Establishment of the United Monarchy of Israel

Timeline

1. c. -1020–-1000Hill country of Benjamin · IsraelSaul was anointed as the first Hebrew king, ending the loose tribal alliance of the period of the judges; as a military leader he confronted the Philistines and other surrounding threats, marking the establishment of monarchy among the Israelite tribes.
2. c. -1000–-970Jerusalem · IsraelAfter defeating Saul's descendants and local powers, David conquered Jerusalem and made it his capital, integrating Judah and the northern tribes of Israel into a united monarchy spanning the Levantine interior.
3. c. -970–-930Jerusalem · IsraelAfter inheriting the throne, Solomon implemented centralized administration, built palaces and the Temple, and allied with Phoenician city-states such as Tyre; the united monarchy reached its zenith, but taxation and religious policies sowed the seeds of later division.