Female Pharaohs: Women on the Throne of Egypt

Three women are firmly attested as ruling Egypt as king: Sobekneferu (12th Dynasty), Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty) and Tausret (19th Dynasty). Whether Nitocris existed is disputed; the name Neferneferuaten most likely belongs to a woman whose identity is open. Queens of the Ptolemaic period follow, the best known being Cleopatra VII.

The female pharaohs at a glance

c. 2180 BCNitocris (6th Dynasty, Old Kingdom). Whether this ruler existed is disputed; later tradition, including Herodotus, turned her into a figure of legend.
c. 1760 BCSobekneferu (12th Dynasty, Middle Kingdom). She succeeded Amenemhat IV and was the last ruler of her dynasty. The Turin King List gives her 3 years, 10 months and 24 days. She is regarded as the first woman firmly attested as ruling in her own right as king. Her tomb has not been identified.
1479–1458 BCHatshepsut (18th Dynasty, New Kingdom). After the death of Thutmose II she first ruled as regent for the young Thutmose III and a few years later took the royal title herself, with full titulary (throne name Maatkare). Reliefs in her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari record an expedition to Punt.
1336–1335 BCNeferneferuaten (18th Dynasty, end of the Amarna period). A king of this name bears the epithet “effective for her husband”, which points to a woman. Who this was is open: Nefertiti and her daughter Meritaten are the main candidates; an identification with the co-regent Smenkhkare is also discussed.
1193–1190 BCTausret (19th Dynasty, New Kingdom). She was the wife of Seti II, governed as regent for Siptah after his death, and ruled as king herself after Siptah died. She was the last ruler of the 19th Dynasty and was followed by Setnakhte. Her tomb is KV14 in the Valley of the Kings.
2nd–1st c. BCPtolemaic queens (Greco-Roman Period): the list shows several queens as rulers or co-regents: Cleopatra II, Cleopatra III, Cleopatra Berenice III, Berenice IV, Cleopatra VI and Cleopatra VII (51–30 BC). With Cleopatra VII the Ptolemaic Dynasty ended.
270–272 ADZenobia appears in the list among the Roman emperors (see Roman Emperors as Pharaohs).

Queens who were not pharaohs

Most well-known women at the royal court were wives or mothers of kings and held titles of their own, such as “Great Royal Wife”. Nefertiti, the wife of Akhenaten, is an example; whether she ruled as king at the end of the Amarna period is open (see above, Neferneferuaten). The “God’s Wives of Amun” of the Third Intermediate Period and the Late Period also held high rank but were not counted as pharaohs; the list shows them as a group of their own.

Counting and evidence

How many female pharaohs there were depends on whom you count. Only a few are firmly attested; for Nitocris and Neferneferuaten scholars disagree, and for the Ptolemaic queens it matters whether co-regents are included. Every ruler page therefore shows its evidence: well attested, probable, disputed or barely known. All rulers are in the List of Pharaohs.

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Frequently asked questions

How many female pharaohs were there?

There is no fixed number. Three women are firmly attested as ruling as king: Sobekneferu, Hatshepsut and Tausret. In addition there are Nitocris (existence disputed), Neferneferuaten (identity open) and queens of the Ptolemaic period who ruled or co-ruled.

Who was the first female pharaoh?

The first woman firmly attested as ruling in her own right as king is regarded to be Sobekneferu at the end of the 12th Dynasty (c. 1760 BC). Nitocris would be earlier, but her existence is disputed.

Who was the most famous female pharaoh?

The best known are Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty, 1479–1458 BC) and Cleopatra VII (51–30 BC). Hatshepsut first ruled as regent and later took the royal title; Cleopatra VII was the last ruler of the Ptolemies.

Was Nefertiti a pharaoh?

Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten, that is a queen, not a pharaoh. Whether she ruled as king at the end of the Amarna period under the name Neferneferuaten is still open among scholars.

Was Cleopatra a pharaoh?

Cleopatra VII ruled Egypt as queen in 51–30 BC and is therefore in the list of pharaohs. She belonged to the Macedonian-Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, which ended with her.

Who was the last female pharaoh?

The last ruler of the pharaonic era is regarded to be Cleopatra VII, who died in 30 BC. Egypt then became a Roman province.

Sources

Facts checked on 19 October 2026. Dates follow the list on this site and are estimates.

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