They had only one daughter, Neferure.
After his death, she started acting as regent for her stepson, Thutmose III, but afterward took on the whole powers of a pharaoh, becoming Egypt’s co-ruler of around 1473 B.C.
when she became pharaoh, Hatshepsut increased the Egyptian trading and supervised ambitious building projects.
As the Temple of Deir el-Bahri, located in western Thebes, where she would be buried.
Depicted as she ordered as a male in a lot of contemporary sculptures and images Hatshepsut remained widely unknown to scholars until the 19th century.
Hatshepsut was one of the most famous and few Queens of Egypt.
Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power:
Hatshepsut was the elder of the sister of two daughters for Thutmose I and his queen, Ahmes.
Thutmose II died about 1479 B.C when he was young. And the throne became to his infant son, also born to another secondary wife.
According to traditions, Hatshepsut started acting as Thutmose III’s regent, handling affairs of state until her stepson reach the age to rule.
Did you know?
Hatshepsut was the third woman to become a governor in the 3,000 years of ancient Egypt history.
And also the first woman to attain the whole power of the position.
However, Cleopatra also exercised the same power, would rule about 14 centuries later.
After less than seven years, Hatshepsut took some of the new steps of taking the title and full powers of a pharaoh for herself
and becoming Egypt co-ruler with Thutmose III.
In the past Egyptologists believed that it was essentially because of the queen’s ambition that led her.
However, more recent Egyptologists have held that Hatshepsut’s coronation might have been because of a political crisis.
like a threat from other branches of the royal family, and that Hatshepsut may have been trying to save the throne for her stepson.
Hatshepsut as Pharaoh:
Knowing that her control power was very controversial, Hatshepsut fought to protect its legitimacy.
By pointing to her royal claiming and lineage that her father had appointed her his successor.
She sought for reinventing her image, and in paintings and statues of that time.
She ordered that she be portrayed as a male king, with large muscles and beard.
In other images, however, she appeared in traditional female regalia.
Hatshepsut surrounded herself with supporters in key positions in government, including Senenmut, her chief minister.
Some have suggested Senenmut might also have been Hatshepsut’s lover, but little evidence exists to support this claim.
As pharaoh, Hatshepsut undertook ambitious building projects, particularly in the area around Thebes.
Her greatest achievement was the enormous memorial temple at Deir el-Bahri, considered one of the architectural wonders of ancient Egypt.
Another great achievement of her reign was a trading expedition she authorized that brought back vast riches
including ivory, ebony, gold, leopard skins and incense to Egypt from a distant land known as Punt (possibly modern-day Eritrea).
Hatshepsut’s Death and Legacy:
Hatshepsut probably died around 1458 B.C., when she would have been in her middle 40s.
She was buried in the Valley of the Kings (also home to Tutankhhamum), located in the hills behind Deir el-Bahri.
In another effort to legitimize her reign, she had her father’s sarcophagus reburied in her tomb so they could lie together in death.
Thutmose III went on to rule for 30 more years, proving to be both an ambitious builder like his stepmother and a great warrior.
Late in his reign, Thutmose III had almost all of the evidence of Hatshepsut’s rule–including the images of her as king on the temples and monuments
she had built–eradicated, possibly to erase her example as a powerful female ruler, or to close the gap in the dynasty’s line of male succession.
As a consequence, scholars of ancient Egypt knew little of Hatshepsut’s existence until 1822.
When they were able to decode and read the hieroglyphics on the walls of Deir el-Bahri.
A life-size statue of a seated Hatshepsut that escaped her stepson’s destruction is on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City