Nitocris

Fact 1 on Nitocris:

Spending on building projects by King Pepi II had spiralled out of control leaving the government in turmoil, with rebellious officials leaving the royal court and gaining power as Nomarchs in their own regions.
 

Fact 2 on Nitocris:

She was believed to be the daughter of King Pepi II and the half-sister and wife of his heir, King Merenre.
 

Fact 3 on Nitocris:

It is quite possible that she entered an incestuous marriage with her half-brother who would eventually become King Merenre II. Incest was an acceptable practise amongst the rulers of Egypt, in order to retain the sacred and divine bloodline.
 

Fact 4 on Nitocris:

Following the death of their father, King Merenre assumed the throne of Egypt and the chaotic fragments of the government left by his father. He began a process of royal and political consolidation.
 

Fact 5 on Nitocris:

The reign of King Merenre ended abruptly when he was assassinated following a conspiracy of nobles and officials at the royal court.
 

Fact 6 on Nitocris:

King Merenre and Nitocris were childless and the grieving wife assumed the throne of Egypt as the pharaoh-queen.
 

Fact 7 on Nitocris:

The widow and queen wanted revenge. She was determined to punish the courtiers involved in the murder of her husband.
 

Fact 8 on Nitocris:

The rulers of ancient Egypt were experienced and prolific builders who had built vast underground tombs beneath their pyramids. They also built massive palaces but, as these were not solid stone constructions, have not stood the test of time. It is known they their palaces also contained vast, cool, beautifully decorated underground chambers.
 

Fact 9 on Nitocris:

According to an account by the Greek historian Herodotus (Histories II) the of the queen-pharaoh ordered the construction of a very large underground chamber which was connected to a secret conduit leading to the Nile River. (A conduit is something, such as a pipe or tunnel, through which water can flow.)
 

Fact 10 on Nitocris:

She then extended invitations to a great banquet to the men she knew to have had most part in the murder of her husband.
 

Fact 11 on Nitocris:

The reason for the grand banquet, given by the queen, was it was a gesture of goodwill, token of reconciliation, a gift to express good wishes at the beginning of the new era.
 

Fact 12 on Nitocris:

The invitations were accepted and the courtiers and nobles arrived for the great banquet.
 

Fact 13 on Nitocris:

During the feast the queen gave the order to let in the river and the subterranean chamber was flooded.
 

Fact 14 on Nitocris:

Herodotus goes on to state that when this had been accomplished, she threw herself into a room full of embers, in order that she might escape vengeance.
 

Fact 15 on Nitocris:

Herodotus goes on to state that when this had been accomplished, she threw herself into a room full of embers, in order that she might escape vengeance.
 

Fact 16 on Nitocris:

The reference to the 'room full of embers' could mean the palace kitchen. During the Old Kingdom, heavy pottery molds were filled with dough and then set in the embers to bake. It would seem likely that the pharaoh-queen committed suicide in the palace kitchen.
 

Fact 17 on Nitocris:

The queen had gone to such tremendous efforts to plan this massacre it seem inconceivable that she would not have considered the aftermath of so many murders that were clearly orchestrated by herself.
 

Fact 18 on Nitocris:

The most likely method of suicide would have been taking poison, which she could have planned in advance. Alternatively, she could have used a knife. Both methods would mean she would still have been able to enter the Afterlife. It is most unlikely she would have willingly burnt herself to death.
 

Fact 19 on Nitocris:

The suicide of the queen ended the reign of the 6th dynasty of ancient Egyptian kings and the period in history known as the Old Kingdom.