The Babylonian Chronicle states: "The fifth year (722): Shalmaneser (V) died in the month Ṭebētu (X). Shalmaneser (V) ruled Akkad and Assyria for five years. On the twelfth day of the month Ṭebētu, Sargon (II) ascended the throne in Assyria. In the month Nisannu (I), Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan) ascended the throne in Babylon." It is not known how Shalmaneser died, whether as the result of natural causes or an accident, or whether killed, either on the battlefield or as the result of some palace conspiracy.[92] There is some evidence, however, that would suggest that the change in rule did not take place in a smooth manner. In the Aššur Charter (text no. 89), one of Sargon's earliest royal inscriptions, Sargon states that Shalmaneser had "with evil intent ... imposed oppressively (state) service (and) corvée-duty" upon the people of the city of Aššur and "treated (them) as if they were of low rank" and that it was because of this that the chief god had overthrown him and appointed Sargon to be ruler. Sargon then claims that he restored the city of Aššur's privileges.[93] This direct criticism of the preceding ruler, a close relative of the new ruler, is unprecedented in Assyrian royal inscriptions and may well suggest that something untoward had occurred at the time of the change of rulership. Sargon may have been involved in deposing Shalmaneser, but there is no other indication of this beyond the fact that he benefited from Shalmaneser's death by becoming the new ruler. Shalmaneser's actions with regard to the city of Aššur (assuming that Sargon's statements are accurate) may or may not have been connected with the change in rule, but Sargon was likely attempting to gain the support of the citizens of that important city by granting/renewing their privileges. Early in his reign, Sargon had mercy on 6,300 Assyrian criminals (bēl ḫiṭṭi) and settled them in the land Hamath. Exactly what their crime(s) had been is not stated, but it is possible that they had not supported Sargon's accession to the throne.[94] It was likely uncertainty/problems in Assyria at the time of the change of ruler that encouraged the Chaldean Marduk-apla-iddina (II), likely the grandson of the earlier ruler of Babylon Erība-Marduk, to seize the throne in Babylon and remove Babylonia from Assyrian control.
92 See Mayer, Studies Loretz pp. 545–547. With regard to the accession of Sargon, see Vera Chamaza SAAB 6 (1992) pp. 21–33.
93 G. Vera Chamaza (SAAB 6 [1992] pp. 25–29) raised the possibility that the taxation policies of Shalmaneser V and his predecessors may have been in place for some time, but had resulted in discontent among the temple elites.
94 Text no. 84 line 20´, text no. 103 ii 61–65, text no. 105 ii´ 5–12, and text no. 108 Frgm. E. See for example Fuchs, PNA 3/2 p. 1240.
Grant Frame
Grant Frame, 'Accession to the Throne', RINAP 2: Sargon II, Sargon II, The RINAP 2 sub-project of the RINAP Project, 2021 [http://oracc.org/rinap/rinap2/rinap2introduction/accessiontothethrone/]