Tiye was an Ancient Egyptian queen of the

Twentieth Dynasty The Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XX, alternatively 20th Dynasty or Dynasty 20) is the third and last dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom period, lasting from 1189 BC to 1077 BC. The 19th and 20th Dynasties furthermore togeth ...

; a secondary wife of

Ramesses III Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III (also written Ramses and Rameses) was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt. He is thought to have reigned from 26 March 1186 to 15 April 1155 BC and is considered to be the last great monar ...

, against whom she instigated a conspiracy. Tiye is known from the

Judicial Papyrus of Turin The Judicial Papyrus of Turin (also Turin legal papyrus) is a 12th-century BCE ancient Egyptian record of the trials held against conspirators plotting to assassinate Ramesses III in what is referred to as the " harem conspiracy". The papyrus con ...

, which recorded that there was a

harem conspiracy The Harem conspiracy was a plot to assassinate the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses III in 1155 BC. The principal figure behind the plot was one of the pharaoh's secondary wives, Tiye, who hoped to place her son Pentawer on the throne instead of the p ...

against Ramesses, in which several people in high positions in the pharaoh's government were involved. The conspirators wanted to kill the king and place Tiye's son

Pentawer Pentawer (also Pentawere and Pentaweret) was an ancient Egyptian prince of the 20th Dynasty, a son of Pharaoh Ramesses III and his secondary wife, Tiye (20th dynasty), Tiye., p.193 He was involved in the so-called "harem conspiracy", a plot to kil ...

on the throne, instead of the appointed heir, the son of

Tyti Tyti was an ancient Egyptian queen of the 20th Dynasty. A wife and sister of Ramesses III and possibly the mother of Ramesses IV. Place of Tyti in the 20th Dynasty It was once uncertain which pharaoh was her husband, but he can now be identified ...

, one of the king's two chief wives. Ramesses was attacked by multiple assailants, one slitting his throat, another removing his big toe with a heavy sword or axe. However, his designated heir was able to control the situation, and succeeded him as

Ramesses IV Heqamaatre Setepenamun Ramesses IV (also written Ramses or Rameses) was the third pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. He was the second son of Ramesses III and became crown prince when his elder brother Amenherk ...

. The conspirators were caught, brought to trial, and condemned. Most were burned to death and their ashes scattered in the street. Others, including Pentawer, were compelled to commit suicide. It is not known what happened to Tiye.Dodson & Hilton, pp.190, 193-194

Sources

12th-century BC Egyptian women Queens consort of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt Ramesses III {{AncientEgypt-bio-stub