Third Intermediate Period
Psusennes II
21st Dynasty (Tanite) · 1069-945 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Psusennes II closed out the 21st Dynasty in obscurity, but a single royal marriage arranged during his reign smoothed the transfer of power to the Libyan-descended Shoshenq I, binding the old Tanite line to the new 22nd Dynasty rather than letting it end in outright rupture. Background from: UCL Digital Egypt.
Reign dates: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
The final king of Tanis
The end of the 21st Dynasty is historically murky. The conventional scholarly view is that Psusennes II succeeded Siamun and ruled for roughly 15 years. He may have been the exact same individual as Psusennes III, the High Priest of Amun in Thebes. Specific details regarding the events of his reign remain extremely scarce. Upon his death, he was succeeded by the famous Libyan leader Shoshenq I, officially ushering in the 22nd Dynasty.
A marriage that bridged two dynasties
Rather than seizing power through open conflict, Shoshenq I appears to have secured his family's claim to the throne years in advance by marrying his son, the future Osorkon I, to Maatkare, a daughter of Psusennes II. Maatkare died before her husband actually became king and so never held the title of queen herself, but the marriage nonetheless created a direct genealogical link between the old Tanite royal line and the new Libyan dynasty, helping to legitimize what might otherwise have looked like an outright takeover.
Sources for this profile
- Shaw, I. (Ed.). (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.
- Dodson, A., & Hilton, D. (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.
- Leprohon, R. J. (2013). The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary. Society of Biblical Literature.
- UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. Chronology. UCLA.
- University College London. Digital Egypt for Universities.
The complete, APA-formatted reference list is on the Academic Sources & Bibliography page.