Why did Samuel retire from leading Israel after Saul became king?

In the biblical narrative, Samuel’s retirement from the leadership of Israel followed Saul’s successful military campaign against the Ammonites, which served to vindicate Saul’s position as king.1

According to the accounts in the First Book of Samuel, Samuel is presented as the last of the judges. His transition away from active leadership was marked by a farewell address in which he reviewed the history of the Israelite tribes and expressed the conservative view that the establishment of a monarchy—which he had initially opposed as an act of infidelity to Yahweh—would ultimately bring adversity to the nation.12

While Samuel stepped back from his role as the primary leader of Israel after Saul’s acclamation at Gilgal, he did not disappear entirely from the political and religious life of the kingdom. He continued to act as a prophetic authority, reappearing to challenge Saul on matters of religious law and the conduct of holy war, eventually announcing that Saul had been rejected by God.12