Sennacherib

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Sennacherib (d. 681 bc), king of Assyria 705–681, son of Sargon II. He devoted much of his reign to suppressing revolts in various parts of his empire, including Babylon (689). In 701 he put down a Jewish rebellion, laying siege to Jerusalem but sparing it from destruction (according to 2 Kings 19:35). He also rebuilt the city of Nineveh and made it his capital.

Sennacherib is the Assyrian described in Byron's poem ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ (1815); he was forced to break off his campaign when his army was devastated by divine intervention (2 Kings 35). On his return to Nineveh he was assassinated by his sons.

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