Reign of King Tut
Reign of King Tut -
His Background
Tutankhamun was born in 1343BC and
he was known by the name of Tutankhaten
at this time.
The childhood of King Tut started as a stable one, he was the heir to the
throne of Egypt and loved by his parents
the Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wide Kiya. His
parents, and his stepmother Nefertiti had revolutionised the religion
adhered to in Ancient Egypt. The religious ideas of his father had
radically changed Ancient Egypt from a polytheistic religion,
worshipping many gods, to monotheism which was the worship of one
god called the Aten and depicted as the sun disc. Akhenaten had built a
new city called Amarna as the centre of worship to the new god. The
early childhood and reign of King Tut would have been spent in Armana.
The Early Childhood of King
Tutankhamun
His father, Akhenaten, was a totally
autocratic ruler. The young prince would have seen the power wielded by
his parents, backed by the force of the military. The new Religion and
the god Aten was the focus of everyone's lives. Only his father and the
royal family were allowed to commune directly with the god. His father
was revered as a living deity and held the power in the country, not the
priests of Amun from the old religion. Home and Foreign affairs were
practically ignored. The people and the priests resented the new
religion which had been forced upon them. Egypt had declined into a
chaotic state, governed by the religion obsessed Pharaoh and the corrupt
officials who had replaced the traditional priest led economy.
Reign of King Tut -
His father is forced to abdicate
The stable childhood of Tut came to an
abrupt halt in 1337 BC when he was just 7 years old. His father the
Pharaoh Akhenaten was forced to abdicate after a reign of 17 years and
soon after died. The chaotic state of the country and the rising
opposition to the new religion forced these changes. There is some
mystery about the events which followed. In 1336BC a person called Smenkhkare Ankhetkheperure
took the throne. There is speculation that Smenkhkare Ankhetkheperure
was in fact Nefertiti, Akhenaten's Chief Wife and the mother-in-law and
stepmother of Tut. Smenkhkare only reigned for two years and in 1334 BC
Tutankhamun became pharaoh.
Reign of King Tut -
His marriage to Ankhesenpaaten
As a boy of just nine years old
Tutankhamun was not a lot more than a puppet king, relying on the advice
of his regent and vizier Ay and the support of the military led by
General Horemheb during his reign. In the same year he became pharaoh, 1334BC, Tut
married Ankhesenpaaten, his half sister who was also
the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti and
the granddaughter of Ay.
Incest was seen as an acceptable element in the lives of the Egyptian
Gods and Goddesses, retaining the sacred bloodline.
The pharaohs were seen as living deities so it was deemed as perfectly
acceptable for them to emulate the incestuous behaviour of the gods.
Reign of King Tut - Tutankhaten
changes his name to Tutankhamun
When King Tut was about 12 years old
the
backlash against the new religion was so intense that the young pharaoh changed his name
from Tutankhaten to
Tutankhamun. During the same year
Ankhesenpaaten changed her name to Ankhesenamun.
A year later
the royal court moved back to the old capital
at Thebes
which was the center of worship of the god Amun and the power base of the Amun priests.
Reign of King Tut - The
Teenage Years
Solidifying the new rule King Tut commissioned various building works
at this time including the restoration of some temple properties at Karnak
and Thebes worshipping the old gods. Some of his time was also spent in
addressing the external problems of Egypt including battles with the
enemies of Egypt. The wars during the reign of King Tut were fought
against the Hittites, the Mitanni and the Nubians. The East Delta of the
Nile was threatened by Hittite invaders from Palestine and Syria. The
Mitanni mounted invasions from northern Mesopotamia and the Kushite raiders from Nubia and the Sudan
also waged war against the Ancient Egyptians during the reign of King
Tut. King Tut may have well
been a warrior king, fighting in these battles.
There are depictions on the tomb of Tutankhamun
showing scenes where he is riding a chariot and no less than six
chariots were buried with King Tut in his tomb.
Reign of King Tut -
His Children
King Tut and his wife Ankhesenpaaten
appeared to have had a happy marriage together but the happiness was
marred because none of their children survived infancy. The mummies of
two daughters of Tutankhamun were buried with him in his tomb.
Reign of King Tut - The
Death of Tutankhamun
The actual cause of his death is
subject to a great deal of speculation. Did he die of natural causes? Or
was he murdered and, if so, who killed King Tut?
Reign of King Tut
Each section of this King Tut website, including his reign, addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
Pharaohs and of Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details
of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject
of the Pharaoh Reign of King Tut - Tutankhamun!
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