Ramesses II

(noun)

The third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, who made peace with the Hittites. Often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire.

Related Terms

Examples of Ramesses II in the following topics:

  • The New Kingdom

    • It was ruled by pharaohs Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Ramesses II.
    • New Kingdom Egypt would reach the height of its power under Seti I and Ramesses II, who fought against the Libyans and Hittites.
    • The city of Kadesh was a flashpoint, captured first by Seti I and then used as a peace bargain with the Hatti, and later attacked again by Ramesses II.
    • Ramesses II had a large number of children, and he built a massive funerary complex for his sons in the Valley of the Kings.
    • Despite a palace conspiracy which may have killed Ramesses III,  three of his sons ascended the throne successively as Ramesses IV, Ramesses VI and Ramesses VIII.

  • Ancient Egyptian Monuments

    • The Luxor Temple was constructed in the 14th century BCE by Amenhotep III in the ancient city of Thebes, now Luxor, with a major expansion by Ramesses II in the 13th century BCE.

  • Ancient Egyptian Art

    • The Luxor Temple was constructed in the 14th century BCE by Amenhotep III in the ancient city of Thebes, now Luxor, with a major expansion by Ramesses II in the 13th century BCE.

  • The Third Intermediate Period

    • Even in Ramesses XI's day, the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt was losing its grip on power in the city of Thebes, where priests were becoming increasingly powerful.
    • After the death of Ramesses XI, his successor, Smendes I, ruled from the city of Tanis, but was mainly active only in Lower Egypt.
    • This unification brought stability to the country for well over a century, but after the reign of Osorkon II, the country had shattered in two states.
    • Shoshenq III of the Twenty-Second Dynasty controlled Lower Egypt by 818 BCE, while Takelot II and his son Osorkon (the future Osorkon III) ruled Middle and Upper Egypt.
    • Pharaoh Psamtik III succeeded his father, Ahmose II, only six months before he had to face the Persian Empire at Pelusium.

  • Casualties of World War II

  • Europe After World War II

  • Rise of the Gupta Empire

    • According to the Gupta records, Samudragupta nominated his son, Prince Chandragupta II, born of queen Dattadevi, as his successor.
    • However, his eldest son, Ramagupta, may have been his immediate successor until he was dethroned by Chandragupta II in 380 CE.
    • After gaining power, Chandragupta II expanded the Gupta Empire through conquest and political marriages until the end of his reign in 413 CE.
    • The period of Gupta rule, especially the reign of Chandragupta II, is still remembered as the Golden Age of India.
    • The Iron Pillar of Delhi, India, erected by Chandragupta II to honor the Hindu god Vishnu in the 4th century CE.

  • The Rise of the Macedon

    • Philip II’s conquests during the Third Sacred War cemented his power as well as the influence of Macedon throughout the Hellenic world.
    • Macedon’s rise is largely attributable to the policies during Philip II’s rule.
    • For many Macedonian rulers, the Achaemenid Empire in Persia was a major sociopolitical influence, and Philip II was no exception.

  • Restoration of the Stuarts

    • Over a decade after Charles I's 1649 execution and Charles II's 1651 escape to mainland Europe, the Stuarts were restored to the English throne by Royalists in the aftermath of the slow fall of the Protectorate.  
    • On April 4, 1660, Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda, in which he made several promises in relation to the reclamation of the crown of England.
    • On May 8, it proclaimed that King Charles II had been the lawful monarch since the execution of Charles I on January 30, 1649.
    • Charles II of England by Peter Lely, 1675, Collection of Euston Hall, Suffolk
    • King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration.

  • Danish Intervention

    • After the Bohemian Revolt was suppressed by Ferdinand II, the Danish King Christian IV, fearing that recent Catholic successes threatened his sovereignty as a Protestant nation, led troops against Ferdinand.
    • Frederick was forced to sign an armistice with Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, thus ending the 'Palatine Phase' of the Thirty Years' War.
    • To fight Christian, Ferdinand II employed the military help of Albrecht von Wallenstein, a Bohemian nobleman who had made himself rich from the confiscated estates of his Protestant countrymen.
    • Wallenstein pledged his army, which numbered between 30,000 and 100,000 soldiers, to Ferdinand II in return for the right to plunder the captured territories.
    • At this point, the Catholic League persuaded Ferdinand II to take back the Lutheran holdings that were, according to the Peace of Augsburg, rightfully the possession of the Catholic Church.