The Female Power Play: Hatshepsut

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“His majesty, herself”: ruler of consequence and inconsequence. She was one of the most controversial rulers of ancient Egyptian history. The discovery in 2007 of her remains and tomb creating more questions than answers. From her glorious reign of Egyptian prosperity and consequence, to her mysterious death and attempts to erode her from history and make her legacy inconsequential, Hatshepsut rose above and now is considered to be “most important find in the Valley of the Kings since the discovery of King Tutankhamen.
Hatshepsut was born the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and Ahmose. At birth she was of royal blood. She was born in New Kingdom Egypt of the 18th dynasty. Archaeologists assume she grew up as most Egyptian girls and princesses did because there is really no existing record of Hatshepsut’s early life and childhood (Andronik 12). When her father passed into the afterlife she wed or married her half- brother Thutmose II at the age of twelve. With this marriage her role and title then became Queen Hatshepsut and the king’s Great Royal Wife (Andronik 14). With Thutmose Hatshepsut bore a daughter, but since the child was not male it was not a legitimate heir to the throne. She could not provide an heir. With Isis, a wife of his harem, Thutmose II was provided a male heir, Thutmose III. Therefore Thutmose III was next for the throne. When Thutmose II died his son was only a baby or small child at the time. His exact age is not known. At that age Thutmose III could not rule the great nation of Egypt properly so a regent was to be appointed (Dell 48).
Picking a regent for a pharaoh was an important task. This person had to rule Egypt for Thutmose until he was old and mature enough to take control and lead the country ...

... middle of paper ...

...aged to become a pharaoh in the 18th dynasty of New Kingdom Egypt. Through death and attempts to have her wiped from history Hatshepsut left her mark. As the first female pharaoh of Egypt, Hatshepsut’s legacy will be infamous.

Works Cited

Andronik, Catherine M., and Joseph Daniel Fiedler. Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself. New
York: Atheneum, 2001. Print.

Dell, Pamela. Hatshepsut: Egypt's First Female Pharaoh. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point,
2009. Print.
"Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt - Hatshepsut." Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt - Hatshepsut. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Tyldesley, Joyce A. Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh. London: Penguin, 1998. Print.

Wilson, Elizabeth B. "History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian." History,
Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. Smithsonian Magazine, Sept.
2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.

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