The son and successor of King Sennacherib, who succeeded to the Assyrian throne after his father's murder, Esarhaddon was to prove a persistent and dangerous enemy to Egypt. The Egyptians had maintained an uneasy but generally non-confrontational relationship in the early years of the Assyrians rise to prominence in the Near East, but after Sargon II attempted to annex parts of southern Palestine, which the Egyptians considered their domain, relations cooled. In 674 BC Esarhaddon, fearing the influence of the Egyptian King Taharqa on the Palestinian rulers, led an attack into Egypt but this was repulsed. In 671 BC he launched another foray, this time more successful, and after three victorious battles he took Memphis and captured the son and Crown Prince of King Taharqa, Prince Urshanahuru.

He died in 669 BC on his way to lead another attack against Egypt.