Hatshepsut. Her two brothers died before their father, and when her half-brother and husband, King Tuthmose II – royals often intermarried to ensure continuance of bloodlines – died, Hatshepsut ruled Egypt as the queen dowager. To preclude any revolt due to her gender, she dressed in the garb of male rulers, complete with a false beard common to pharaohs of the time. Charismatic and popular, during her 15-year rule she left more artworks and monuments than did future queens.
