King Hoshea - Biography

Hoshea, the 19th and last king of the separate kingdom of Israel, murdered his predecessor and seized the throne in the wake of military failures against the invading Assyrian army. His 9-year reign is characterized as evil. The only significant event of his reign — but a supremely significant one — was the destruction of the kingdom. Hoshea rebelled against the Assyrians, to whom he was obligated to pay certain taxes. Upon his default, Assyria laid siege to the capital, Samaria. The siege lasted three summers. At its end, Samaria fell, the population was deported to Assyria, and foreign peoples were resettled into Samaria. The kingdom of Israel had come to its end.