15. King Sennacherib of Assyria was murdered by his eldest son after overlooking him for the throne
Sennacherib (b. 740 BCE), son of Sargon II, was King of Assyria from 705-681 BCE after ascending to the throne of Assyria after his father died in battle; ancient sources offer three separate dates as Sennacherib’s first reigning year – 705, 704, and 703, suggesting the transition was not smooth, with uprisings recorded in Syria-Palestine and in Babylon during this time.
Primarily remembered for his military endeavors, particularly against the kingdoms of Babylon and Judah, Sennacherib sought to ruthlessly and violently conclude the “Babylonian problem” wherein the people of the city of Babylon refused to accept Assyrian rule. Sennacherib besieged the ancient city, which after prolonged resistance fell in 689 BCE, whereupon Sennacherib ordered the city utterly destroyed; even the mound of land upon which the city once stood was erased, with the diverting of the waters from surrounding canals over the site.
In addition to his militaristic activities, Sennacherib’s reign is widely considered to have been the artistic pinnacle of the Assyrian nation. Among extensive building projects, of particular note Sennacherib oversaw the beautification of the conquered Akkadian capital of Nineveh, including the construction of a 50km long canal to deliver water to the desert city and the “Palace Without Rival”, a wonder considered to have been either a prototype to or the actual Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Despite these immense successes, Sennacherib was assassinated in 681 BCE. The precise cause of his death is unknown, but it is widely believed that his eldest son was responsible in retribution for Sennacherib naming his youngest, Esarhaddon, as his successor; the death of Sennacherib was celebrated among Babylonians as divine judgment for the destruction of the sacred city.