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Servant to the Pharaoh

“What is the point of keeping a Pharaoh who fails at uniting the people? Why must a failure continue to keep the throne, when he has no power over the black lands along the Nile? He cannot unite the people of Egypt whether they be Libyan, Nubian, Syrian, or even a native Egyptian. Those that live along the Nile have been united in the idea of everyone being a Servant to the Pharaoh. But now the Pharaoh is a mere servant himself, and the unity the people of the Nile once felt has now been disrupted.”​


This timeline takes place during the reign of the powerless Pharaoh Ramses XI(1107-1077 B.C.) of the Twentieth Dynasty. Instead of Ramses ruling Egypt, three servants ruled Egypt. The governor Smendes controls the nomes of Lower Egypt, the High Priest of Amun Herihor rules Upper Egypt from Thebes, and the Viceroy of Lower Nubia Pinehesy has rebelled against the Pharaoh. A conflict like this would ensure that in our timeline ancient Egypt would be divided for centuries, but in this timeline an ambitious High Priest will be able to secure the continuing of Egypt’s survival and prosperity.



It is 1080 B.C., soldiers led by a priest are marching down the Nile, looking for a rebel servant. Not in Egypt, but instead the soldiers are in Nubia, a warmer land with more timber than Egypt. The land is ruled by a servant to the Pharaoh, his name is Pinehesy, Viceroy of Kush. The priest they are led by is named Pinedjem, heir to the High Priest of Amun, Herihor. The two priests having been working for years to gain the favor of the Pharaoh. Both are intelligent, cunning, and most of all ambitious.

The Viceroy of Kush has recently disobeyed all of the Pharaoh’s orders. The Pharaoh’s latest order was to surrender the position of Viceroy to Herihor. The Viceroy refused, and now Pinedjem must hunt him and his army down in the strange Nubian lands. The priests of Amun have their eyes set on gaining this land for it holds plentiful gold mines. Possessing the mines would give them absolute control over the flow of Nubian gold to Egypt.

Instead of using an entirely Egyptian army, Pinedjem also used a large number of Libyan mercenaries. Libyans had been migrating into Egypt since the time of Ramses the Great, most of these Libyans would either settle down or become mercenaries. Some Libyans would adopt Egyptian culture, and become leading members of Egyptian society. In fact Pinedjem himself was of Libyan descent.

The Egyptian-Libyan army marched down the Nile taking over village after village, and city after city. Eventually the army would meet the Viceroy’s army at the capital of Lower Nubia, Faras. With the Libyan mercenaries, Pinedjem’s army had the advantage in numbers, and the Viceroy Pinehesy’s army was made up mostly of Nubians not to loyal to the Egyptian Viceroy.

The battle began early that day with a surprise ambush from the Egyptian army, and they gained the upper hand quick. Many Nubians began to retreat against the orders of the Viceroy. After large casualties and long hours of fighting Pinedjem won the battle. In 1079 B.C. the former Viceroy, Pinehesy was captured and executed, lower Nubia was now under the control of the Priests of Amun.



While Pinedjem was solidifying Egyptian rule over Nubia, Herihor was working towards gaining more influence over the Pharaoh. Ramses XI was invited to travel to Thebes in honor of his conquest of Nubia(Of course servants can’t take the fame). Not everyone wanted Ramses to travel to Upper Egypt, especially Smendes who suggested the Pharaoh in his old age should stay and rest in Lower Egypt.

But Ramses was an arrogant king who would never let his nemesis, old age, win a battle over him. In the year 1077 B.C., Ramses left Lower Egypt for Thebes to celebrate the conquest of Lower Nubia. He died on the way in the same year, somewhere around modern day Sohag, most likely from old age.

News of the death of the Pharaoh spread fast. Ramses had no son, or heir but the two most powerful men in Egypt at the time declared themselves pharaoh. Herihor quickly left Thebes and headed shortly north to where Ramses’ body was located. He quickly took the body of the former Pharaoh and held a funeral in his honor, for it is the successor who buries the previous Pharaoh. Ramses’ body was buried in the Valley of Kings, and Herihor was celebrated as Pharaoh by the nobles of Upper Egypt. At the same time Smendes declared himself Pharaoh, but only had the support of Lower Egyptian nomes.

Learning of Ramses XI death, Pinedjem and his army headed back towards Egypt for he knew war would soon break out between the priests and governors. After joining with more soldiers in Thebes, Pinedjem campaigned to Lower Egypt.

In Lower Egypt the nomes were more than prepared to defend themselves against Pinedjem, which is why he brought along the only thing nomes desired more than power: gold.

From the conquests of Nubia, Pinedjem was able to secure a large amount of gold which he had planned to use for bribing the nomes. Every nome knew that as long as the Priests of Amun controlled the gold their dreams of wealth and power would never come true if they allied with Smendes. As Smendes lost power over Egypt he attempted to make one last stand against the warrior-priest, Pinedjem. In the delta Smendes attacked Pinedjem with an army only half the size of Pinedjem(scouts make easy mistakes), it was a failure and suicidal for Smendes. He was captured and executed.

In the year 1074 B.C. Herihor became ruler over all of Egypt and the first of the 21st dynasty, his heir and vizier Pinedjem prepared a new capital on the former frontier town between the priests and the governors.

The town was Tayu-djayet, and Pinedjem ordered that workers from all over Ancient Egypt come to Tayu-djayet and help the Pharaoh build this city. In this way whether people were Libyan, Nubian, Syrian, Upper Egyptian, or Lower Egyptian they could all feel united for each was a Servant to the Pharaoh.

Herihor died in 1073 B.C. Pinedjem succeeded to the throne and led a prosperous, stable reign.






Thanks for reading the first part of my first timeline, "Servant to the Pharaoh". A little background on the time period- after Ramses XI died Egypt continued to be divided between the Priests of Amun and Kings of Lower Egypt, this division would eventually lead to the Third Intermediate Period and the loss of Egypt as a major power. In this timeline former servants to the Pharaoh have succeeded in putting most of the empire back. Hope everyone enjoys this timeline, and please comment. :)
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