Muwatalli II

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Muwatalli II (^mNIR.GÁL) was a king of the New kingdom of the Hittite empire (1295–1272 BCE). The eldest surviving son of Mursili II, he is best known as the Hittite ruler who fought Ramesses II to a standstill at the Battle of Kadesh around 1274 BCE. After becoming king, he relocated the capitol to Tarhuntassa when the Kaskas invaded; appointing his brother Hattusili as governor in Hattusa.

A copy of a treaty between him and Alaksandu, ruler of Wilusa, one of the Arzawa lands has been recovered. Egyptologists also believe that Muwattalli reached an informal peace treaty or understanding with Seti I over Kadesh to avoid a clash between the two superpowers over control of Syria. In it, Seti I effectively ceded Kadesh to the Hittite king in order to focus on domestic issues in Egypt.

Muwatalli had at least two children, both given Hurrian names in honor of the Hurrian storm god Teshup. One was a son, Urhi-Teshup, who became king Mursili III until Hattusili III deposed him. Another was possibly a daughter, Ulmi-Teshup ("female-slave of Teshup"); whom Hattusili III either married to king Kurunta in Tarhuntassa, or else (if male) was renamed Kurunta and appointed.

Muwatalli's namesake, Muwatalli I, was a pre-Empire king of the early 14th century, the predecessor of Tudhaliya I.