Sinsharishkun

Sîn-šar-iškun ( or , meaning "Sîn has established the king")'''' was the penultimate king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, reigning from the death of his brother and predecessor Aššur-etil-ilāni in 627 BCE to his own death at the Fall of Nineveh in 612 BCE.

Succeeding his brother in uncertain, possibly violent circumstances, Sîn-šar-iškun was immediately faced by the revolt of one of his brother's chief generals, Sîn-šumu-līšir, who attempted to usurp the throne for himself and briefly took over much of Babylonia. Though Sîn-šumu-līšir was defeated relatively quickly, the instability caused by his revolt, combined with an ongoing interregnum in Babylonia in the south (neither Sîn-šar-iškun nor Sîn-šumu-līšir had formally proclaimed themselves as kings of Babylon) might be what made it possible for Nabopolassar, a southerner of unclear origin, to rise up and seize power in Babylonia. Sîn-šar-iškun's inability to defeat Nabopolassar, despite repeated attempts over the course of several years, allowed Nabopolassar to consolidate power and form the Neo-Babylonian Empire, restoring Babylonian independence after more than a century of Assyrian rule and centuries of domination prior to that.