12th Aug 2009
Good Girl Hall of Famer # 2: Queen Hatshepsut , the Queen who was a King
Talk about a woman in control – Hatshepsut was a queen of queens. Born into the Egyptian royal family in 1540 B.C., Hatshepsut was so wise in the way of politics that she not only survived the deadly conspiracies of her imperial rivals, but also maneuvered her way into the king’s throne. While married to Thutmose II (her half brother, which was how the Egyptian nobles kept their lineage “pure”), she was nothing more than the little wife. But once old Thutmose died, Hatshepsut set her cap to becoming the greatest woman ruler in the world.
She became the teacher to her nephew, Thutmose III, and once he assumed the throne, she more or less shoved him in the background and began to rule Egypt herself. She became so powerful, that she assumed the identity of a male king, even having herself depicted in sculptures and friezes wearing a man’s dress and beard. Hatshepsut’s reign was a peaceful one, without any major wars; she became famous for restoring ancient sanctuaries and building beautiful temples. It’s unclear how Hatshepsut died – she might have been murdered – but she was buried in the famous Valley of the Kings in great splendor. However, the male rulers didn’t let her bask in glory for long; Hatshepsut was the ultimate uppity female. To punish her for overstepping her womanly role, Thutmose III erased her name from all her monuments after her death. Still, no matter how hard old Thutmose III tried to delete Hatshepsut from the history books, she had the last laugh. Hatshepsut was so wily, strange, smart, and powerful, that she’ll never be forgotten.comments
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bio
Yxta Maya Murray is a writer and a law professor living inLos Angeles with her husband Andrew and her two silky terriers, Sophie and Oscar. In January, she'll be publishing her first young adult novel, The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped. The Good Girls' Guide tells the story of Michelle Peña, a foster kid, straight A student, and track star, who also happens to be East L.A.gang royalty. Michelle has abandoned her family's gang ways, and is the happy foster kid of a doctor named Frank Redman out in Westchester, California. However, she finds herself getting drawn back into that Life when she and her best friend Kiki are kidnapped by
a gang, "The Snakes," in retaliation for a drug debt
owed by her brother.