my historical comfort for stress

She may not be as well known as Queen Cleopatra or as beautiful as Queen Nefertiti, yet till today she still remains the most powerful Queen Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
It was not her looks but her charisma, her bravery, her confidence, and her intelligence that allowed her to hold on to the Egyptian throne for 20 years. This may not be as long as other pharaohs like Ramses II and Amenhotep III (who ruled 67 years and 38 years each) but keep in mind, she was ruling in a male-based monarchy.

Queen Hatshepsut was born to King Tuthmose I and his wife, Aahmes. She was the favourite among three children and as if Fate decided to stir things up for Egypt, her two brothers died and hence, she was in a unique position; one rarely heard of- she became Queen of Egypt. However, initially she shared the throne with her father's half royal son, Tuthmose II, who according to statues and monuments of him, appeared to have suffered from some skin disease. Therefore, it was not surprising that Tuthmose II died after only three to four years of ruling. Queen Hatshepsut, who was his half sister and wife, did not have a son to reign as king. However, his son with a commoner, Tuthmose III, was according to law, the next in line to the throne. Again, it seemed like Fate had its own idea of a female pharaoh, Tuthmose III was too young to become king, hence Hatshepsut took over the role and began ruling till her death in 1458 BC.

Many may not know much or even have heard of her. This is because her nephew or half son, Tuthmose III, ordered all her statues and every recording with regards to her to be erased. It was almost customary for the Pharaohs of Egypt to each have a temple built during their reign and Dier-el Bahri was constructed during Queen Hatshepsut's reign as pharaoh. It was nothing but a spectacular sight and till today it still remains as one of Ancient Egypt's famous buildings. Sadly, this temple was not left to spare by Tuthmose III.

It was not easy for Hatshepsut to rule, hence, she used two devices to ensure the legitimacy of her position. The first device was to emphasise that she was a favourite and personally selected by her father, Tuthmose I, to become ruler. Secondly,in her temple, Dier-el Bahri, are written words of Khum, the divine potter, who sculpted the forms of the gods:

I will make you to be the first of all living creatures, you will rise as king of Upper and of Lower Egypt, as your father, Amon, who loves you, did ordain.

The above statement is a more doubtful device compared to the first, especially since Queen Hatshepsut is claiming to be a direct heritage of Amon, the Sun god. However, the both devices helped establish Hatshepsut's role as pharaoh and she ruled for a great 20 years.

Although, her nephew, Tuthmose III, ordered for everything of hers to be erased, Queen Hatshepsut is still known today. She has been made known once again when her mummy was discovered in 2006 and her story is slowly being revealed to all.

-chelle-