Hatshepsut

It is believed that the female Pharaoh had passed away during the year 1458 BC, and was cremated at a site called ‘KV20’, which was also the same place where her father Thutmose I was buried. The female Pharaoh, who ruled for more than twenty years, was succeeded by her nephew Thutmose III.

It is said that Hatshepsut had started constructing her burial site long before her death, even when her husband was alive.

When Thutmose III, her successor, reached the end of his tenure, many attempts were made by the ruler’s son to eliminate all the historical fats and records associated with Hatshepsut. The activities included erasing information related to the female Pharaoh from the walls of the monuments of her time.

Hatshepsut was born to an Egyptian Pharaoh named Thutmose I and Ahmose, who was one of the wives of this ruler.

When the princess was barely 12 years old, her father passed away. Circumstances forced her to enter the wedlock with Thutmose II, who was another child of his father from his relationship with a second wife.

The intention behind the wedding was to prevent the younger generation from involving themselves in a courtship outside the royal family. Her marriage to her half-brother helped Hatshepsut rise to the position of the queen.

Thutmose II passed away after ruling for 15 long years, when the Queen was hardly 30 years old. The couple was devoid of a male heir to the throne and the question of the next successor plagued the royal family. Although Thutmose II had a male child with a mistress named Isis, he was only an infant.

The queen solved the problem by deciding to step into her husband’s shoes as the ruler, until the infant Thutmose III attains a considerable age. However, it is believed that her nephew Thutmose III remained a co-ruler for the rest of his life and never gained complete control over the thrown.

After succeeding her husband Thutmose I, Hatshepsut’s biggest responsibility was to ensure that her kingdom’s economy flourishes. One of the first few milestones she achieved was improving the trade network across Egypt, which was not well-developed during the reigns of her predecessors.

Paths were constructed to ensure better connectivity between neighboring towns and cities, helping in bettering the Egyptian economy.

It is also believed that during the early years of her rule, Hatshepsut tried to invade Syria and ancient African kingdoms like Nubia using her military forces and even succeeded in her task.

Another work of great significance which the female Pharaoh undertook was ensuring better infrastructure in her kingdom, which mainly included construction of buildings. Hundreds of dwellings were constructed throughout Egypt during this female Pharaoh’s tenure.

Since the day she succeeded her husband, the Pharaoh was believed to have continued sporting a fake beard and being clad in a kilt till the end of her tenure, creating an impression that the ruler is not a woman.