Zedekiah

Zedekiah was the last king of independent Judah, placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar II after the first deportation in 597 BCE. Despite swearing an oath of loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar, he was persuaded by pro-Egyptian factions to rebel against Babylonian rule. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem for eighteen months; when the city fell in 586 BCE, Zedekiah tried to flee but was captured near Jericho. He was forced to watch the execution of his sons before being blinded — the last sight he saw — and deported to Babylon in chains. Jerusalem was destroyed, the Temple burned, and the surviving population deported, events recorded with anguish in the Book of Lamentations.

• Nationality: jewish
• Roles: ruler