The kingdom of Israel was divided because the last two kings made unwise policies. After the death of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam became king, but he refused to reduce the burden of taxes and labor on the people, which led to a rebellion in the northern part of the kingdom. The ten northern tribes formed their own kingdom, Israel, and made Jeroboam their king, while the two southern tribes remained loyal to Rehoboam and formed the kingdom of Judah. This division was caused by the unwise policies of the last two kings and resulted in the two kingdoms existing separately with different kings and different systems of government.