Hatshepsut: Manipulative or Effective Ruler

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HATSHEPSUT: THE QUEEN WHO WISHED TO BE KING. Hatshepsut is today remembered as being the evil step-mother of Thutmose III, the woman who manipulated her people by using propaganda and became pharaoh after letting the idea of power get to her head. History is frequently misinterpreted as the truth is often forgotten to make way for the more ‘interesting’ version of the story, which is then usually made up of very little truths. The fictitious side of stories is what is remembered by many people, whilst the reality is seldom told or known. Throughout time Hatshepsut has been unfairly portrayed as being manipulative and power-hungry however a revision of the sources show Hatshepsut as being one of the most effective rulers Egypt had ever seen. There are many reasons as to why Hatshepsut can be remembered in two completely different ways. One view of Hatshepsut is that she was a successful ruler; whilst the other is that she was manipulative and did not fill the role of Pharaoh of Egypt well. There are two sides to the sources, some historians say that Hatshepsut was manipulative yet others say that she was indeed a good ruler. Hatshepsut is today described by most Egyptologists as one of the most successful female pharaohs, as she reigned longer than any other woman of an Egyptian dynasty. Some historians believe her to be manipulative, G. Steindorff and K. Seele say that “In order to justify her insurpation the ancient dogma of the divine origin of the king was produced and applied to her own birth”. Therefore manipulating her people in to believing that the God’s had chosen her to rule. However inscriptions found upon a wall of the Deir el Bahri describes Thutmose I handing his title over to his daughter, Hatshepsut. The traditional and most commonly known story is that once Hatshepsut’s husband Thutmose II died, she stepped in as regent for her

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