How Egypt’s most successful female pharaoh was erased from history by her own successor
In short: Hatshepsut began as a regent for her young stepson, Thutmose III, but eventually claimed the throne as pharaoh herself. This video examines her rise to power and the systematic campaign to scrub her legacy from the historical record decades after her death.
Born to Pharaoh Thutmose I and his Great Wife Ahmose, Hatshepsut initially served as regent following the death of her husband, Thutmose II. While regency was a standard role for women during a minor's minority, she broke tradition seven years later by declaring herself pharaoh. Although she adopted male iconography in her depictions, she maintained the use of feminine grammatical forms in her royal titles.
Her reign lasted two decades, yet her legacy faced a brutal revisionist campaign twenty years after she died. Her successor, Thutmose III—later celebrated as the Napoleon of Ancient Egypt—back-dated his own reign to his father's death. In a calculated effort to erase her, he destroyed her monuments and attributed her accomplishments to himself, effectively attempting to delete her from the annals of Egyptian history.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Hatshepsut: the Forgotten Woman who was a King of Egypt
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