Family of King Tut
Family of King Tut,
the Pharaoh Tutankhamun
The family of King Tut include some
the most famous characters in Ancient Egyptian history. Their lives are
surrounded with chaotic and revolutionary changes in Egypt. Murder,
mystery and intrigue touch the lives of the family of King Tut - his
father, the heretic King Akhenaten, his stepmother Nefertiti who
mysteriously disappeared, his Grand Vizier Ay who was
also the father of Nefertiti and the
grandfather of Ankhesenpaaten, the wife of Tutankhamun. Ankhesenpaaten
was forced to marry her grandfather when Tutankhamun died. She also died
in mysterious circumstances.
Family of King Tut
- Incest
There was considerable
inter-marriage in the family of King Tut.
Incest was seen as an acceptable element in the lives of the Egyptian
Gods and Goddesses, retaining the sacred bloodline.
The Ancient Egyptian creation myth attempts to explain how some of the
major Egyptian Gods and Goddesses came into being, their relationships
with each other and the the nature and genesis of the universe. The
pharaohs were seen as living deities so it was deemed as perfectly
acceptable for them to emulate the incestuous behaviour of the gods.
The Close Family members of King Tut
King Tut belonged to the Eighteenth
dynasty of Egyptian Kings during the period of the New Kingdom.
-
The Father of Tutankhamun was
Akhenaten, first known as Amenhotep
-
The Mother of Tutankhamun was
believed to be a noblewoman called Kiya
-
His Stepmother was Nefertiti,
the chief wife of Akhenaten
-
The wife
and consort of Tutankhamun was Ankhesenpaaten (aka Ankhesanamum and
Ankhesenamen), who was also his half sister
-
Children: None survived. His
two daughters were still born and were buried with Tutankhamun
The Mysteries surrounding the Family of
King Tut
Most people are aware that Tutankhamun
died at the young age of just 18/19 years old and the controversy
surrounding the cause of his death. What is not so well known is that
some of the main family members of King Tut were also surrounded by
strange disappearances and mysteries, as detailed below. Full details of
these people and events can be accessed via the sitemap.
Family of King Tut - His father,
Akhenaten
Akhenaten, the father of King Tut,
began a religious revolution when he forced the Egyptians to change from
a polytheistic religion, worshipping many gods, to a monotheistic
religion which was the worship of one god who was called the Aten.
His father was generally hated. Akhenaten used the force of the Egyptian
army to enforce these ideas on the people of Egypt and destroy the old
religion and its priesthood. The entire population of Thebes were moved
to the new city of Armana which Akhenaten had built as his new capital.
Businesses were ruined. The traditional temple-based economy, run by the
priests, had been replaced by the new regime, run by local
administrators and military commanders. It is believed that Akhenaten
was forced to abdicate and died shortly after - cause of death
unknown...
Family of King Tut - His step-mother
Nefertiti
Nefertiti fully supported Akhenaten in
the establishment of the new religion. All reference to Nefertiti
disappeared towards the end of the reign of Akhenaten. But there is
speculation that it was Nefertiti who assumed the sole role as the
Pharaoh referred to as Smenkhkare Ankhetkheperure. The rule of Smenkhkare
only lasted two years, when King Tut was made Pharaoh - was this
Smenkhkare murdered? Was the pharaoh actually Nefertiti...
Family of King Tut - His wife,
Ankhesenpaaten
Ankhesenpaaten was the wife and half
sister of King Tut, the daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife
Nefertiti and the granddaughter of Ay. Following the untimely death of
Tutankhamun Ankhesenpaaten was told that she was expected to marry
her grandfather, Ay. A political move to strengthen the claim of Ay to
the throne. A document has been discovered which was sent to the
Hittites stating the following:
"My husband has died and I have no son.
They say about you that you have many sons.
You might give me one of your sons to become my husband.
I would not wish to take one of my subjects as a husband... I am
afraid."
It is believed that this was a plea from
Ankhesenpaaten. The Hittite King sent one of his sons, Zannanza, as
requested but he was murdered during the journey...
When Ankhesenpaaten died is unknown but she
probably died sometime during the short rule of Ay, between 1325 BC
and 1321 BC. Did she die from natural causes? Was it Murder? Was
it Suicide? No tomb or mummy has ever been found for Ankhesenpaaten.
Like her husband, Tutankhamun her
death remains a mystery...
Family of King Tut
Each section of this Family of King Tut website 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 Family of King Tut - Tutankhamun!
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