Two of Sennacherib's sons conspire against him soon after his conquest of Babylon and assassinate him in 681.

The biblical account is that the brothers killed their father after the failed attempt to capture Jerusalem and fled (2 Kings 19:37).

The faithful son, Esarhaddon, who returns to the capital of Nineveh in forced marches and defeats his rival brothers in six weeks of civil war, is formally declared king in spring of 681 BCE.

His brothers flee the land, and their followers and families are put to death.

Esarhaddon, who is apparently a good general and administrator, strengthens the frontiers of his recently enlarged empire against repeated incursions by the Cimmerians and Scythians, who pose serious threats to Assyrian possessions in Anatolia and Media, the latter of which is a primary source of horses for the Assyrian army.

Crown prince Sin-iddina-apla, Esarhaddon’s oldest son, had been designated as king of Assyria, while the second son Shamash-shum-ukin was to become the ruler of Babylon.

With the death of the crown prince in 672 BCE, the younger Ashurbanipal becomes crown prince, but he is very unpopular with the court and the priesthood.

Contracts are made with leading Assyrians, members of the royal family and foreign rulers, to assure their loyalty to the thirteen-year-old crown prince.