The Hebrew kingdom broke up because of Rehoboam's refusal to grant the Northerners' petition. After Solomon's death, the Israelites approached his son, Rehoboam, to lighten the heavy burdens and taxes that his father had imposed. However, Rehoboam ignored the wise counsel of his father's advisors and listened to the advice of his young peers, which led him to answer the petitioners harshly. This decision caused the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom to rebel against Rehoboam's rule and set up their own kingdom with Jeroboam as their king. Thus, the kingdom of Israel was split into two parts, the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom.