Hatshepsut, Queen of Egypt

Essay by Sweetypie4175High School, 10th grade April 2004

download word file, 5 pages 5.0

Queen Hatshepsut of the eighteenth dynasty was the most extraordinary female to hold the title of Pharaoh in ancient Egypt. Queen Hatshepsut has many different titles. She received the prestigious title of god's wife of Amun before either parent died. She assumed the title of Great Royal Wife when she married Thutmose II. When she was crowned, she took the title Maatkare, the throne title. Her rise to power went against all the conventions of her time (Hatshepsut). There were female pharaohs prior to her, as well as female pharaohs after her. However, Queen Hatshepsut was in many respects, special and respected. Queen Hatshepsut had many unique qualities and good contributions to the Egyptian society (Kuster).

Hatshepsut was born in the fifteenth century, around 1504 B.C.E. She was the daughter of Tuthmose I and Aahmes. Both of her parents were of royal lineage. Hatshepsut was the youngest of three children.

She had two older brothers, but both of her brothers died before they reached adulthood, which left her in the unique position to gain the throne upon the death of her father (Shatto). At that time, to have a female pharaoh was not very likely and probably most definitely unheard of as well. Tuthmose I had a child with a commoner, Moutnofrit, and she gave birth to his child named Tuthmose II. When Tuthmose I passed away, his son took over the throne. In ancient Egypt, it was customary for the succeeding Pharaoh to marry the oldest daughter of his father. In this case, Hatshepsut married Tuthmose II, who is also her half brother (Bediz).

Tuthmose II only reigned for about three years. During this time, Hatshepsut had tremendous influence over Tuthmose II and his decisions. From the markings on his mummy, archaeologists believe Tuthmose II had a skin...