→The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah: link to King Saul
===The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah===
Following the time of the judges, Israel was ruled by kings. The first king was [[King Saul|Saul]] who was succeeded by [[King David|David]] and then his son [[Solomon]]. After this the kingdom broke up into a northern half and southern half, both of which continued to be ruled by absolute monarchs.