11. Nefertiti
(c) 2005 ClipArt.com, modifications (c) Jone Lewis
The claim that Nefertiti ruled after the death of her husband, Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV), is based on the theory that she assumed the name Smenkhkare after his death. Even if she did not rule, during her husband's reign she was accorded more honor than usual for a Great Wife, and is sometimes depicted as a co-equal officiant at ceremonies.
12. Tausret (Twosret, Tausert, Tawosret)
Nineteenth Dynasty (~1194-1186 BCE)Tausret was chief wife of Seti II. When Seti II died, Tausret served as regent for his son, Siptah (Rameses-Siptah, renamed at some point Menenptah Siptah). Siptah was likely the son of Seti II and a minor wife, so Tausret was his stepmother. There is some indication that Siptal may have had some disability. He died about six years into his reign, and Tausret seems to have served as Pharaoh for two to four years, using kingly titles for herself. The founder of Dynasty 20 took over her tomb, and her successors replaced her name and image with his own. It was a time of civil unrest and there are few clear records, so the story isn't completely clear. A mummy at the Cairo museum is said to be hers.
13. Cleopatra VII
Ptolemy (~ 51-30 BCE)The last Pharaoh of Egypt, daughter of Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra VII became Pharaoh when she was about 17 years old. She had no son at the time; she married a much younger brother.
Cleopatra tried to keep Egypt's independence during a time of Roman domination by allying herself romantically, matrimonially, and militarily with Roman commanders Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. She had a son, Caesarion, supposed to be fathered by Julius Caesar, for whom she was regent. When she died, Egypt's rule passed into the hands of Rome.
The Ptolemies were descendents of a Macedonian general of Alexander's army. During the Ptolemaic dynasty, several other women named Cleopatra and Berenice served as regents.
