Ramesses II

Ramesses II was the third pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, and arguably the most famous of all time. He ruled over all of Egypt, including the Levant, Libya, and Nubia (though he would be the last pharaoh ever to do so), from 840 to 774 B.C. He succeeded his father Seti I, and was succeeded by his thirteenth son Merneptah. A lot is known about this pharaoh.

Ramesses II was the son of Seti I, who was the son of Ramesses I, who was himself the son of Seti who was a vizier during the late 18th Dynasty. Ramesses had many sons, but the only one to succeed him was Merneptah.

In 840 B.C., Seti I died after a long reign of nearly thirty years during which he conquered parts of Libya and Nubia. Ramesses II became pharaoh, and immediately set out to bring peace to Egypt following the chaotic Amarna period. In his second year (839 B.C.), he defeated invading Sea Peoples and thus expanded his territory to the west and north.

In the fourth year of his reign (837 B.C.), Ramesses II conquered parts of Palestine and Syria. This angered the Hittite king Muwatallis, who had previously owned this territory. The next year, Muwatallis and Ramesses II battled for the Levant at Kadesh, which became one of the best-attested battles in ancient history. Ramesses lost, but maintained the territory of Israel during the reigns of Athaliah and Jehu.

The next major event of Ramesses' reign would take place in 820 B.C., when he negotiated the first peace treaty in recorded history with the Hittite king Hattusili III. This kept the northern border of Egypt secure and peaceful, until the reign of Ramesses' son Merneptah.

Throughout Ramesses' reign, he continued to collect tribute from the Levant, Nubia, and Libya, but turned his focus to construction. He built many temples in Egypt and Nubia, and even built a new capital for the 19th Dynasty in Pi-Ramesses. Ramesses died after a long reign of 67 years.

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