Hittite Law of Succession

The position of the king in the early Hittite state does not appear to be very secure. One of the first recorded events in Hittite history is the nomination by the nobles of a rival king to Labernas, who's father had designated him as his successor. Subsequent history is full of revolts and rebellions on the part of the king's family with the king constantly struggling to preserve the peace.

The death of a king caused a constitutional crisis. A wise monarch would try to avoid this by appointing his successor. Royal succession was finally regulated by King Telipinus, who enacted the following law:

Let a prince, the son of a wife of the first rank, be king. If there is no prince of the first rank, let one who is a son of the second rank become king. If, however, there is no prince, let them take a husband for a daughter of the first rank and let him become king.

This act of legislation marked a major turning point in Hittite history. What once was a kingdom subject to recurring crises, now became a stable environment and history indicates that the king was never again challenged by ambitious noblemen. So successful was this law that approximately 200 years later when King Muwatallis died without a legitimate heir, the throne passed to Urhi-Teshub, the son of a concubine, without incident. Of course he was later deposed by his uncle Hattusilis for insolence and incompetence.

A footnote......Labernas appears to have been a royal title rather than a name in the early days of Hittite history.

The Hittites, O.R. Gurner

Ancient Mesopotamia, A. Leo Oppenheim