Queen Hatshepsut "The Chosen One"Co-regent with her half-brother, King Thutmosis III, the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt between 1498-1483 BC during the 18th Dynasty and managed to push him aside and become Pharaoh. Daughter of King Thurmosis I and Queen Ahmose, and the wife of King Thutmosis II, she was an ambitious woman with a plan. After her husband (the reigning Pharaoh at that time) died, she was given the opportunity to rule in the name of the true heir of the throne, King Thutmosis III. He was only a child when the King died, and could not rule on his own. She was then appointed co-regent to rule until the child became of age and could take over the throne. But such an ambitious lady would not give up such power so easily, and rightly so! After a couple of years of playing along with the role of a humble temp-in-command, she began to make a plan... She gathered enough support from powerful officials and began an aggressive propaganda campaign to gain total control. She spun rumors about her birth and origin suggesting that she was the daughter of the God Amun. She ordered the building of temples that displayed scenes of this, as well as scenes of her being chosen by her father as the next great ruler of Egypt. She portrayed herself as "The Chosen One". And as The Chosen One, she was depicted as King and Pharaoh (a man), with fake beard and all... Her artistic transformation from female to male was quite a sight to see for ancient Egyptians I'm sure! This played out beautifully, and she managed to gain more and more control until King Thutmosis III was pushed completely out of the way. He took out his frustration by taking an active role in the military - a skill to be used well later on after he took over the throne and became known as the Egyptian Napoleon. The Queen however was not much into war, but she was a great tradesman and set out on many explorations and missions. Her mortuary temple is one of the most famous in all of Egypt. Carved right out of the mountainside, it is situated near the Valley of the Kings. Her tombs lie in the Valley of the Kings, but her mummy has not been identified. She died after ruling for about 20 years, and although the manner of her death is not certain, some say it was her frustrated half-brother who put an end to her rule. After her death, he proceeded to desecrate her monuments in an attempt to erase her from history - one feat he could not accomplish out of the many awesome missions he undertook... He even managed to be the first Egyptian empire builder, but still until now Queen Hatshepsut manages to be a bigger legend.
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