Yaxun Bʼalam IV

Yaxun Bʼalam IV
Yaxun Bʼalam IV
	High King of Yaxchilan
	Lintel 16 from Yaxchilan depicts king Yaxun Bʼalam IV with his slave
Reign	752–768
Predecessor	Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II
Successor	Itzamnaaj Bʼalam III
Born	709
Died	768
Spouse	4 queens
Issue	Itzamnaaj Bʼalam III
Father	Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II
Mother	Lady Eveningstar

Yaxun Bʼalam IV, also called Bird Jaguar IV, was a Mayan king from Yaxchilan. He ruled from 752 until 768 AD, continuing the period of prosperity started by his father Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II. He had to struggle to take and hold power, as he was not perceived to be the rightful heir to the throne.

For his grandfather-namesake, see Yaxun Bʼalam III.

Early life

Yaxun Bʼalam was the son of Itzamnaaj Bʼalam and Lady Eveningstar. Lady Eveningstar was not the first wife of Itzamnaaj Bʼalam and was from Calakmul.

As Bird Jaguar was not the son of Lady Xoc (Itzamnaaj Bʼalam's first wife-aunt), he was not completely of the royal blood and would have difficulty acquiring the throne. Itzamnaaj Bʼalam commissioned a stele to be carved showing both Yaxun Bʼalam and Lady Xoc in the same panel, thus legitimating Yaxun.

Accession

There is a ten-year gap between the death of Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II and the beginning of the reign of Yaxun Bʼalam, indicating a possible struggle for the throne of Yaxchilan. Yaxun Bʼalam took the throne on May 3, 752, but he had problems even after he succeeded.[1] In order to legitimize his claim to the throne, Yaxun Bʼalam had a series of stelae created that pictured him with his father (including Stele 11).

Reign

Several buildings were constructed during the reign of Yaxun Bʼalam, including Temple 33 and Temple 21. During his life, he captured at least 21 people, as evidenced by the statement on Yaxchilan Stela 11. His seventeen-year reign was much shorter than that of his father's, and he died in 768. Within a generation of his death, the building projects at Yaxchilan had ceased. He was succeeded by his son Itzamnaaj Bʼalam III in 769.

Marriages

Yaxun Bʼalam had married Lady Great Skull, Lady Wak Tuun of Motul de San José, Lady Wak Jalam Chan Ajaw of Motul de San José, Lady Mut Bahlam of Hix Witz.[2]

gollark: Really.

gollark: What if bodies are allocated by auction?

gollark: Your opinion is bad. I am not accepting feedback on this metaopinion at this time.

gollark: No.

gollark: I might have to send you to GTech™ Site 2-Alpha where we contain Jesus.

References

James L. Fitzsimmons. Death and the Classic Maya Kings. University of Texas Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-292-78198-6. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens by Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube

Montgomery, John (2002–2007). "Dictionary of Maya Hieroglyphs" (online version). Maya Hieroglyphic writing: Dictionaries. with revisions by Peter Mathews and Christophe Helmke. Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc (FAMSI).

Schele, Linda; David Freidel (1992). A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya (pbk reprint ed.). New York: Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-688-11204-8. OCLC 145324300.

Preceded by Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II	High Kings of Yaxchilan 752–768	Succeeded by Itzamnaaj Bʼalam III

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[Fitzsimmons-1] James L. Fitzsimmons. Death and the Classic Maya Kings. University of Texas Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-292-78198-6. Retrieved 12 August 2013.

[2] Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens by Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube