For thousands of years, men ruled Egypt or the country of Kemt (translated as "Black Land"). A woman in those days could only sit on the throne as a royal spouse. However, five outstanding Egyptian ladies rightfully bore the male title of Pharaoh.
The tragedy of the "excellent Nate"
The first of them is described in the sources under the name Nitokris (or Neytikert - "excellent Neith"). This woman became the first regent in history and then the first to receive royal power in her hands. Tragic events contributed to this.
Herodotus reports that Nitocris ascended the throne together with Merenre's young brother after the death of Pharaoh Pepi II, who reigned for 94 years. Then her brother died as a result of a conspiracy, and the regent had to take all power into his own hands. The ruler took revenge on the murderers with true Egyptian cunning. She arranged a rich feast for them in the lower rooms of the palace, and when the invitees were already pretty tipsy, she ordered to lock all exits from the hall and let water from the Nile there. The assassins accepted a terrible death, but instead of enjoying the fruits of victory, the queen soon committed suicide.
Modern Egyptologists have doubted that this was the case. Firstly, the aged Pepi II could hardly have had a young son, and secondly, it is unlikely that the death of his brother could have pushed Neytikert to commit suicide. According to the new version, Merenre was the son of the queen, and not her brother, and the grandson of Pepi. Then the tragedy of the mother, who lost her son and with him the whole meaning of life, becomes clear.
There are no other notable deeds for "Pharaoh Nitokris". She remained in history only as a queen with the male title of Pharaoh, and an avenger for the death of a relative, who voluntarily ended her earthly life.
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The good daughter of Lower and Upper Egypt
Centuries later, the double crown of Egypt again crowned a woman's head, and again this happened as a result of a coincidence. Nefrusebek took the throne, remaining the sole heiress after the death of her brother Amenemhat. He ruled for 9 years, and no other information has been found about him. The country was wary of his heiress, who took the male title. The Egyptians did not trust her unusual appearance, inherited from a Hittite great-grandmother and a rare name dedicated to the crocodile god Sebek (patron saint of black magic).
Nevertheless, as the legitimate successor to power, Nefrusebek received all the honors due to this title. The priests named her five secret throne names, which, together with the usual name, enclosed in an oval frame, made up a cartouche - the personal stamp of the pharaoh. The ruler was crowned with millet, united by the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. It is interesting that the queen bearing the title of ruler was supposed to look like a man - her dress included a wig and a false beard, which was tied to her chin. Thus, she lost her gender, and acquired the features of a supreme being, a living god.
During the four years of her reign, Nefrusebek managed to undertake a successful campaign of conquest to Nubia and continue the construction of pyramids with an underground labyrinth on Lake Merida, begun by her grandfather. Perhaps she had hoped to rule for a long time, but suddenly death overtook her, about which two whole legends have survived to this day. According to one, she was killed by her husband, who wanted to take away the power from his wife - however, history did not even preserve his name. Another legend says that the queen accepted death at the hands of an official from Ugaf, who headed another palace conspiracy. Perhaps the second version is based on real events, since it is known that after the death of the ruler, unrest began in the country. Nefrusebek could not stay on the throne, and her name seemed to have been forgotten by the Egyptians.
Both lands worked for her in great zeal
However, three centuries later, Hatshepsut took into account the sad experience of her two predecessors. She went to power deliberately, was not going to let go of her, and eventually became the most prominent ruler in the history of Ancient Egypt.
To begin with, this extraordinary woman achieved the title of regent with the bastard son of her deceased husband from a concubine. But the "Sacred wife of Pharaoh" well understood that as a woman she was unlikely to sit on the throne for a long time. That is why she had a significant trump card in her sleeve: even during her father's life, she received a male royal name, which gave her the right to claim full power. And when the resourceful lady declared herself the pharaoh Maatkar (on completely legal grounds), the priests had to crown her as a man, and the nobles - to recognize her as a ruler.
Hatshepsut inherited a stable state with a strong army and a solid gold reserve, and she disposed of these funds with dignity. The Pharaoh woman paid special attention to agriculture, peasants were even given land plots for free and money loans were given to buy slaves. By order of Hatshepsut, cities in Lower Egypt were restored and abandoned fertile lands in the Nile Delta revived. At the same time, the queen regularly supplied the army with money, and when dissatisfaction with the lack of "small victorious wars" arose among the military leaders, she deftly directed their energy into a "peaceful channel." Five huge ships, with a large detachment on board, went on an expedition to the shores of the country Punt (territory in Sudan on the border with Ethiopia). Six months later, the travelers returned to Egypt victorious: Punt submitted to them without resistance,and the ships were filled to the brim with loot. During their absence, the power of “Pharaoh Maatkar” was still strengthened, and political frictions vanished by themselves.
Hatshepsut had her say in architecture as well. The talented architect Saint-Muth erected his own temple for her, which bore the name "Most Sacred". This structure turned out to be so unique that in the 20th century its elements were used in the construction of Lenin's Mausoleum in Russia and the Empire State Building in the USA. Saint-Muth, by the way, was not only a court architect, but also a close nobleman in love with his queen. It is known that Hatshepsut reciprocated him, but historians claim that their feelings remained platonic.
Tausert
After a while, the female Pharaoh was again on the throne of the Two Kingdoms. Tausert was the wife of Pharaoh Seti II, but, unfortunately, childless. Therefore, when her husband died, the throne passed to his bastard son Saptah, and the “great royal wife” had to be content with the post of regent. But this post also turned out to be not easy: a certain Bai had a great influence on the young Saptakh, formally holding the position of "keeper of the seal", but in fact - a "gray cardinal" under the king. However, apparently Tausert found justice for the agile nobleman - there is a record that at the end of the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Bai was executed. And a year later, for some unknown reason, Saptah himself died, and the queen was finally able to take the throne. Interestingly, the scribes continued to use either female or male titles for her: either Tausert was still undecided,as whom it is more convenient for her to rule, or she deliberately combined the masculine and feminine principles in the image of the ruler.
Sources say that during the reign of Tausert, a Syrian named Irsu tried to seize power in the country, unleashing a civil war in Egypt. Presumably, it was at this time that the queen died, for what reasons - remained unknown. Setnakht, who took the throne after her, actively destroyed everything that remained of his predecessor - it is believed that he even gave the order to take out of the tomb and destroy its mummy. The behavior of the pharaoh speaks of the likely struggle for power and the defeat that Tausert suffered.
Cleopatra "The last mistress of the land of the pharaohs"
By the birth of the last of the rulers of Egypt - Cleopatra - the Great Land of Kemt became a puppet in the hands of Rome. Everything we know about her was written by order of the emperor.
Octavian, who hated the queen. This is probably why it is customary to portray Cleopatra as a heartless, insidious lecher who died, entangled in her own tricks.
But her image is not at all so unambiguous. For her time, she was a highly educated woman. For example, Cleopatra knew 9 languages, among which she was the first of the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty to study the ancient Egyptian dialect. Her fame as a crowned courtesan is also doubtful, just look at the portrait created with the help of reconstruction: the queen was not at all good-looking. True, Cleopatra's biographers believe that she was incredibly charming and intelligent, and this attracted men much more than just a beautiful appearance.
Not without reason, after a short conversation with her, the smartest man of his era, Julius Caesar, was completely conquered by his interlocutor. But the relationship between Cleopatra and Caesar was not limited to a love affair. Historians believe that the two rulers hatched plans to create an empire that would include not only the lands of the East, but also the countries of the West. The death of Caesar prevented the implementation of these ideas.
The second man in her life - Mark Antony - also supported her ambitions and also fell victim to her charm. But the implementation of the couple's plans was interrupted by Octavian, the brother of Antony's wife, whom he abandoned without regret for Cleopatra. A real war was declared to the lovers, which they lost. Troops loyal to Octavian won all battles, and Cleopatra decided to hide, until she lost not only power, but also her life. Anthony received news of her death, and upon learning of this, he threw himself on the sword. Now she really lost everything. Octavian threatened to lead her in chains behind his chariot, it was impossible to endure such a shame, and therefore Cleopatra committed suicide, simultaneously completing the history of the female rule of the Egyptian kingdom.