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Hittite Wars of Survival

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Invasions of Hatti

Hatti before the Civil War
Datec. 1400-1350 BC (short chronology)
Location
New Kingdom Hatti
Result Hittite victory
Territorial
changes
  • Hatti initially lost much of it's Heartlands territory, being reduced to area around Samuha. Samuha subsequently became the capital city of the Kingdom.
  • After the re-conquests, Hatti retook it's lost lands.
Belligerents
Hittites Kaska
Arzawa
Hayasa-Azzi
Isuwa
Commanders and leaders
  • Piyapili (Kaska)[1]
  • Karanni (Hayasa-Azzi)[2]
    • Casualties and losses
    Much of the lands of Hatti ravaged and in ruins.[3] Many taken as war captives to Hatti.[4]

    The Wars of Survival were a period of wars, invasions and eventually re-conquests centering on the Hittite Kingdom. These proved to be an existential period of the Hittite Kingdom with the kingdom coming close to being snuffed out of existence. An indication of this were the fall of Hattusha, the capital city of Hatti and the relocation to Samuha. Eventually though, after decades of war, the Hittites managed to regain all their lost lands and defeat their enemies.

    Backround

    Before the war with the Kaska, during the reign of Arnuwanda, Hatti had been militarily tied down to the west, with Madduwatta having fled to the Hittites from Ahhiyawa and were waging wars in Western Anatolia. With Madduwatta having had a conflict of some kind before this with Attarsiya, who expelled him to Western Anatolia. Madduwatta fought Kupanta-Kurunta for control of the region and having sworn fealty to the Hittites led to the Hittites sending forces and getting involved in the region. This thus helped expose the other frontiers of Hatti to attack.[5]

    War

    This war would be long, however the exact length is unknown, it is usually dated from sometime during Arnuwanda's reign to early Suppiluliuma's reign.[6][7]

    Early Phase

    Kaska had raided, taken and sacked many religious cities during the reign of Arnuwanda. Arnuwanda saw some limited success in trying to push out the Kaska, but much of Hatti still remained under Kaskan control. This came down to a lack of resources to respond effectively according to Hittitologist Damien Stone.[8] While Trevor Bryce calls Arnuwanda an conscientious ruler and the kingdom of Hatti under his rule as fragile. At this time the Kaska were raiding Hittite lands with multiply raiding parties hundreds strong each. With Arnuwanda trying to diplomatically pay the Kaska off in attempts to gain peace. Among the cities to fall to the Kaska were Tapikka, Sarissa and Sapinuwa, with the Kaska being some 100 km from the capital city of Hattusha.[9] In addition Masat and Nerik too fell to the Kaskians. With a possible reason for the Kaskians to have invaded, might have been that the "Kaskans suffer the loss of their grain to locusts so, in search of food, they join up with Hayasa-Azzi and Ishuwa, as well as other Hittite enemies".[10]

    Multiply invasions of Hatti

    Things got worse by the time Tudhaliya III took the throne, with in one letter Amenhotep III saying 'I have heard that everything is finished, and the country of Hattusha is paralyzed'. The Hittite capital city of Hattusha was abandoned and Samuha becoming the new temporary capital city, from where Tudhaliya would mount a fight back. The Empire came to the brink of a complete collapse.[11] With Bryce describing the situation for the Hittites as existential, saying something about the gravety of the situation. With reports from the Hittites themselves describing that Arzawa now also joined the war against Hatti with Arzawa sacking the lands of Gassiya. To make things even worse, Isuwa attacked and sacked Kizzuwatna. With Bryce saying these text describe concentric invasions, though cautioning that the text may paint a more severe picture than what it actually was and that there may have been a back and forth in territorial gains and losses. Though noting, unlike Damien Stone who thinks the capital was abandoned, Bryce states the capital may have been captured and destroyed in this fight, after which the capital was moved to Samuha.[12]

    Re-Conquests

    Tudhaliya launched from Samuha a campaign to retake all the lost lands that would go on to take some twenty years and be continued by Suppiluliuma I.[13] With Bryce crediting the comeback to both Tudhaliya and his son Suppiluliuma. With the first targets of the reconquest being Kaska to the north and Azzi-Hayasa to the North east, probably because they were the closest to Samuha. Kaska in particular were attacked multiply times during this phase. With them liberating Hulana River Land and defeating both the Kaska and Hayasa-Azzi.[14]

    Following those re-conquests, Hatti turned next to Arzawa. Tudhaliya was growing increasingly ill at this time and allowed Suppiluliuma to take the lead of the campaign. Arzawa proved to be a difficult nut to crack and it is believed the campaign took longer than the ones against Kaska and Hayasa-Azzi. Eventually Arzawa got defeated.[15]

    Result

    This war saw much of the Hittite lands and cities ravaged, but they would eventually be refortified and repopulated.[16] With Hittite grain-lands suffering particularly.[17]

    When Tudhaliya III died, he was succeeded by Tudhaliya the younger, however, Suppiluliuma had participated in the war and felt discontented by being passed over in the succession. He conducted an assassination with the support of the army and took the throne.[18]

    Aftermath

    Hatti would emerge stronger than ever after these wars and after it had had the chance to recover from the damaged the war caused. Suppiluliuma would go on to become one of the greatest military leaders of the Empire.[19]

    References

    1. ^ "Kaskans / Gasga (Kashku) (Bronze Age)".
    2. ^ "Hayasa-Azzi (Bronze Age)".
    3. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriors of Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
    4. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriors of Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
    5. ^ Stone, Damien (2023). The Hittites. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-1-78914-684-4.
    6. ^ Stone, Damien (2023). The Hittites. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-1-78914-684-4.
    7. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriors of Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
    8. ^ Stone, Damien (2023). The Hittites. pp. 36–38. ISBN 978-1-78914-684-4.
    9. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriors of Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
    10. ^ "Kaskans / Gasga (Kashku) (Bronze Age)".
    11. ^ Stone, Damien (2023). The Hittites. pp. 36–38. ISBN 978-1-78914-684-4.
    12. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriors of Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
    13. ^ Stone, Damien (2023). The Hittites. pp. 36–38. ISBN 978-1-78914-684-4.
    14. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriors of Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
    15. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriors of Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
    16. ^ Stone, Damien (2023). The Hittites. pp. 36–38. ISBN 978-1-78914-684-4.
    17. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriorsof Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
    18. ^ Stone, Damien (2023). The Hittites. pp. 36–38. ISBN 978-1-78914-684-4.
    19. ^ Bryce, Trevor (2019). Warriors of Anatolia. pp. 73–80. ISBN 978-1-3501-4078-3.
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