Teushpa

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King Teushpa would quickly replace his sister, Queen Jakontago. She attacked Dradelden and put the city under siege. Queen Ishpaka of the Amazons brought the main force in from Scythia to relieve Dradelden. A battle ensued outside of the city and Jakontago perished in the fighting. Teushpa, succeeded her to the throne. His first act was to arrange a peace by reinstating the tribute paid to the Amazons.

King Teushpa had a patient and ambitious approach to governance. First, he focused on rebuilding the kingdom’s villages that had been damaged by the Amazons. As Xoria’s peasant population recovered, so too did its army. This allowed Teushpa to wage aggressive wars, just as his father had. He tried tackling the Assyrian army first but was defeated by King Esarhaddon. As part of the peace terms, King Teushpa would have to provide one thousand Xorian soldiers for the Assyrian army.

Despite suffering losses, Teushpa continued his campaigns of foreign expansion. To recoup losses from the Assyrian invasion, King Teushpa led the Xorians in a raid through Anatolia. These raids continued throughout Teushpa’s reign. Teushpa started a war with King Gyges of Lydia, a rising power in Anatolia. Unfortunately, Teushpa died of old age before the conclusion of the war with Lydia. His son, Lygdamis, was even more aggressive in his attacks against Lydia.

King Teushpa was a real king of the Cimmerian tribe. The interactions he had with the Assyrians and Lydians are recorded in ancient sources.