Middle Kingdom
Queen Sobekneferu (Sobekkare)
12th Dynasty · 1985-1773 BCE
Reign begins1777 BCE
Reign ends1773 BCE
Dynasty span1985-1773 BCE
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The first confirmed female pharaoh
Following the death of Amenemhat IV, his sister or wife, Sobekneferu, ascended to the throne. She is the very first female ruler in Egyptian history whose reign as a full pharaoh is indisputably proven by contemporary archaeological evidence.
The end of an era
She associated herself heavily with the crocodile god Sobek and the powerful legacy of Amenemhat III. She ruled for slightly less than four years. Her death without an heir brought the 12th Dynasty to an abrupt end, plunging Egypt into the fractured Second Intermediate Period.