Great Royal Wife
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[[Image:Nefertari.JPG|right|thumb|[[Nefertari]], the Great Royal Wife of [[Ramasses II]], from the temple he built to her at [[Abu Simbel]].]]
[[Image:Nefertiti 30-01-2006.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Bust (sculpture) |Bust]] of [[Nefertiti]], Great Royal Wife of [[Akhenaten]]. [[Altes Museum]], [[Berlin]].]]
'''Great Royal Wife''' or '''Chief King's Wife''' ([[Ancient Egyptian language|Ancient egyptian]]: ''ḥmt nswt wrt'') is the term used to refer to the chief wife of an [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] [[pharaoh]] on the day of his [[coronation]]. The first holder of its title was perhaps [[Nubkhaes]] of the [[Second Intermediate Period]]. [[Meretseger (queen)|Meretseger]], the chief wife of [[Senusret III]], who was also the first [[queen consort]] to write her name in a [[cartouche]] <ref>Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton: ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson, 2004, ISBN 0-500-05128-3, pp.25-26</ref> is only attested in the [[New Kingdom]].<ref>L. Holden, in: ''Egypt’s Golden Age: The Art of Living in the New Kingdom, 1558-1085 B.C.'', Boston 1982, S. 302f.</ref>
The Great Royal Wife was an official state [[queen consort|consort]] and would often be a sister or even daughter of the king, to keep the [[Royal descent|royal bloodline]] pure. While most Egyptians were [[monogamy|monogamous]], the pharaoh would have had other, lesser wives (and [[concubine]]s) in addition to the Great Royal Wife. This would allow the pharaoh to enter into diplomatic marriages with the daughters of allies, as was the custom of kings.
The [[order of succession]] in Ancient Egypt passed through the royal women. Marriage to a queen of the royal lineage was necessary, even if the pharaoh came from outside of the lineage as happened occasionally. Secondary unions to other women in the royal family assured that there would be heirs from the lineage and women who could become the royal wives. This is the reason for all of the intermarriages. The royal women also played a pivotal role in the religion of ancient Egypt. The Great Royal Wife officiated at the rites in the temples, as priestess, in a culture where religion was inexorably interwoven with the roles of the rulers.
<ref>{{Citation | last =Seawright | first =Caroline | contribution =Hatshepsut, Female Pharaoh of Egypt | year =1999-2004 | title =Tour Egypt | publisher =InterCity Oz, Inc. | url = http://touregypt.net/historicalessays/hatshepsut.htm | accessdate =2007-08-06}}</ref>
The mother of the heir to the throne was not always the Great Royal Wife, but once a pharaoh was crowned, it was not unknown to grant his mother the title of Great Royal Wife, along with other titles, even if she was not entitled to it during her husband's lifetime (an example is [[Mutemwia]], the mother of [[Amenhotep III]]),<ref>Joann Fletcher: ''Egypt's Sun King – Amenhotep III'' (Duncan Baird Publishers, London, 2000) ISBN 1-900131-09-9, p.167</ref> and sometimes the title was given posthumously to a king's mother (such as [[Iset (queen)|Iset]], the mother of [[Thutmose III]]).<ref>Dodson & Hilton, op.cit., p.138</ref>
The greatest summit of power reached by any Great Royal Wife was by [[Hatshepsut]], who after the death of her husband, [[Thutmose II]] became [[regent]] during the minority of her stepson, [[Thutmose III]], eventually assuming the title of pharaoh herself and ruling in her own right as a true [[queen regnant]]. Though other queens had ruled Egypt, Hatshepsut was the first woman to actually take the title of pharaoh.
During the [[Amarna period]], the pharaoh [[Akhenaten]] elevated his Great Royal Wife [[Nefertiti]] to a position very near his own, so that she could be said to be a [[co-regent]] with him, and shared much more prominently in religious rituals than any other Great Royal Wife before or since.
Although [[Ramasses II]] did not grant his Great Royal Wife [[Nefertari]] any extraordinary powers, he had great love for her and built for her her own temple at [[Abu Simbel]], an act of devotion unheard of in the history of ancient Egypt.
The pharaoh's secondary wives are often not mentioned in monumental inscriptions; an exception is [[Kiya]], a secondary wife of Akhenaten, who granted her the unique title of ''Greatly Beloved Wife''.<ref>{{Citation | last =Reeves | first =Nicholas | year =1990 | title =The Complete Tutankhamun | pages =24 | place=London | publisher =Thames & Hudson Ltd}}</ref>
==Great Royal Wives==
===Middle Kingdom===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="100" | Dynasty
! width="120" | Name
! width="255" | Husband
! width="300" | Comments
|-
| [[Twelfth dynasty of Egypt|12th dynasty]]
| [[Meretseger (queen)|Meretseger]]
| [[Senusret III]]
| Apparently the first holder of the title; though not definitively attested to in comtemporary sources
|-
|}
===Second Intermediate Period===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="100" | Dynasty
! width="120" | Name
! width="255" | Husband
! width="300" | Comments
|-
| [[Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt|13th dynasty]]
| [[Nubhotepti]]
| [[Hor]]
|
|-
| [[Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt|13th dynasty]]
| [[Nubkhaes (13rd dynasty)|Nubkhaes]]
| [[Sobekhotep V]], [[Sobekhotep VI]] or [[Wahibre Ibiau]]
|
|-
| [[Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt|13th dynasty]]
| [[Inni]]
| [[Merneferre Ai]]
|
|-
| [[Sixteenth dynasty of Egypt|16th dynasty]]
| [[Mentuhotep (queen)|Mentuhotep]]
| [[Djehuti]]
|
|-
| [[Sixteenth dynasty of Egypt|16th dynasty]]
| [[Sitmut]]
| [[Mentuhotep VI]] (?)
|
|-
| [[Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt|17th dynasty]]
| [[Nubkhaes]]
| [[Sobekemsaf I]]
|
|-
| [[Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt|17th dynasty]]
| [[Nubemhat]]
| [[Sobekemsaf II]]
|
|-
| [[Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt|17th dynasty]]
| [[Tetisheri]]
| [[Tao I the Elder]]
| Mother of [[Tao II the Brave]]
|-
| [[Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt|17th dynasty]]
| [[Ahhotep I]]
| [[Tao II the Brave]]
| Mother of [[Ahmose I]] and [[Ahmose-Nefertari]]
|-
|}
===New Kingdom===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="100" | Dynasty
! width="120" | Name
! width="255" | Husband
! width="300" | Comments
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Ahmose-Nefertari]]
| [[Ahmose I]]
| Mother of [[Amenhotep I]] and [[Ahmose-Meritamon]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Sitkamose]]
| [[Ahmose I]] (?)
|
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Ahmose-Meritamon]]
| [[Amenhotep I]]
|
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Ahmose (queen)|Ahmose]]
| [[Thutmose I]]
| Mother of [[Hatshepsut]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Hatshepsut]]
| [[Thutmose II]]
| Later pharaoh
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Iset (queen)|Iset]]
| [[Thutmose II]]
| Received the title from her son [[Thutmose III]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Neferure]] (?)
| [[Thutmose III]]
| No actual evidences for their marriage
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Satiah]]
| [[Thutmose III]]
|
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Merytre-Hatshepsut]]
| [[Thutmose III]]
| Mother of [[Amenhotep II]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Tiaa]]
| [[Amenhotep II]]
| Received the title from her son [[Thutmose IV]] after her husband's death
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Nefertari (18th dynasty)|Nefertari]]
| [[Thutmose IV]]
|
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Iaret]]
| [[Thutmose IV]]
|
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Mutemwia]]
| [[Thutmose IV]]
| Received the title from her son [[Amenhotep III]] after her husband's death
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Tiye]]
| [[Amenhotep III]]
| Mother of [[Akhenaten]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Sitamun]]
| [[Amenhotep III]]
| Eldest daughter of [[Amenhotep III]] and [[Tiye]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Iset (daughter of Amenhotep III)|Iset]]
| [[Amenhotep III]]
| Daughter of [[Amenhotep III]] and [[Tiye]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Nebetnehat]]
| Unidentified
| She lived during the mid-18th dynasty
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Nefertiti]]
| [[Akhenaten]]
| Daughter of [[Ay]]
|
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Meritaten]]
| [[Smenkhkare]]
| Daughter of [[Akhenaten]] and [[Nefertiti]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Ankhesenamen]]
| [[Tutankhamen]]
| Daughter of [[Akhenaten]] and [[Nefertiti]]
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Tey]]
| [[Ay]]
|
|-
| [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]
| [[Mutnedjmet]]
| [[Horemheb]]
| Probable daughter of [[Ay]] and [[Tey]]
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Sitre]]
| [[Ramesses I]]
| Mother of [[Seti I]]
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Queen Tuya|Tuya]]
| [[Seti I]]
| Mother of [[Ramesses II]]
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Nefertari]]
| [[Ramesses II]]
|
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Khaemweset|Isetnofret]]
| [[Ramesses II]]
| Mother of [[Merenptah]]
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Bintanath]]
| [[Ramesses II]]
| Eldest daughter of [[Ramesses II]] and [[Isetnofret]]
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Meritamen]]
| [[Ramesses II]]
| Daughter of [[Ramesses II]] and [[Nefertari]]
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Nebettawy]]
| [[Ramesses II]]
| Daughter of [[Ramesses II]] and [[Nefertari]]
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Henutmire]]
| [[Ramesses II]]
| Sister or daughter of [[Ramesses II]]
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Maathorneferure]]
| [[Ramesses II]]
| Hittite princess
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| Isetnofret
| [[Merenptah]]
| Sister or niece of her husband
|-
| [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]]
| [[Tawosret]]
| [[Seti II]]
| Later pharaoh
|-
| [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt|20th dynasty]]
| [[Tiye-Mereniset]]
| [[Setnakhte]]
| Mother of [[Ramesses III]]
|-
| [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt|20th dynasty]]
| [[Iset Ta-Hemdjert]]
| [[Ramesses III]]
| Mother of [[Ramesses IV]] and [[Ramesses VI]]
|-
| [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt|20th dynasty]]
| [[Henutwati]]
| [[Ramesses V]]
|
|-
| [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt|20th dynasty]]
| [[Nubkhesbed]]
| [[Ramesses VI]]
| Mother of [[Ramesses VII]]
|-
| [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt|20th dynasty]]
| [[Baketwernel]]
| [[Ramesses IX]]
|
|-
|}
===Third Intermediate Period===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="100" | Dynasty
! width="120" | Name
! width="255" | Husband
! width="300" | Comments
|-
| [[Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt|21st dynasty]]
| [[Nedjmet]]
| [[Herihor]]
| Probable mother of [[Pinedjem I]]
|-
| [[Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt|21st dynasty]]
| [[Mutnedjmet (21st dynasty)|Mutnedjmet]]
| [[Psusennes I]]
|
|-
| [[Twenty-third dynasty of Egypt|23rd dynasty]]
| [[Karomama]]
| [[Takelot II]]
| Mother of [[Osorkon III]]
|-
| [[Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt|25th dynasty]]
| [[Khensa]]
| [[Piye]]
|
|-
| [[Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt|25th dynasty]]
| [[Peksater]]
| [[Piye]]
|
|-
| [[Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt|25th dynasty]]
| [[Takahatamon]]
| [[Taharqa]]
|
|-
| [[Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt|25th dynasty]]
| [[Isetemkheb]]
| [[Tanutamon]]
|
|-
|}
===Late Period===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="100" | Dynasty
! width="120" | Name
! width="255" | Husband
! width="300" | Comments
|-
| [[Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt|26th dynasty]]
| [[Mehtienweskhet]]
| [[Psammetichus I]]
| Mother of [[Necho II]]
|-
| [[Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt|26th dynasty]]
| [[Takhuit]]
| [[Psammetichus II]]
| Mother of [[Wahibre]]
|-
|}
==References==
<references/>
==See also==
*[[God's Wife of Amun]]
*[[Divine Adoratrice of Amun]]
==External links==
*[http://www.touregypt.net/magazine/mag02012001/magf1.htm The Queens of Egypt] by Dr. Sameh Arab
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian queens consort| ]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian titles]]
[[Category:History-related lists]]
[[ar:زوجة ملكية عظيمة]]
[[fr:Grande épouse royale]]
[[it:Grande Sposa Reale]]
[[hu:Nagy királyi hitves]]