Around 1350 B.C. Assyrians again became independent from Mitanni and Babylon thanks to the help of their allies - the Egyptians. Now it was necessary to seize the roads that led to the Mediterranean coast, to the rich Syrian cities. The most important section was the crossings over the Euphrates River, which no merchant could pass. To achieve independence and to fight for their interests, a disciplined, well-organized, strong army was needed under a single leadership. So the mayor of Ashur (“ishshiakkum”), whose power was inherited, gained strength and took the royal title.
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Military fortune comes to the Assyrians. They crush the kingdom of Mitanni, located in the middle reaches of the Euphrates, annex part of its territory, build fortresses near the river, and for two centuries (1300-1100 BC) hold the crossings across the Euphrates leading to the sea. Due to this, they restrict the trade of rivals and collect large duties from merchants. Sometimes the Assyrian army went on long campaigns. Returning from such a campaign with great booty, the king often built a capital-fortress, guarding his treasures in it. The last and most luxurious of these capitals was later Nineveh, the most famous of the Assyrian cities. Ancient Ashur is increasingly receding into the background: the streets of new cities are no longer filled with merchants, but with soldiers.
The military successes of the Assyrians were brilliant, but the weakness of the royal power still affected. Priests and nobility did not need a strong king. They are used to running the country themselves. Even the famous commander, the conqueror of Babylon, King Tuku-lti-Ninurta I (1244-1208 BC) was declared insane and deprived of the throne, as soon as he tried to establish his unlimited power in Assyria and introduce magnificent court ceremonies according to the Babylonian model. The country was still ruled by rich merchants and priests; they yielded glory and booty to the king, but not power. In peacetime, the tsar locked himself in his treasury capital, and no one felt a special need for him.
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