After the death of King Solomon around 930 BCE, the united kingdom of Israel, which had been ruled by both Saul and David before him, experienced significant political division. Solomon's reign had imposed heavy taxation and forced labor, which caused discontent among the tribes. Following his death, tensions between the northern tribes and the southern tribe of Judah intensified.
Solomon's son, Rehoboam, succeeded him as king. When Rehoboam traveled to Shechem to be crowned, the northern tribes, led by Jeroboam, came to him seeking relief from the burdens imposed during Solomon's reign. Rehoboam sought advice from older advisors, who recommended that he lower the taxes. However, he ultimately followed the counsel of younger advisors who suggested he should increase the burdens, saying, "My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions."
This heavy-handed response led to a revolt. The northern tribes rejected Rehoboam's rule and declared Jeroboam as their king, leading to the division of the kingdom into two separate entities: the northern kingdom of Israel (often simply called Israel) and the southern kingdom of Judah.
The kingdom of Israel consisted of ten tribes and had its capital first at Shechem and later at Samaria. Jeroboam established a new religious cult to prevent his subjects from traveling to Jerusalem in Judah for worship, which he feared would undermine his leadership. The kingdom of Judah, consisting mainly of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, remained loyal to the Davidic line through Rehoboam.
This division led to a long period of rivalry, conflict, and differing religious practices between the two kingdoms, ultimately culminating in the conquest of Israel by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BCE and the Babylonian conquest of Judah in 586 BCE.
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