Mentuhotep II

Mentuhotep II was the fourth pharaoh of the 11th Dynasty, who ruled Upper Egypt from 1509 to 1471 B.C. and all of Egypt from 1471 to 1458 B.C. He succeeded his father Intef III, and was succeeded by his son Mentuhotep III. Much is known about this pharaoh in both the revised and traditional histories.

Mentuhotep was the son of Intef III, who was the son of Intef II, who was himself the son of Intef I. He had several children, but the only one of note was Mentuhotep III.

In 1509 B.C., Intef III died and passed the throne on to his son Mentuhotep II. For the first thirteen years of his reign, very little happened. However, in Mentuhotep's fourteenth year (1496 B.C.), the 10th Dynasty to the north made a move to attack, and he sent armies up to stop them. Merikare died in this battle or shortly after, weakening the 10th Dynasty further.

Mentuhotep II saw his chance, and began a revolution against 10th Dynasty rule in Lower Egypt. He was finally able to reunite Egypt in his thirty-ninth year (1471 B.C.). Other military actions he took were conquering Nubia in two campaigns of his twenty-ninth and thirty-first years of rule (1481 and 1479 B.C.), and he may have conquered Canaan as well before his death in 1458 B.C.

The evidence for the revised history can be found at Displaced Dynasties. Evidence regarding this pharaoh specifically can be found here.