Hatshepsut was best known for being one of the best female Pharaohs.
She was special because she was a princess and a Queen with her husband and a Pharaoh on her own. Hatshepsut was born the daughter of Pharaoh, so she was a princess.
Hatshepsut then married a Pharaoh, so was also a Queen. Finally, she was also a Pharaoh herself because she ruled Egypt when her stepson was too young.
Young Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut’s dad was the Pharaoh Thutmose I, which meant she was born into a powerful Royal family.
Hatshepsut had a brother and sister, but sadly they died when they were young. In Egyptian Royal families, the Pharaoh crown had to be passed to the men or boys.
Because Hatshepsut’s brother had died, there was no male prince to take the crown.
Hatshepsut’s husband was chosen to be the next Pharaoh.
What was weird about this, was that her husband was also her step-brother. This may be strange now, but it was normal in ancient Egypt.
Not long after Hatshepsut got married, her dad died. This meant that her husband was crowned Pharaoh Thutmose II.
Because she was married to a King, Hatshepsut was now Queen of Egypt. Thutmose II was very ill a lot of the time, and after a few years, he also died.
Being the only Queen
Hatshepsut’s dad died shortly after she was married, and her husband became the pharaoh Thutmose II.
Hatshepsut was now queen of Egypt. Thutmose II was very ill a lot of the time that he was Pharaoh.
Because Thutmose II was sick quite a lot, Hatshepsut began to run Egypt for him. After a few years, Thutmose II died.
The death of the Pharaoh was a big problem because the King and Queen did not have a prince to become the new King.
The only boy in the Royal family who could be the new Pharaoh was Thutmose III. Thutmose was either Hatshepsut’s nephew or her step-son.
At the time, it was felt that Thutmose was too young to be Pharaoh. Hatshepsut was named regent, which meant that she would run Egypt for Thutmose.
She was only supposed to be the regent when Thutmose III was a small child. After a few years of being the regent, Hatshepsut named herself the Pharaoh of Egypt. She was now in charge of Egypt on her own.
Hatshepsut the Pharaoh
Hatshepsut was a Pharaoh for more than 20 years. She was a very good Pharaoh and helped to make the country very rich.
Egypt did not fight with other countries during her time in charge. Hatshepsut had lots of statues built of herself to make sure that people knew was their Pharaoh.
When Hatshepsut was Pharaoh, she would often wear male clothing.
She even wore a fake beard! Hatshepsut dressed like a man to make herself look stronger.
She was often seen in the male Pharaoh headdress, which had a cobra at the front of it.
After she died, her step-son, Thutmose III was finally allowed to be a Pharaoh.
Hatshepsut Facts for Kids
- Hatshepsut’s name means ‘Strong Noble Lady’
- When Thutmose III became Pharaoh, he got rid of most of Hatshepsut’s statues.
- To become a Pharaoh, Hatshepsut told people that she was the daughter of a god called Amun.
- Hatshepsut was a female Pharaoh for the longest time
- Hatshepsut was not the first female Pharaoh. There were at least two others before her.
- There are statues of Hatshepsut that show her in male clothes and female clothes
- Egypt became very wealthy when she was Pharaoh.
- Hatshepsut had lots of temples and other building built when she was Pharaoh. One of them is now called the Great Hatshepsut temple.
What did you learn?
How long was Hatshepsut Pharaoh for?
20 years or over 20 years
Was Hatshepsut the first female Pharaoh?
No
Did Hatshepsut marry Thutmose II or Thutmose III
Thutmose II
Who became Pharaoh after Hatshepsut?
Thutmose III
What was the name of the god that Hatshepsut said was her dad?
Anum
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