King David

... King David One the most powerful ruler in the history of the ancient Near East established his empire on his strength of character and ingenuity. David was the youngest son of a wealthy family would receive no inheritance and used his aggressive nature to gain power through marriage, warfare and trade alliances.1 The void of political power in the declining civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt provided the ideal setting for the emergence of a dominant ruler.2 David was an militaristic expansionist who used all means necessary to control the ancient Near East, and fulfilled that void, eventually controlling from "Dan to Beersheba". His military and political genius cannot be determined completely accurately, but the evidence allows us to examine the history of one of the most powerful rulers of all time. David's ascendancy to power started with his political skills in marriage. First he married Saul's daughter, Michal, tying him with

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