Hatshepsut – Egypt’s Female King

The Great Pyramids of Giza already over 1000 years old, 18th dynasty Egypt was a grand empire ruled by a 'divine' pharaoh, always a man*. And then there was Hatshepsut.

Upon the death of Thutmose II, to whom she was main wife, she became regent to his son Thutmose III, a toddler when he came to the throne. For 7 years, Hatshepsut made all the right noises, and it was business as usual.

Until one day, presenting herself in the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, she inscribed her statues with the full title of Pharaoh. She couldn’t, however, be king looking like a woman, so she donned a false beard, eventually depicting herself in full male form.

After her unprecedented power grab, for the next 20 years Hatshepsut overtly continued to rule alongside the real (male) pharaoh Thutmose III, all the while being the one calling the shots.

During her reign of peace and prosperity, she ushered in wealth, waged successful wars, and built on a massive scale. Her mortuary temple in Karnak immortalises her legacy, on which many future kings built.

20 years after her death, Hatshepsut’s story was almost lost. The memory of a powerful female king a cause for anxiety, her images and achievements we brutally defaced from Karnak’s temples by men in power.

Hatshepsut had a daughter, Neferure, whom she likely imagined as her successor, the next in line of female power after her own style. In a deeply patriarchal world, could they have pulled this off? Would Bastet, the cat goddess of women’s secrets, have blessed this? Could this have changed Egyptian history, setting the course for female kingship?

About this and many other mysteries, we can only wonder.