Smendes I

Preceded by: Ramesses XI	Pharaoh of Egypt 21st Dynasty	Succeeded by: Amenemnisut
Smendes I
Ancient Egyptian: Nesbanebdjedet
Reign
1076-1050 BC (26 years)
Royal Titulary Praenomen Hedjkheperre-Setepenre Radiant Manifestation of Re, Chosen of Re Nomen Nesbanebdjedet-Meryamun He of Banebdjedet, Beloved of Amun Horus name Kanakhte-Meryre- Seuseramunkhepesheferseqamaat Strong Bull, Beloved of Re, whose arm Amun has strengthened in order to offer up Ma'at Nebty name Sekhempehty-Huyreqiuefbehatuef- Hepetem[...] Powerful of Might, who Struck down his Opponents who Flee from him, who Embraced by means of[...] Golden Horus [...]khesefdenden [...] Wards Off the Wrath
Legacy
Father	Amenhotep (?)
Mother	Herer (?)
Consort(s)	Tentamun
Issue	Amenemnisut (?)
Died	1050 BC
Burial	Tanis (?)

For other pages by this name, see Smendes.

Hedjkheperre-Setepenre Smendes I, or Nesbanebdjedet in ancient Egyptian (transliteration: ns-bꜢ-nb-ḏd.t, meaning: "He of Banebdjedet"), was the first Pharaoh (reigned 1076-1050 BC) of the Twenty-first Dynasty during the Third Intermediate Period.

Family

See also: 21st Dynasty Family Tree.

Smendes I may have been a son of a lady named Herer, who was a Chief of the Harem of Amun-Re and likely the wife of a High Priest of Amun. If Herer was Smendes' mother, then he was a brother of Nedjemet and through her brother-in-law of the High Priest of Amun Piankh.

Smendes was married to Tentamun, likely a daughter of Ramesses XI. They may have been the parents of his successor Amenemnisut.

Policy

Smendes I ruled over a divided Egypt and only effectively controlled Lower Egypt during his reign while Upper Egypt and Nubia were effectively under the suzerainty of the High Priests of Amun. During Smendes' reign his contemporaries were Herihor, Pinedjem I, Masaharta, Djedkhonsiuefankh and Menkheperre.

Dates and Length of Reign

Smendes I is assigned a reign of 26 Years by Manetho in his Epitome. This figure is supported by the Year 25 date on the Banishment Stela which recounts that the High Priest of Amun Menkheperre suppressed a local revolt in Thebes in Year 25 of a king who can only be Smendes, because there is no evidence that the High Priests counted their own regnal years even when they assumed royal titles like Pinedjem I did. Menkheperre then exiled the leaders of the rebellion to the Western Desert Oases. These individuals were pardoned several years later during the reign of Smendes' successor, Amenemnisut.

Burial and Succession

The whereabouts of Smendes I's tomb and mummy remain unknown, though he was presumably buried at the royal necropolis of Tanis.

See also

• Story of Wenamun

Bibliography

• Dodson, A./Hilton, D., 2004: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, London.
• Kitchen, K.A., 1996: The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100-650 BC). 3rd ed. Aris & Phillips, Warminster.

Predecessor: Ramesses XI

Pharaoh of Egypt 21st Dynasty

Successor: Amenemnisut