Also known as Anknespaaten, Enkhosepaaton, Ankhesenamon, or Ankhesnamun
During the Eighteenth Dynasty, Ankhesenaton was the third daughter of Pharaoh Akenaton and Queen Nefertiti. Following the deaths of her two older sisters, Meritaton and Meketaton and Akenaton, Ankhesenaton was forced to marry her half-brother Tutankhaton (Nefertiti's son) in order to sustain the control of the throne. After the rule of Akenaton, the heretic king, the country was beginning to fall apart. So after the urging of the royal advisors, Ankhesenaton and Tutankhaton moved the royal palace back to Thebes and pledged loyalty to Amun or Amon the god by changing their names.
Ankhesenaton or Ankhesenamon carried two children to term, but they were both stillborn. The rule of Tutankhamon was short-lived and Ankhesenamon was a widow, who was scarcely in her twenties. Tutankhamon died before an heir to the throne was born or even conceived. Because of the unpopularity of her father's idealism, Ankhesenamon didn't have the public or political support to hold the throne herself. The throne of Egypt was threatened and she was on her own.
She feared that once the public was informed of the death of the young pharaoh the country might fall apart. Also, she was worried about the growing political powers that wanted to take control of the throne. The two leaders of these political powers were Aye, the grand vizier and Ankhesenamon's grandfather, and Horemhab (or Harmhab), the general of the army. Ankhesenamon wrote to Suppliliumas, the Hittite King, in northern Egypt for help. She asked him to send one of his sons to be her husband. If she was successful in her plan, she would have a husband with enough power to keep the enemies away, but she would still also have some control over the throne. However, Suppliliumas was suspicious and delayed sending one of his sons. This insulted the young queen and she wrote back to Suppliliumas in urgency.
The Hittite king sent one of his sons, but he was murdered before he could reach her. Time ran out for Ankhesenamon and her last and only hope to sustain her power was destroyed. She was forced to marry her grandfather Aye, who was over forty years older than her. With her plan crashed and her fate sealed, she was finally able to grieve over her late husband, Tutankhamon. At his funeral, the conquered queen placed a wreath of flowers on the head of her deceased king. Ankhesenamon died shortly before Aye and before Horemhab took over the throne to usher in the Nineteenth Dynasty.
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