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The United Monarchy (United Kingdom of Israel and Judah) refers to a period in the History of Israel where the Twelve tribes of Israel were united into one monarchy under King Saul in roughly 1050 BC. The empire according to the Torah reached its height under the reign of King Solomon. Some scholars and historians doubt the extent of the monarchy described in the Torah, and instead suggest a smaller localized kingdom while others go further to doubt its existence. This has been a widely contested in issue in Biblical archaeology – most widly read: The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by (Israeli/Jewish archeologists) Neil Asher Silberman and Israel Finkelstein.
History
Saul was the first King of Israel. He unified the tribes under a single Israelite authority, but, according to the Torah, due to his constant disobedience to God, he ruled for only twenty years.
Ish-bosheth was the second King of Israel, however he only ruled for two years before he was assassinated.
David, the third and the greatest King of Israel, established Jerusalem as Israel's national capital 3,000 years ago. Before then, Shilo had been capital of Israel.
David succeeded in truly unifying the Hebrew tribes, and set up a monarchical government. He embarked on successful military campaigns against Israel's enemies, and defeated bitter foes such as the Philistines, thus creating secure borders for Israel. David built up an established centralised government in Jerusalem, a standing army, judiciaries across the land, and a sophisticated infrastructure.
Under King David, Israel grew from Kingdom to Empire, and its sphere of influence – militarily and politically – in the Middle East expanded greatly, controlling a number of weaker client states like Moab, Edom, Ammon and the Aramean Syria ( Aram-Zobah and Aram-Damascus). The imperial border stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arabian Desert, from the Red Sea to the Euphrates River. King David also has a strogg alliance with the King of Tyre, who had helped him built his palace.
David's son, the fourth and final King of the United Monarchy, Solomon, (meaning "one who peace is his" in Hebrew) was portrayed as a wise leader in the Torah. Solomon constructed the First Temple in Jerusalem and was famous for his over 1000 women (wives and concubines). His reign was a time of peace and progress for Israel.
Under the House of David, the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah achieved prosperity and superiority in the Near East.
Following Solomon's death, tensions between the northern part of Israel containing the 10 northern tribes, and the southern section dominated by Jerusalem and the southern tribes reached boiling point, and in 920 BC Israel split into 2 kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
Historicity
Biblical minimalists hold that there was no such thing as the United Monarchy or wonder whether it was as powerful as the Bible says.
See also
- Land of Israel, land that made up the ancient Jewish Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
"United Monarchy"