Thutmose I

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Thutmose I or Thothmes I , d. 1495 BC, king of ancient Egypt, third ruler of the XVIII dynasty; successor of Amenhotep I. He became king c.1525. In a great campaign he subjugated the valley of the Nile up to the Third Cataract (below the present Dongola). Syria occupied his attention, and he at least temporarily subdued the country as far as the Euphrates River. His son and successor, Thutmose II, reigned from c.1495 to 1490 BC Unlike Hatshepsut , his half-sister whom he married, Thutmose II did not have a royal mother. Before long Hatshepsut gained equal power and relegated him to the background, calling herself "king." At the death of Thutmose II, Hatshepsut became regent for Thutmose III, his son by a minor queen. She relegated Thutmose III to an inferior position for 22 years while she ruled Egypt. At her death (1468), he emerged as the sole ruler of Egypt and as a great conqueror. Almost immediately he advanced into Syria, where an Asian alliance against Egypt waited to oppose him. He was victor at Megiddo and consolidated all Syria, except Phoenicia, in his empire. In successive campaigns he reduced every ruler N of the Euphrates to the status of autonomous tributary and eventually conquered even powerful Kadesh and Mitanni, a kingdom E of the Euphrates River. His empire (the zenith of the New Empire), extending from the Third Cataract to the Euphrates, was used to enrich Egypt with wealth and man power. He built temples up and down the Nile and founded the wealth of the priesthood of Amon, to which he belonged. Thutmose died (1436), after having made his son Amenhotep II coregent, and was buried in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. His mummy is now at Cairo. Thutmose IV (reigned c.1406-1398 BC), son and successor of Amenhotep II, also invaded Asia and Nubia; he formed alliances with independent kings neighboring his Syrian tributaries and married a princess of Mitanni, who was mother of his son and successor, Amenhotep III.

Thutmose Name of four kings of the 18th dynasty in ancient Egypt. Thutmose I (r. c.1525–c.1512 bc) extended his kingdom s into Nubia, and campaigned successfully in the Near East. He was succeeded by his son, Thutmose II (r. c.1512–c.1504 bc), who married his half-sister, Hatshepsut. She ruled as regent for his son, Thutmose III (r. c.1504–1450 bc). Thutmose III expanded the kingdom to its greatest extent, defeating the Mitanni kingdom on the River Euphrates and pushing the s frontier beyond the fourth cataract of the Nile. His grandson, Thutmose IV (r. c.1425–c.1416 bc), continued an expansive policy but also sought to strengthen the empire by peaceful means, marrying a Mitanni princess.

Thutmose I (or Tuthmosis I) Pharaoh of Egypt (c.1525–1512 BC). He extended his domains deep into Nubia and later penetrated with his army as far as the River Euphrates. He made extensive improvements to the temple of Amun at KARNAK and was the first pharaoh to be buried in the VALLEY OF THE KINGS.