Ramesses III

Egyptian pharaoh of the 20th dynasty

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Egypt rank#198

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Momentum6.8
Egypt rank#198
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Lived -1217–-1155, aged 62Egypt

Egypt Historical Figures

Wikipedia
57 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Egypt
#198
Historical Figures
Era
-1217–-1155
Aged 62

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

The last pharaoh to hold real power in Egypt's New Kingdom, he beat back the Sea Peoples when other Bronze Age empires were collapsing — then died in a palace murder plot organized by his own wife.

Biography

About

Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III ruled from 26 March 1186 to 15 April 1155 BC, presiding over Egypt as invasions and economic trouble drained the kingdom's strength. He earned the label "warrior Pharaoh" by defeating the Sea Peoples, raiders who had wrecked other civilizations, buying Egypt time even as the damage hollowed out what remained. He built one of western Thebes' largest mortuary temples at Medinet Habu. His secondary wife Tiye and her son Pentawere led the Harem conspiracy that killed him, triggering a succession crisis that sped Egypt's unraveling. His designated heir Ramesses IV t…

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