Interregnum queen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

An interregnum queen, in ancient Egypt, is a Great Royal Wife of a previous pharaoh who rules as a regent in the place of her heir-son, who has not yet reached the age to solely assume the role of pharah of Egypt. Officially the young heir-son is assumed to be king, de jure, making, in theory, his mother a co-regent.

But, in practice, the interregnum queen rules in the place of the young male heir as sole ruler, until the heir-son reaches an age, sometimes as early as 9 years old, as in the case of Tutankhamun [1], when he could assume the duties of pharaoh alone.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Carter, H. and A. C. Mace 1932. The Tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen, Discovered by the Late Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter. (3 Vols.). New York: Cooper Square Publishers, Inc.