Hatshepsut the Pharaoh – Why Did Hatshepsut Become King?
In about 1473 BCE, a woman, Hatshepsut, took the unprecedented step of becoming king of Egypt with full kingship powers and a male identity. She thus displaced, for about two decades, her stepson and nephew, assumed heir of her husband. And she did this in a time of relative peace and considerable economic prosperity and stability in Egypt; most women who ruled as regents or solely did so in chaotic times. Here’s a summary of some of the current thinking about Hatshepsut’s motivations for becoming — and remaining — the Pharaoh of Egypt. Older versions of the story assume that Hatshepsut seized power and ruled as a “wicked stepmother,” and that her stepson and successor got his revenge after her death by removing her memory from history. Is this what happened? • Was Hatshepsut a Wicked Stepmother? Hatshepsut’s initial rule w
