How did an Egyptian become a pharaoh? they weren't all family!?

Question

I love learning about Ancient Egypt but am baffled HOW someone became a pharaoh. I know they weren't all related but they seem to step up to the throne all over the place. I often see or read that "this young pharaoh took the throne in 13something something" but they don't explain how. Was there a vote or did they just cease the throne?

Answer 1

Pharaoh  originally meant Egyptian “great house”. The name Pharaoh was not applied to the Egyptian ruler, until the days of the Israelite occupation in Egypt.  Pharaoh originally was used by the ancient Egyptians for the palace of their king.  But the Israelites, and later the Nubians etc. began to call the Egyptian ruler-Pharaoh. This was during the 18th Dynasty (1550-1307 bc) it was applied by extension to the king himself. The pharaoh was the religious, civil, and military leader of Egypt. The living pharaoh was associated with the god Horus. Ancient Egyptians came to associate the Pharaoh of Egypt with Horus.

Pharaohs were also figure heads- while they had the final say they had a group of advisors, secondary leaders, etc.- which did alot of the behind the political scenes work too.

Pharaohs became rulers through birth- they were sometimes born into positions, but usually it was assigned through a strategic system;

1) Elders and the elite would select and vote for the best and brightest figures--be they war heroes, scholars, a member of the elite, or some how favored positions in the Egyptian government.

2) After selected, then the person would become pharaoh--but this often took place over a period of several years---unless born into.

Answer 2

They were usually the son of the previous Pharaoh. The Pharaoh would have a 'great' or 'royal' wife who's sons would be first in line for the throne, but sometimes he pick a son to follow him. The Great Wife had to be of royal blood, and was often a half sister. Pharaohs usually had a few wives and concubines, so they had a choice of heirs if the Great wife failed to produce an heir.. At least once a Queen who's son was too young to rule ended up on the throne though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Great...

This wasn't an unbroken line, as invaders took the throne at various times. The Nubians, Libyans and Greeks all ousted previous dynasties.

Answer 3

power struggles and political killing. Kinda like in medieval times.

Answer 4

Being a Pharaoh is a birth right, because the Pharaoh was believed to be descendant of the gods and therefore a god himself. A father would be Pharaoh, and then his son would be, and so on. This cycle was sometimes disrupted by wars, and then a new "dynasty" would gain control.