Which Assyrian king led the army at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BCE?

Shalmaneser III led the Assyrian army at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BCE.

The battle took place at Qarqar in Syria during Shalmaneser III’s western campaigns. The Assyrian king fought a large coalition of Levantine rulers, including Hadadezer of Damascus and Ahab of Israel, according to Assyrian records. The principal evidence is the Kurkh Monolith, an inscription describing Shalmaneser’s campaign and the forces he claimed to have defeated.

The battle is important because it shows the scale of resistance faced by the expanding Neo-Assyrian state. Assyrian royal inscriptions commonly present campaigns as victories, but the coalition appears to have prevented Shalmaneser from establishing permanent control immediately after Qarqar.

Qarqar should not be confused with later Assyrian battles involving rulers such as Sargon II or Sennacherib. Shalmaneser III reigned from 859 to 824 BCE and is also known for monumental reliefs and campaigns across the Levant and northern Mesopotamia.