Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I and Great Royal Wife, Ahmose. Upon the death of her husband and half-brother Thutmose II, she had initially ruled as regent to her stepson, Thutmose III, who inherited the throne at the age of two.
Hatshepsut was a female king of Egypt (reigned in her own right circa 1479–58 BCE) who attained unprecedented power for a woman, adopting the full titles and regalia of a pharaoh.
Hatshepsut (r. 1479-1458 BCE) was the first female ruler of ancient Egypt to reign as a male with the full authority of pharaoh. Her name means "Foremost of Noble Women " or "She is First Among Noble Women".
Hatshepsut was Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh, but her reign was erased from history. Nevertheless, her legacy ensured Egypt endured for centuries beyond her death. Among the female pharaohs of ancient Egypt, the most powerful was Hatshepsut. Her reign saw Egypt prosper like never before.
Considered by some scholars to be history's first woman of importance, Hatshepsut ascended to the status of pharaoh in the very male-dominated ancient Egypt, and her ascension was even more remarkable as she declared herself ruler through a bold power-play.
Queen Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt’s most remarkable and enigmatic rulers, ascended to the throne during the 18th Dynasty, around 1479 BCE. As the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose, Hatshepsut was born into royalty and became Egypt’s fifth pharaoh.
Explore the life of Hatshepsut, Egypt's female pharaoh. Learn how she rose to power, led trade with Punt, built grand temples, and faced attempts to erase her.