He was the Son-in-Law of Tudhaliya II

• Titles Tabarna, Great King, My Sun

• Parentage “Son” of Tudhaliya II by way of marrying Tudhaliya’s daughter. See Beal (1983) “Studies in Hittite History”.

• Queen Ašmu-nikal. (A Hurrian name) Testified on a land grant text (LS 1). Her ancestry is testified to on a seal which reads, “Seal of the Tawananna Ašmu-nikal, the Great Queen, d[aughter of Nikal-mati, the Great Queen,] and daughter of Tudhaliya, [the Great King, the hero]. SBo 1.77. The royal blood is carried on through her.

Possibly the strongest period of Hurrian influence on Hatti (Wilhelm, The Hurrians, p. 30). Hittite princes would take over religious duties previously held by Kizzuwatnian kings.

Many Instruction texts were written in the reign of Arnuwanda I, including the HAZANNU Instruction Text and the Instruction Text for the Lords of the Towers.

Taken as the antiyant-husband (where the man marries into the woman’s family) of Ašmu-nikal, daughter of Tudhaliya II.

He had a son by Ašmu-nikal who bore a Hurrian name, Ašmi-Šarruma. See CAH 2.1 pg. 675.

The Anointing of a Successor

Trying to decide when in his reign the ruling king would name his successor, the so-called tuhukanti-prince, is somewhat of a challenge when it comes to the Hittites. Examples can be cited for just about any point within a reign. If any pattern can be discerned, it is that the tuhukanti-prince seems to have been named early on in the king’s reign, and if this prince proved himself unworthy at some point later in the reign, he would be deposed from his position in favor of some other son or relative of the king.

We have a very fragmentary text in which Arnuwanda names his son Tudhaliya as the tuhukanti-prince. It is useful to note that the tradition of naming a successor and recording the event for posterity continued to be a Hittite custom at this time.

“[We made] Tudhaliya the tu[hukanti-prince, and they ...-ed] Tudhaliya, and they anointed him for kingship. [They said,] ‘Let all of Hatti k[now!] May Tudhaliya become Great King, Hero!’” (KUB 36.119 3-7. ed. Beal "Studies" 120)

An interesting custom preserved in this fragment is that of anointing, which is reminiscent of later Biblical parallels. The similar Biblical examples would ultimately inspire the anointing of Medieval European rulers, which is how this Near Eastern custom became known to us today. (Cf. Beal)

Unfortunately, the text does not indicate when this event occurred within Arnuwanda’s reign.

Foreign Relations

The empire under Arnuwanda I. The Arzawan territory represents the conquests of Madduwatta, and therefore could technically be considered part of the Hittite empire as well, depending on the fate of that ruler.

Aleppo: Still Hittite.

Ahhiyawa: Attarišiya, the Man of Ahhiya, attacked Madduwatta, a Hittite vassal. A Hittite army repelled the Ahhiyan army. Later, Attarišiya attacked Alašiya. Madduwatta then took Alašiya for himself. See The Indictment of Madduwatta.

Alašiya: (= Cyprus) Apparently a Hittite possession by the time of Arnuwanda I. Attarišiya, the Man of Ahhiya, invaded it. Madduwatta retaliated by taking it for himself. Madduwatta was ostensibly a Hittite vassal, and Arnuwanda demanded that Alašiya be returned to Hittite control. We don’t know the outcome of this conflict. See The Indictment of Madduwatta.

Arzawa: Madduwatta, a Hittite vassal, invaded Arzawa without Arnuwanda’s permission. Madduwatta was defeated by Kupanta-LAMMA, the king of Arzawa, and he fled to the Hittite king. The Hittite king restored Madduwatta to his lands. Later, Attarišiya, the Man of Ahhiya, sought to kill Madduwatta, and Madduwatta fled before his army. Again, a Hittite army saved him by fighting off the Ahhiyan army. Madduwatta, however, decided that his destiny lay elsewhere, and he tricked a Hittite army into an ambush. He then married his daughter to Kupanta-LAMMA. See The Indictment of Madduwatta.

Kizzuwatna: Apparently part of the Hittite realm. The Išmirika Protocol has the men of Išmirika swearing an oath to Arnuwanda I and his family. These men are then placed in charge of various cities in Kizzuwatna. The highest official in Kizzuwatna at this time is the BE_L MADGALTI, a provincial governor, not a king. The Išmirika Protocol also indicates that Waššukanni, the usual capital of Mittanni, was located in Kizzuwatna, apparently indicating the extent of Hittite domininion during at least part of this king’s reign. The city of Ura, a port city located on the south central coast, was under Hittite control. Loss of Mittanni? so Oğuz.

Revolts in the east might be ascribed to Mitannian backing.