The Hittites was a people who spoke an Indo-European language that had settled in modern Turkey during the second millenium B.C. They ruled the "Land of Hatti", in Anatolia and later extended their empire through Conquests.

The Hittites ruled the area from the city of Hattusas/Hattusha possibly as early as 1900 B.C. During the early period, they enjoyed trade with the Assyrians. Around 1800 B.C Anittas and his father Pitkhanas of Kussara sacked several Hittite cities and the Hittites came to a "decline" until the founding of "The Old Kingdom" under King Labarnas around 1680 B.C. The Hittites now started to expand, and they fought wars with Syria and Assyria. King Mursilis I (1620-1590 B.C) sacked Babylon in 1595 B.C. with help from the Kassites and brought an end to the Old Kingdom of Babylon and Hamurabi's dynasty. This left the Kassites in control of Babylon. King Mursilis I was later killed, and the land he captured was lost.

The Hittite Empire was for a while under an influx of the Hurrians (who ruled the Kingdom of Mitanni), but after some time, the Hittites resurged under the leadership of King Suppilulimas (possibly the greatest Hittite king) in 1380 B.C. He built up an empire that for a while, could be matched with Egypt. This period in Hittite history is called the New Kingdom. King Suppilulimas took Syria and conquered parts of Canaan. His successor, King Muwatallis fought against the famous Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II in a battle at Kadesh in 1300 B.C. Nobody was victorious, but Ramesses II claimed victory.

The Hittite Empire came to a final decline when they where suddenly attacked by the Sea People in around 1200 B.C.

The Hittites were a warrior people, and they are famous for their excellent chariots. The army depended a lot on the chariot, and it was the Hittites "main" weapon in any war. The chariot had two or three soldiers. One that could control the horses, and one or two that could fight with a bow/spear. The horses used to pull the chariots was trained to charge into any battle, and stay calm. The chariot didn't weight much, as one man could lift it. Soldiers on the chariots often used armour made from iron.

The Hittites was the first to use iron in weapons (successfully), and that gave them an advantage over other people for a few centuries, until the secret spread to the Assyrians and other people that had contact with the Hittites.

The battle of Kadesh was fought around 1300 B.C between the Hittites under the leadership of King Muwatallis and the Egyptians under the leadership of Ramesses II. It is possibly the greatest "chariot" battle ever. The Hittites and the Egyptians had long been arguing over Syria, which was very rich in matherial wealth and trade. The Egyptian army numbered around 20,000 men and 2,000 chariots. Most of the Egyptian army consisted of infantery that used bows, spears, swords and axes. They also used a shield and some armour. The Egyptian charioteers used bronze scale mail armour. The Egyptian chariots had archers that could fire at the enemy before retreating back to their own lines again, and readying themselves for a new attack. The Egyptian army also consisted of mercenaries and allies from Lybia and Nubia.

The Hittites had gathered as many as 40,000 men. Many of these were from vassal kingdoms. The Hittites depended on their chariots to smash down the enemy and let the infantery take care of any remaining enemys. The Egyptians was the first to arrive, and they set up camp, to wait for the Hittites. Hittite spy's was in the area, and the Egyptians captured two spies. They falsly confessed that the Hittites was a distance away, and for some reason, Rameses II let them go.

Little did the pharaoh know that King Muwatallis had actually beaten him to Kadesh, and was hidden some distance away from the city. After the spies returned, about 500 Hittite chariots went out of the camp and encountered some 5,000 Egyptians marching to Kadesh. The Hittite chariots smashed into them, causing a full scale panic. However, some Egyptians got away from the Hittites, and rushed to Rameses II with the bad news. The Egyptian pharaoh personally assembled his army, and went out to meet the Hittites. The Hittite soldiers had started looting everything in the camp they just had attacked, and failed to see that the Egyptians were close by. When the Egyptians attacked, they were able to cut down many of the Hittite soldiers, as their chariots were crammed tighter, and they were taken completely by surprise.

King Muwatallis tried to save his remaining troops, by leading an attack on 500 Egyptian chariots that came to aid the pharaoh. The Hittites succeeded in this, but at a very high price.

c.1900 B.C: The first appearance of the Hittites in history.
c.1800 B.C: The Hittites conquers the town Hattusha.
1680-1650 B.C: The Hittite king Labarna establishes what came to be known as the Old Kingdom. Under his rule most of Anatolia is captured.
1595 B.C: Babylon is sacked by Mursili I.
1500 B.C: The death of Telipinu. He was the last ruler of the Old Kingdom whos acts we know.
1380 B.C: Prince Suppiluliuma takes over the throne during a period of weakness and foreign invasions. Suppiluliuma defeats the enemies of the country, principally Mitanni, and extends the territories to areas that had been under Egyptian control.
c.1300 B.C: Battle at Kadesh, one of the most famous battles of the ancient world, where Rameses II of Egypt claims a victory, but the Hittites remain in Syria.
c.1286 B.C: The Hittite King Hattusilis III agrees upon a peace treaty with Ramses II, and gives away his daughter to marry.
c.1193 B.C: Invasion of the Sea Peoples, who brings the Hittite kingdom to its final end.