Israelite and Judean Kings

The first king of Israel was Saul in the 11th century BC. Prior to this the region had been governed by figures called "judges" (Hebrew shoftim). The next two kings after Saul were David and Solomon, who expanded the kingdom to its greatest extent.

Israel subsequently split into two separate kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom called Israel, and the Southern Kingdom called Judah. The Northern Kingdom was conquered in the 8th century by the Assyrian Empire. The Southern Kingdom was destroyed by the Babylonian Empire in the 6th century.