Rameses III
By Asavaa - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10233973
Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III was Pharaoh from 26 March 1186-15 April 1155 BCE, the second pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty, the last pharaoh of the New Kingdom considered to have substantial power. During his reign, the decline of Ancient Egypt's political and economic power that began with those before him slowed. He was able to defeat the Sea Peoples, saving Egypt from completely collapsing like other empires during the Late Bronze Age collapse.
By A. Parrot - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46239309
His reign was marked with political chaos from the collapse and constant war to protect Egypt from invaders pushed by the chaos as well as internal political chaos. Part of the internal chaos was due to the cost of protecting the borders of Egypt slowly exhausting the treasury. This led to food rations to the elite royal tomb-builders being missed after a series of poor harvests, likely caused by the Hekla 3 eruptions in about 1160 BCE, for nearly two decades, until about 1140 BCE. This resulted in higher grain prices.
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His death came through assassination. He was killed by the Harem conspiracy, a coup d'état where a minor wife, Tiye, wanted her son, Pentawer, to take the throne instead of Ramesses III's designated heir, Ramesses IV. She was able to recruit several officials and servants to deliver her letters, making it a two-fold conspiracy between the harem and officials. The harem was very restricted, so the overseer and clerk of the harem had to be brought in to reach beyond the harem. Ramesses III's throat was cut to the bone, resulting in a quick death.
By Unknown author - Nicholas Reeves, Richard H. Wilkinson: Das Tal der Könige. Geheimnisvolles Totenreich der Pharaonen. S. 160,
In the trials held afterward by Ramesses IV, 38 people were sentenced to death, either through being put to death by the state or by suicide. During the trial, some of those from the harem tried to seduce judges, but they were caught and the judges involved were severely punished. Tiye and Pentawer's tombs were emptied of any treasure and their names were stricken from everything but the judicial record of the trial, denying them an afterlife.
