King Saul (r. 1047-1007 BC) was the first king of unified Israel. The Israelites had previously been ruled by Judges, but for fear that the Judge Samuels sons were unfit to succeed him, the people requested that Samuel anoint a king for them, and Saul was ultimately chosen.According to the Bible, Saul eventually fell out of favor with God, and Samuel sought out a new king to replace him, and found David.Saul died at the Battle of Gilboa (ca. 1007 BC) against the Philistines. When it was clear that he had lost the battle, Saul killed himself by falling on his sword.