already gone.
Necho easily defeated King Josiah of Judah at Megiddo. Josiah had tried to stop the Egyptians. Necho then made the city of Carchemish his base. In 606 BC, the Egyptians won some battles in Syria. But in 605 BC, Necho suffered a huge defeat at the Battle of Carchemish. Nabopolassar's son, Nebuchadnezzar, led the Babylonian forces. The Egyptian army was completely destroyed. Nabopolassar stayed in Babylon, possibly because he was ill.
Nabopolassar's Final Victory
After twenty years of almost constant warfare, Nabopolassar had won. Nineveh was destroyed, and Assyria would never rise again. Egypt was no longer a threat. The Medes were his allies. His Neo-Babylonian Empire was now the most powerful in the Near East. For the first time in over a century, wealth flowed into Babylonia instead of out of it.
Because Nabopolassar spent most of his reign fighting, his capital city, Babylon, had been neglected. The city had been destroyed by an Assyrian king in 689 BC. Even though it was rebuilt, it wasn't ready to be the capital of a great empire. Nabopolassar had started some rebuilding work, but much more was needed. New walls had to be built, and the great temples, like the Esagila, needed to be restored.
Nabopolassar died just as his final victory was complete. His son, Nebuchadnezzar, took over without any problems. Nebuchadnezzar finished his father's building projects and became an even greater king. Nebuchadnezzar rushed back to Babylon when he heard the news of his father's death. This was possibly to make sure none of his brothers tried to claim the throne. One of Nebuchadnezzar's first acts as king was to bury his father. Nabopolassar was placed in a grand coffin, decorated with gold and fine clothes, inside a small palace he had built in Babylon.
Nabopolassar's Lasting Impact
With Nabopolassar's rise, Babylonia entered a new era of peace and wealth. Historians say his actions are directly linked to the overthrow of the Assyrian Empire. He also helped shape the new Chaldean kingdom.
Nabopolassar was remembered for centuries. Babylonians called him the "avenger of Akkad" (another name for Babylonia). He was a symbol of fighting against foreign rule. Later texts even said that the god Marduk ordered him to free Babylonia.
Centuries after his death, during the Hellenistic period, Babylonian writers still told stories about him. They called him Belesys or Bupolasaros. He was always shown as a good and fair king. He was seen as someone who, with the help of Marduk, freed his homeland from the Assyrian Empire.
Royal Titles of Nabopolassar
Nabopolassar used some royal titles that showed he was different from the Assyrian kings. But he also used some titles that showed he was continuing their legacy. For example, he dropped the Assyrian title "king of the Four Corners of the World." But he took on "mighty king" and the older Sumerian title "king of Sumer and Akkad." The title "mighty king" was strongly linked to Assyrian rulers.
He also used the ancient title "king of the Universe" in some economic documents. This shows he saw himself as a powerful ruler. The way his empire was run was also very similar to the Assyrian Empire. This is not surprising, as he spent most of his reign fighting wars. He didn't have much time to change how the government worked.
Because of his titles and the similar government, some historians think Nabopolassar saw himself as the rightful heir to the Assyrian throne. Even old Babylonian king lists didn't always clearly separate the Assyrian and Babylonian dynasties.
In some of his writings, Nabopolassar used the title "governor of Babylon" instead of "king of Babylon." This was an old Babylonian tradition. It showed respect for Marduk, who was considered the true king of Babylon. However, he also sometimes used "king of Babylon."
See also
In Spanish: Nabopolasar para niños
Images for kids
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The ruins of the city of Uruk, where Nabopolassar and his family may have originated
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The so-called "Chronicle of Nabopolassar". This clay tablet tells the story of the years 608-605 BC. After Nineveh fell, Nabopolassar fought with Egypt to control Assyria's western lands. His death stopped the campaign, and his son Nebuchadnezzar II rushed back to Babylon to become king.
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In the later part of King Ashurbanipal's (pictured) reign, Babylonia was ruled by his appointed king, Kandalanu. Assyria and Babylonia had a long period of peace. Nabopolassar's rebellion began after both Ashurbanipal and Kandalanu died.
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Map showing some major cities in Mesopotamia.
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A letter from Sinsharishkun to Nabopolassar (around 613 BC). In it, Sinsharishkun tries to make peace, asking to keep his kingdom. Whether this letter is real is still debated.
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Fall of Nineveh by John Martin (1829).
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The Battle of Carchemish, as shown in Hutchinson's Story of the Nations (1900).
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Political map of the Ancient Near East in 700 BC.
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Political map of the Ancient Near East in 600 BC.
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