Thutmose III

Thutmose III (variously also spelled Tuthmosis or Thothmes, Ancient Egyptian: 𓅝𓄟𓄤𓆣; c. 1485 BC - 11 March 1425 BC), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, was a pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders, and military strategists of his time; as Egypt's preeminent warrior pharaoh and conqueror; and as a dominant figure in the New Kingdom period. Technically, Thutmose III ruled Egypt from 28 April 1479 BC until his death on 11 March 1425 BC. However, for the first 22 years of his reign he was coregent with his stepmother and aunt, Hatshepsut, who was named pharaoh. He became sole ruler after Hatshepsut's death around 1458 BC. Thutmose III conducted between 17 and 20 military campaigns, all victorious, which brought ancient Egypt's empire to its zenith. They are detailed in the inscriptions known as the Annals of Thutmose III. He also created the ancient Egyptian navy, the first navy in the ancient world. Historian Richard Gabriel called him the "Napoleon of Egypt". Two years before his own death, and after the death of his firstborn son and heir Amenemhat, Thutmose III appointed a later son, Amenhotep II, as junior co-regent and successor-in-waiting.