Around 1274 BCE in his 5th regnal year, Ramesses II marched to capture Kadesh from the Hittites but was deceived about the enemy's position and his troops were routed. He failed to capture or destroy Kadesh, and subsequent rebellions forced him to campaign in Canaan and Syria again in years 8 and 10. The peace treaty came only in his 21st year.
Battle of Kadesh was near-defeat for Ramesses II, not a crushing Egyptian victory
Key facts
- Battle occurred in Ramesses II's 5th year, around 1274 BCE, as Egyptian forces marched to capture Kadesh from the Hittites
- The Egyptian bulletin admits Ramesses was deceived about the location of the Hittite army and his troops were routed
- Egyptian sources survive in three forms: the long poetic Literary Record, the shorter Bulletin, and temple reliefs with captions
- Ramesses failed to capture, plunder, or destroy Kadesh; the city remained under Hittite control
- The Egyptian-Hittite peace treaty was concluded in Ramesses II's 21st year, approximately 16 years after the battle
- Ramesses had to campaign again in Canaan and Syria in his 8th and 10th years due to rebellions following the Kadesh display of weakness
Site mentioned
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Sources
Battle of Kadesh (1275 BCE) | Description & Significance | Britannicabritannica.com
The Battle of Kadesh, which was a massive chariot battle in Syria between the Egyptians and Hittites in 1275 BCE, in Syria, southwest of Ḥimṣ, ...
The Battle of Kadesh: A Clash of Ancient Empires - Egypt Tours Portalegypttoursportal.com
The Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE) was a significant clash between Egypt's Pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under King Muwatalli II.
Battle of Kadesh - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The battle occurred on Year 5 III Shemu day 9 of Ramesses II, generally dated to May 1274 BCE based on the standard Egyptian chronology (low chronology; the ...
Battle of Kadesh: Clash of the Chariot Armies - Warfare History Networkwarfarehistorynetwork.com
In late April 1274 bc, Ramses led his army from Pi- Ramses and the eastern Nile Delta toward the fortress of Tjel on the border of the Egyptian ...
The Battle of Kadesh & the First Peace Treaty - World History Encyclopediaworldhistory.org
Now Ramesses II, of the 19th dynasty, had to deal with the problem of Hittite invasion and, in 1274 BCE, assembled his forces at Per-Ramesses to ...
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