Adad-Nirari or ššAddu-Nirari was a king of Nuhašše in the 14th century BC. His identity and succession order is debated as well as the extent of his kingdom which might have included Qatna. Adad-Nirari engaged in a military struggle again the Hittite king Šuppiluliuma I, asking Egypt for help and invading the kingdom of Ugarit, a Hittite vassal. Those actions prompted Šuppiluliuma to invade the region and relive Ugarit. Adad-Nirari's fate is unknown as he disappeared from records.
Reign and wars
Adad-Nirari is known through two documents; the letter codenamed (EA 51) sent by the Nuhaššite king to the pharaoh of Egypt, and the so-called "Niqmaddu Treaty" between Šuppiluliuma I and the Ugaritic king Niqmaddu II. Following his second Syrian foray, Šuppiluliuma sent an offer of alliance to the Nuhaššite king; Adad-Nirari rejected, and despite being a vassal of Mitanni, he sent the letter codenamed (EA 51) to ask Egypt for help and troops. Adad-Nirari might have asked Mitanni for help but the latter was unable to send it and it seems that Egypt did not respond as well.
Nuhašše revolted against the Hittites, but Ugarit, which was sent an alliance offer by Šuppiluliuma, eventually accepted the vassalage; Adad-Nirari allied himself with Niya and Mukiš then attacked Ugarit. According to Niqmaddu II, the troops of Adad-Nirari and his allies seized the cities of Ugarit, took booty and devastated the land. Thomas Richter believes that the coalition's attack triggered Šuppiluliuma's first Syrian war. The Hittite king, after receiving an appeal from his Ugaritic vassal, sent an army which defeated the coalition; the fate of Adad-Nirari is unknown as the Hittites make no mention of what happened to him.