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The Israelite Tribes
According to tradition, the Israelites were Semitic émigrés from southern Mesopotamia who left the
city of Ur during the reign of Hammurabi, when the Amorite
Babylonian Empire was
at its height.
They were also known as habiru (which became Hebrew) when they were invading
Canaan through Edom and
Moab, and penetrating as far
north as Amurru in Syria.
This term seems first to have been used for a range of outsiders, from unemployed
farm labourers and vagrants to mounted mercenary archers. The context
differed depending upon where the references were found. Although this term
originally seems to have been used for any marginal people who lived outside
state controls, there is nothing to preclude one such group
becoming the later Hebrews. |
c.1752 - 1750 BC |
Terah |
Began the exodus
from Ur. |
c.1750 BC |
Terah
leads his people to settle in Haran, a city far up and to the east
of the Euphrates, near the
Hittites. |
c.1750 - 1700 BC |
Abraham / Avram |
Led the tribe to Canaan, close to
Palestine. |
c.1740 BC |
Moab, first son of
Lot and grandnephew of Abraham, gains the stretch of land between the River Arnon and the
Brook of Zered on the coast of the Dead Sea. This area forms the kingdom of
Moab. |
c.1670 BC |
Isaac |
Son of Abraham. |
c.1700 BC |
Isaac gives Esau his
birthright as eldest son: the land centered around Mount Seir from the Brook of Zered to
the Sinai Peninsula, which becomes the kingdom of Edom. |
c.1650 BC |
Jacob |
Son of Isaac. |
c.1650 BC |
The
Israelites are presumed to descend into Egypt to escape famine
just as Lower Egypt is invaded and governed by the
Hyksos,
probably making their entrance and acceptance there easier. They settle in
the region of modern Cairo. |
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c.1314 - ? BC |
Joseph |
Leader of the Israelites
in Egypt. |
c.1230 BC |
Moses leads the Israelites out of four hundred years of habitation within
Egypt. |
c.1230 - 1170 BC |
Moses |
Died after
the conquest
of Moab. |
c.1170 - 1140s BC |
Joshua. |
Son of Nun.
Leader during the Israelite Settlement
Period. |
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The Israelite Settlement Period |
1200 - 1020 BC |
This
is the period of Israelite
settlement after the exodus from
Egypt.
At this time, there is general instability in the region: the
Hittite
Empire is destroyed in Anatolia, the Canaanites
have been reduced to owning the shores of Lebanon (to eventually become the sea
traders known as the Phoenicians), the
Philistines are first
settling on the lower coast, and various Neo-Hittite city states are
arising in northern Syria, many of which come into contact with the
Israelites.
It has been strongly suggested that the Israelites themselves are
Canaanites, and that the exodus never occurred. This theory seems to be backed up by
archaeological finds. But, if it is true, the Old Testament affords us an
almost unique look at the settlement of a people in the ancient Middle East.
The Israelites had various dealings with the city states in the Dead Sea region
of Canaan, include Hazor, Tyre, and
others, and their conquests are listed as follows: |
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c.1200 BC |
Arad the Canaanite |
Ruled the south. |
c.1200 BC |
Sihon |
King
of Ammon. Lost the western
territories of his kingdom. |
c.1199 BC |
Og |
King of Basha,
a city state above
Moab. |
c.1198 BC |
Balak |
King
of
Moab. |
c.1198 BC |
Balaam |
A Midian king, an area of city states south of Edom. |
c.1198 BC |
Evi |
A
Midian king. |
c.1198 BC |
Rekem |
A
Midian king. |
c.1198 BC |
Zur |
A
Midian king. |
c.1198 BC |
Hur |
A
Midian king. |
c.1198 BC |
Reba |
A
Midian king. |
c.1180 BC |
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King
of Jericho. |
c.1180 BC |
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King
of Ai, near Beth-el. |
c.1170s BC |
Adonizedec |
King of Shalem (Jerusalem (hebiru-Shalem)). |
All of these are rulers of Canaanite city states situated in and around Judah and lower Syria. |
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Adonizedec (Adoni
Zedek) leads the fragmented Amorites against Joshua. |
c.1170s BC |
Hoham |
King of Hebron (then called Kirjath-arba). |
c.1170s BC |
Piram |
King of Jarmuth |
c.1170s BC |
Japhia |
King of Lachish |
c.1170s BC |
Debir |
King of Eglon |
c.1170s BC |
Horam |
King of Gezer |
c.1170s BC |
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King of Hormah |
c.1170s BC |
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King of Arad |
c.1170s BC |
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King of Libnah |
c.1170s BC |
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King of Adullam |
c.1170s BC |
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King of Makkedah |
c.1170s BC |
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King of Beth-el |
c.1170s BC |
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King of Tappuah |
c.1170s BC |
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King of Hepher |
c.1160s BC |
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King of Aphek |
c.1160s BC |
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King of Lasharon |
c.1160s BC |
Jobab |
King of Madon |
c.1160s BC |
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King of Shimron-meron |
c.1160s BC |
Shimron |
King of Achshaph |
c.1160s BC |
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King of Taanach |
c.1160s BC |
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King of Megiddo (the Bible's Armageddon). |
c.1160s BC |
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King of Kadesh |
c.1160s BC |
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King of Carmel |
c.1160s BC |
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King of Dor |
c.1160s BC |
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King
of Gilgal |
c.1160s BC |
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King
of Tirzah. This city was later the original capital of
Samaria. |
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Later City States of Canaan |
c.1000 BC |
Nahash |
King of Ammon, attacked Jabesh-Gilead, defeated by Saul. |
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Time of the Judges
The period of the
Judges begins. These were nominal rulers who were possibly priests, who held
authority over the twelve tribes. They were not
actually called kings, but nevertheless, they did reign. The regnal lengths are as described
in the Bible and appear to overlap with the above dates by about 75 years or
so. At the time, Canaan was nominally under the governance of
Egypt, but
it was preoccupied with repulsing incursions by the Sea Peoples. |
c.1216 - 1213 BC |
Abimelech |
Killed by his own
people. |
c.1213 - 1208 BC |
Tola |
|
c.1208 - 1186 BC |
Jair |
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c.1186 - 1168 BC |
The
region is conquered and
occupied by the Philistines. |
c.1182 - 1175 BC |
Jephthah |
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c.1175 - 1168 BC |
Ibzan |
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c.1168 - 1158 BC |
Elon |
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c.1158 - 1150 BC |
Abdon |
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c.1150 BC |
Israel
is subdued by
Moab. |
c.1150 - 1110 BC |
The
Israelites are again conquered by
the Philistines who maintain vassal kings in Israel. |
c.1150? - 1130 BC |
Manoah |
|
c.1130 - 1110 BC |
Samson |
Died freeing Israel. |
c.1110 - 1070 BC |
Eli |
Neck broken in an accident. |
c.1100 BC |
Israel
is subdued by Jabin, 'king of Canaan', who rules from the northern city of Hazor. |
c.1097 - 1095 BC |
A civil
war is fought in Israel. |
c.1080 BC |
Israel
is subdued by the Midianites to the south. |
c.1070 - 1040 BC |
Samuel |
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c.1040 - 1035 BC |
Joel & Abiah |
Sons of Samuel. |
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Kingdom of Israel
In circa 1035 the comparatively weak Israelites founded
a kingdom under Saul. Once regained from the
Philistines they made their capital the small walled city of Jerusalem. |
c.1035 - 1005 BC |
Saul |
Kingdom founder.
Deposed. |
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Saul defeats Nahash, king of Ammon, after the citizens of Jabesh-Gilead call
for assistance against the Ammonite army. |
c.1005 - 965 BC |
David |
|
975 BC |
David leads the Israelites to subdue the
Philistines, regaining
Jerusalem which he makes his capital. |
c.966 BC |
Work starts on the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. |
965 BC |
Adonijah |
False king. |
965 - 928 BC |
Soloman |
Son of David. |
c.965? BC |
Solomon meets the Queen of Sheba (Saba)
and according to legend becomes the father of Menelik, founder of the
Ethiopian
Empire. |
c.955 BC |
The First Temple of Jerusalem is completed, apparently by craftsmen from
Sidon, and houses the Ark of the
Covenant. Soloman also enters into a matrimonial alliance with Sidon. |
c.925 BC |
Egyptian Pharaoh Shesonk
mounts a full-scale invasion on the kingdom,
but concentrates his efforts mainly on the north. Jerusalem is relatively
untouched following a short siege by the invaders. The Ark of the Covenant,
contrary to some opinion, is not taken to Egypt. |
928 BC |
Rehoboam |
Son of Soloman. |
928 - 925 BC |
The
ten tribes of the north refuse to accept Rehoboam and civil war ensues.
Rehoboam is left with just the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south
as the kingdom divides into Israel &
Judah. |
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Kingdom of Israel / Samaria
Following the civil war which divided Israel, the capital of the rebellious
north was initially Tirza (Tirzah), which the Israelites had conquered in
the 1160s during the Settlement Period, but from 881 BC it became Samaria. |
928 - 907 BC |
Jeroboam |
Son of Nebat. |
906 - 905 BC |
Nadab |
Son. Killed by
Philistines. |
905 - 883 BC |
Baasha |
|
883 - 881 BC |
Elah |
Son. Murdered by
the captain of chariots. |
881 BC |
Zimri |
Ruled for seven days. Suicide. |
881 - 870 BC |
Omri |
Oppressor of the
Moabites. |
c.880 - 850 BC |
Moab is oppressed by the Israelites under Omri
and his son, Ahab. This is the first mention of Israelite rulers outside of
the Old Testament. |
870 - 848 BC |
Ahab |
Son.
m.dau of king of Tyre. Killed by Assyrians. |
853 BC |
Ahab and eleven other local kings, including
Ben-Hadad of Damascus, fight Shalmaneser III of
Assyria
in a battle which consists of the largest known number of combatants to
date, and is the first historical mention of the Arabs from the southern
deserts. |
848 - 847 BC |
Ahaziah |
Son. |
847 - 842 BC |
Joram/Jehoram |
Son of Ahab. Killed by Jehu. |
842 - 814 BC |
Jehu |
|
c.840 BC |
Despite Old Testament claims to the contrary,
Moab defeats Israel. Damascus
also takes all the Hebrew possessions east of the Jordan, ravaging
Judah, and rendering Israel
impotent. |
814 - 800 BC |
Jehoahaz |
Son. |
800 - 784 BC |
Jehoash |
Son. |
784 - 748 BC |
Jeroboam II |
Son. |
748 BC |
Zachariah |
Son. Ruled for 6
months. |
748 BC |
Shallum |
Ruled for 1 month.
Killed. |
748 - 738 BC |
Menachem |
Son of Gadi. |
738 - 733 BC |
Pekahiah |
Son. |
733 - 732 BC |
Pekah |
Son of Remaliah. |
732 - 723 BC |
Hoshea |
|
722 - 721 BC |
Samaria (Israel)
falls to
Assyria. The ten (of
twelve) Hebrew tribes in Israel are relocated by the Assyrians (27,219 inhabitants
in all), and may have been massacred by them, although it now seems more likely that
they were eventually absorbed into general Assyrian society. |
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Kingdom of Judah
From 925 BC Jerusalem was the capital of the southern division of two of the
twelve Israelite tribes.
After the fall of Samaria in 721 BC and the conquests by
Assyria, Judah
became the sole surviving Israelite state,
existing only in Jerusalem, the rest of its former lands now being under
Assyrian occupation. Its population was swelled by the pouring in of
refugees escaping the Assyrian rule of Samaria (later known as Samaritans).
Only now did Jerusalem swell to become a great city. |
928 - 911 BC |
Rehoboam |
Retained only the southern part of the former united kingdom. |
911 - 908 BC |
Abijam |
Son.
Fought against Israel. |
908 - 867 BC |
Asa |
Son. |
871 - 841 BC |
Jehoshaphat |
Son. Joint rule for five years. |
846 - 843 BC |
Jehoram |
Son. |
843 - 842 BC |
Ahaziah |
Son. |
842 - 836 BC |
Athaliah |
Queen. Mother of Ahaziah. |
c.840 BC |
Despite Old Testament claims to the contrary,
Moab defeats Israel. Damascus
also takes all the Hebrew possessions east of the Jordan, ravaging Judah,
and rendering Israel impotent. |
836 - 798 BC |
Joash |
Son of Ahaziah of Judah. |
798 - 781 BC |
Amaziah |
Son. Murdered. |
781 - 740 BC |
Uzziah / Azariah |
Son. |
740 BC |
Uzziah is struck with
leprosy in front of the Ark of the Covenant and dies soon afterwards. |
740 - 736 BC |
Jotham |
Son. |
736 - 716 BC |
Ahaz |
Son. |
721 BC |
Sennacherib
of Assyria conquers all of
Israel and Judah except the city of Jerusalem
itself, to which he lays siege. As documented by Isaiah (who wrote the Book
of Isaiah chapters 1-39 himself at this time), Hezekiah addresses the Ark of
the Covenant in the Temple of Solomon and Sennacherib's forces are
decimated, whether by plague or the power of the Ark itself is unknown. With
much of the rest of the Israelite lands remaining occupied, the Jewish faith
and their god, Yahweh, survive only in this one small pocket which is now little
more than a city state. |
716 - 687 BC |
Hezekiah |
Lands reduced. |
716 - 702 BC |
Hezekiah has dealings with the usurper king of
Babylonia,
Mardukapaliddina II (Merodach-Baladan), between these dates. |
687 - 642 BC |
Manasseh |
Son of Hezekiah.
Crowned at the age of twelve. |
687 - 642 BC |
The first Jewish monarch to turn his back on the established faith, Manasseh
introduces pagan idols and worship, and persecutes the prophets, leading a
sustained campaign against the worship of Yahweh.
It seems possible that the Ark of the Covenant is withdrawn from Jerusalem by
650 BC by its Levite protectors. At the same time, Israelites are known to
have settled in
Egypt, on the island of Elephantine. |
642 - 640 BC |
Amon |
Son.
Assassinated by royal household for his paganism. |
640 - 609 BC |
Josiah |
Son. Killed by
Nech of Egypt. |
640 - 609 BC |
Josiah is aged eight when he succeeds to the throne. The Bible books
Deuteronomy and I Kings are compiled during his reign, which sees a return
to established religious practices - with some modernising - but the king is
later killed fighting Egypt. |
c.626 BC |
Jeremiah composes at least part of his eponymous Biblical book at the start
of his prophetic ministry. |
609 - 608 BC |
Jehoahaz II |
Third son of Josiah. Ruled for 3 months. |
608 BC |
Necho of
Babylon deposes Jehoahaz. |
608 - 597 BC |
Jehoiakim |
Son of Josiah.
Rebellion against Babylonian rule. |
597 BC |
Jehoiachin |
Son. Ruled 3 months.
Taken into captivity in
Babylon. |
597 BC |
Nebuchadnezzar invades and occupies Jerusalem, showing no hesitation in
stripping the city of its treasures. The Judeans are made vassals under
Babylonia, and 10,000 subjects are shipped to
Babylon. |
597 - 586 BC |
Zedekiah |
Son of Josiah.
Babylonian puppet king. |
587/586 BC |
Zedekiah rebels
against Babylonian overlordship and Jerusalem is sacked by
Babylonia.
The occupants are moved to Babylon. Judah
becomes a province of Babylon. The First Temple is burnt to the ground after
being pillaged. |
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Babylonian Governor of Judah |
586 BC |
Gedaliah |
Killed by remaining
populace. |
586 - 538 BC |
Jehoiachin and his
successors are termed princes of Judah while the tribes
are held in Babylon. |
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Princes of Judah in Exile
This was
a period of occupation and overlordship for Judah, firstly from
Babylonia,
then Persia, the
Greek Empire, Ptolemaic
Egypt, and the Seleucid Empire
in Syria, before the Maccabaean revolt gave the Judeans a small free state once again. |
597 - 560 BC |
Jehoiachin |
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560 - after 539 BC |
Sheshbazzar |
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539 - 538 BC |
Persia's Cyrus the Great enters
Babylon. Cyrus adopts an enlightened attitude
to his subjects and allows the Judeans to return to Jerusalem, after
officially handing over all their captured idols and treasures. |
537 BC |
Construction of the Second Temple begins in Jerusalem, sited over the ruins
of the First Temple. |
c.517 BC |
The Second Temple is completed and the population at last know for certain
that the Ark of the Covenant has been lost when it is not available to be
re-sited inside the new Temple's Holy of Holies. Already having doubts, they
had known that it had not been taken into captivity with them. |
444 BC |
Nechemiah rebuilds
the walls of Jerusalem. |
400 BC |
Correspondence between the Jewish community at Elephantine in
Egypt and
Jerusalem ceases. |
332 BC |
Judah
is captured by Alexander the Great's
Greek Empire. and then falls
under the control of Ptolemaic
Egypt. |
312 BC |
Alexander's former
general, Ptolemy of Egypt,
conquers Jerusalem and grants the people autonomy. |
198 BC |
Palestine passes from
Egypt to the Seleucid Empire. |
167 BC |
Jerusalem is defiled by
Antiochus IV. The Maccabaean revolt begins and a splinter state of
Judea is formed, governed by rulers who do not belong to the Israelite royal houses. |
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Hasmonaean (Jewish Independent / Maccabean) Dynasty
165 - 37 BC Antiochus
IV tries to introduce Hellenic culture into Jerusalem. The resulting Maccabaean revolt
splits Judea away from
Seleucid control, and the Jews recreate their own independent state based around Jerusalem. |
165 - 161 BC |
Judas Maccabeus |
Freed Judea from
Seleucid rule. |
161 - 142 BC |
Jonathan |
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142 - 134 BC |
Simon |
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134 - 104 BC |
John Hyrcanus I |
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104 - 103 BC |
Aristobulus I |
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103 - 76 BC |
Alexander Jannćus |
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76 - 67 BC |
Alexandra |
Wife. |
67 - 63 BC |
Aristobulus II |
Son. |
63 - ?40 BC |
Hyrcanus II |
Brother. |
63 BC |
Rome invades Palestine, making it a province.
Hyrcanus rules by Roman decree. |
37 BC |
The
Herodite Dynasty, originating from
Edom,
is set up to control the area as a puppet state. |
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Herodite Dynasty
37 BC - AD 44? |
37 - 4 BC |
Herod the Great |
Brought in from Edom to rule. |
37 BC |
Herod begins the
renovation of the Temple, and the expansion of the Temple Mount. |
4 BC - AD 6 |
Herod Archelaus |
Son of Herod. Puppet
under Roman Procurator's rule. |
?6 - 34 |
Philip |
Son of Herod. Puppet. |
26 - 30 |
Pontius Pilate is
appointed as the
Roman procurator of Judea in AD 26. In circa AD 33,
Jesus is crucified by
the Jewish government, overseen by the Romans. |
?34 - 39 |
Herod Antipas |
Son of Herod. Puppet. |
?39 - 44 |
Agrippa I |
Grandson of Herod.
Puppet. |
40 - 43 |
Apostle Peter leads
the first Christians in Galilee in AD 40. By the following year, the expansion of Jerusalem
continues under Agrippa l. James leads the Jerusalem Christian community in AD 43. |
66 - 73 |
The First Jewish Uprising.
Revolt against
Rome
leads to the destruction of
Jerusalem and the Temple (AD 70). The Roman general Titus crushes the revolt, and many Jews
are taken as captives to Rome. In AD 68, Josephus begins his History of the Jewish War.
By AD 73, the revolt reaches its bloody conclusion at the Masada fortress near the Dead Sea,
when it is finally captured by Rome after the defenders commit mass suicide. |
132 - 135 |
The Second Jewish Uprising
is led by Simon Bar Kochba against
Roman rule.
He captures Jerusalem and establishes an independent
state. Roman armies under Hadrian raze Jerusalem and Rome builds a new city on the site,
named Aelia Capitolina. A Roman template dedicated to Jupiter is built on
the site of the Jewish temple. The Jews are driven out of Jerusalem. (By
136, although the Romans forbid Jews to enter Jerusalem, Christian pilgrims
are permitted entrance.) |
170 |
The centre of Jewish
life moves to Galilee. Rabbi Judah HaNasi presides over a reconstituted Sanhedrin, or high
court. |
305 |
Palestine falls under
jurisdiction of Eastern Roman Empire. |
638 |
Jerusalem falls to
the Islamic Empire. |
1071 - 1099 |
Jerusalem
is conquered
by Seljuq Turks. |
1096 - 1244 |
The First Crusade. The
County of Edessa is created in 1098.
Jerusalem is captured in 1099. |
1244 - 1916 |
Judah
is ruled by the
Abuyyids and then the
Ottoman Empire. |
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Modern Israel & Palestine |
1697 - 1842 |
The Shihabi Amirs of
Lebanon become semi-independent. |
1916 - 1947 |
Palestine
is passed from the crumbling Ottomans to the
British Empire. |
1948 |
The declaration of the State of Israel
takes place. |
1967 |
The Yom Kippur War
sees
Egypt and
Jordan fighting Israel. Jordan loses the West Bank, a third of the
kingdom. |
1988 |
The
displaced Palestinians recognise the state of Israel. |
1996 - Present |
The semi-autonomous
state of Palestine is set up by a joint Israeli/Palestinian/United States of America deal. |
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