Zimri-Lim

Zimri-Lim was in the Middle Bronze Age the king of Mari.

Background

Family

Zimri-Lim was the son or grandson of king Yahdun-Lim of Mari.

Exile

The assassination of Yahdun-Lim by his own servants during a palace coup, forced Zimri-Lim to flee to the neighboring Great Kingdom of Yamhad. Mari was occupied by Shamshi-Adad I, the king of Ekallatum, who put his own son Yasmah-Adad on the throne.

Ruler of Alalakh

Zimri-Lim went into exile under Sumu-Epuh of Yamhad, and became the vassal ruler of Alalakh, unable to claim his rightful heritage to the throne of Mari.

Reign

Following the death of Shamshi-Adad I of Assyria, Zimri-Lim was aided by Yarim-Lim I, the Great King of Yamhad, to oust Yasmah-Adad from the throne of Mari.
There is an Akkadian literary text, written in the early years of his reign, entitled The Epic of Zimri-Lim.
File:Investiture of Zimri-Lim Louvre AO19826 n01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Investiture of Zimri-Lim, territory of Mari.
Zimri-Lim ruled Mari for about fifteen years, and campaigned extensively to establish his power in the neighboring areas along the Euphrates and the Khabur valley. He extended the royal palace in the city, which was possibly the largest at the time, containing over 260 rooms at the ground level, and certainly the envy of other kings. It was destroyed by Hammurabi of Babylon.
Zimri-Lim's personal life is partly known through tablets preserved in the state archive of Mari. He married Shibtu, a princess of Yamkhad, and is known to have had at least eight daughters through various wives. Several of his daughters were married to rulers of local towns, and two others are known to have become priestesses. Correspondence between the king and his daughters provides evidence that Zimri-Lim thought highly of women and considered them competent at making decisions.
He had a tenuous relationship with kingdom of Andarig, with which he battled and occasionally allied.
He was known for his lavish banquets at which delicacies such as chickpea salad, fried locusts, and large amounts of desert truffle were served.

Elamite War

He was also active on a wider stage, and for a time was allied with Hammurabi in his wars against Elam, Eshnunna, and Larsa. Zimri-Lim lent troops to Hammurabi's campaigns, and although the two kept extensive diplomatic contacts, it appears they never met in person.

Fall of Mari to Hammurabi of Babylon

After the defeat of Elam, there was no outside force to keep the precarious balance of power between the Kings of Mesopotamia. The alliance between Zimri-Lim and Hammurabi deteriorated after Babylon's conquest of Larsa. In 1762 BCE, Hammurabi conquered and sacked Mari, despite the previous alliance. At this time Zimri-Lim disappears from historical view, and is presumed to have been killed. Terqa becomes the new center of the Kingdom of Khana.