Don't Get Mad Get Medieval On Em
The Woman Who Would Be King
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(Maatkare)
1473-1458 B.C.
18th Dynasty
There are several females who became Pharaoh. The most famous of
these female "kings" was Hatchesput. This famous king was the
Principal wife of the previous Pharaoh, and had been made a First
Wife of Amun. It was her nephew, Tuthmosis, who was the heir to the throne.
Hepsut, the fifth ruler of the 18th Dynasty, was the daughter of Thutmose I and
Queen Ahmose. As was common in royal families, she married her half-brother,
Thutmose II, who had a son, Thutmose III, by a minor wife. When Thutmose II died
in 1479 B.C. his son, Thutmose III, was appointed heir. However, Hatshepsut was
appointed regent due to the boy's young age. She acted as co-regent with
the young Pharaoh, and in his 7-8th year of reign, Hatchesput takes the title of
King instead of First Wife. As testimony to this, she took on five names (five
names reserved only for kings) and was the only female Pharaoh to call herself
King.
In her reliefs and paintings, this infamous female king, adopted a more male look, including kilt, beard, and other male attributes. Why she did this is unknown. In her earlier years of reign, she was often shown with the kings headdress, but with a woman's dress. Perhaps this feature of a female king did not sit well with the Kemetic people, and she adopted a more masculine dress to appease and solidify her reign. The reasons are still unclear, except for the fact that women were not seen as being fit to rule during these times.
During her reign, Hatchesput is shown in many roles usually reserved for that of the male Pharoah, such as offering ma'at up to the Netjer (Heavens), receiving the ankh from the Netjer, erecting monuments to the Netjer, including a massive tomb for herself. Dressed in men’s attire, Hatshepsut administered affairs of the nation, with the full support of the high priest of Amon, Hapuseneb and other officials. When she built her magnificent temple at Deir el Bahari in Thebes she made reliefs of her divine birth as the daughter of Amon. Hatshepsut disappeared in 1458 B.C. when Thutmose III, wishing to reclaim the throne, led a revolt. Thutmose had her shrines, statues and reliefs mutilated.
In the 22nd year of Tuthmosis' reign, history finds him ruling alone.
The fate of Hatchesput is unknown. But thirty years later, Tuthmosis
starts to obliterate evidence of Hatchesput. Why? And why so long after?
The questions remain unanswered. Perhaps it was to stop another wife
from thinking of consipiracy. Perhaps, Tuthmosis found himself ill with
young heirs and did not want a repeat of what happened with his aunt to
happen to his heirs.
Story By Jamcnblood (JB)
Visit JB's Corner
For more information about Hatchesput, please check out:
 | Hatshepsut,
Female Pharaoh of Egypt by Caroline Seawright
| Queens
of Egypt Part I and
Part
II by
Dr. Sameh Arab | |