Zimri-Lim

Zimri-Lim , king of Husband of 1775 with 1761 av. J. - C.

Although he declares wire of the former king de Mari Yakhdun-Lim, Zimri-Lim is rather its grandson or his nephew. It is in any case him which takes the head of the dynasty of the city driven out by the king Samsi-Addu of Ekallatum. A time taken refuge in Anatolia of south-east, it is finally supported by the king Sumu-epukh of the Yamkhad (Alep), enemy of Samsi-Addu. When this last dies in 1775, Zimri-Lim leaves to the attack the kingdom Husband, that his generals begin again by évinçant Yasmakh-Addu, the son of Samsi-Addu, enabling him to go up on the throne of its ancestors. The royalty of Zimri-Lim is double: he is king de Mari and of his territory, and also king of the Bensimalites nomads (whereas he is only suzerain of the other large tribe of the area, that of Benjaminites).

Once on the throne, it falls under the continuity of Yasmakh-Addu, of which it begins again administration and harem (including its principal wife Prejudice-hurasi, the girl of the king of Qatna which becomes thus qon allied in fact), to the only difference which he is the ally of king d' Alep, of which he marries the Shibtu girl. It subjects last resistances, those of former partisans of Samsi-Addu, then of tribes benjaminites, which it forsook after having profited from their assistance at the time of the conquest of Husband.

In 1772, Zimri-Lim launched a victorious forwarding towards the valley of the Khabur. But it must face immediately with a conflict the opponent with Eshnunna, of which it pushed back alliance, and who was combined in Benjaminites. Hustled by an attack being held on two faces (along the Tiger and the Euphrate), the king of Mari finally succeeds in carrying it, and concludes peace with his adversaries. This leads to a reconciliation with Benjaminites.

The situation with Eshnunna appeared wobblier. Also, when the sovereign élamite Siwepalarhuhpak attacked this city, Zimri-Lim and Hammurabi of Babylon (another adversary of Eshnunna) brought to him supports to them. Élamites succeeded in making fall Eshnunna. Zimri-Lim carries out then Western forwardings supports some in Yamkhad, and remains with Ugarit. But at this point in time he learns that Élamites invade at the same time the Triangle of Khabur and Babylonia. He ties an alliance with Hammurabi then, vis-a-vis this new threat. If Shubat-Enlil falls initially, and that Babylonia is seriously threatened, Mariotes and the Babylonians, joined by king d' Alep, push back their adversaries in Babylonia in extremis. Élamites consequently do not represent any more a danger.

The situation between Zimri-Lim and its counterpart of Alep, Hammurabi (not to be confused with the Babylonian sovereign), envenime thereafter because of litigations in connection with fields with Alakhtum, but that remains without gravity. Zimri-Lim brings thereafter its supports in Hammurabi of Babylon which is in war against Larsa. It is then north which the problems come.

Ishme-Dagan, oldest son of Shamsi-Addu, which preserved after a fashion the throne of Ekallatum, tackles the septentrional fields of Zimri-Lim while part of its troops are in Mésopotamie of the south to support Hammurabi against Larsa. The victory of the Babylonians makes it possible Zimri-Lim to recover its troops, and to push back its adversary. It makes then vis-a-vis new revolts in Khabur, which it subdues with difficulty.

All these revolts undoubtedly weakened the power of Husband, whereas on the other hand Babylon does not have from now on any more an adversary in Mésopotamie of the south after successive eliminations of Élamites, Larsa, then of Eshnunna that Hammurabi takes in 1762. Husband and Babylon find face-to-face discussion then, and the conflict starts under conditions which are unknown for us. The situation leans in favor of Hammurabi. The fall of Husband occurs in 1761, following a conflict whose details are unknown for us. The city is taken and plundered, then its palate is destroyed in 1759, at the moment when the Babylonians leave the area.

The kingdom of Husband is cut up. The north-western part is undoubtedly annexed by the king of Alep, Hammurabi, and it is formed in the valley of Euphrate a small kingdom (Hana), with Terqa for capital (1761 - 1625 av. J. - C.).

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