Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Diplomatic Marriage to the Hittite Princess
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about Ramses the Great's military might, his building projects, his family, his viziers. But there's one side of his reign that I think we haven't really touched on, and it's the one that might surprise people the most: his diplomacy through marriage. Luna: Oh, like with the Hittites? Lucas: Exactly. After the famous battle at Kadesh, which was really more of a draw than a victory, Ramses and the Hittite king Hattusili III eventually negotiated a peace treaty. It's actually the earliest surviving peace treaty in the world, and we have copies of it from both sides. But the treaty wasn't just a piece of paper. To seal it, Ramses did something that was both politically shrewd and personally significant: he married a Hittite princess. Luna: Wait, he married the daughter of his enemy? Lucas: He did. And it wasn't just any marriage. It was a grand diplomatic affair that involved months of negotiation, a long and dangerous journey for the bride, and a wedding that was celebrated on a monumental scale. The Hittite princess, whose Egyptian name was Maathorneferure, which means 'one who sees the beauty of Ra', traveled all the way from Hattusa, the Hittite capital in central Anatolia, down to Egypt. And the marriage was not just a personal union; it was a symbol of peace between two superpowers. Luna: That must have been quite a journey for her. Lucas: It was. The ancient sources say that her father, Hattusili III, was so concerned about her safety that he asked Ramses to send an escort to accompany her. And Ramses, being the master of propaganda that he was, sent a letter saying, 'My brother, do not worry. I will send a great escort to bring your daughter safely to me.' And he did. The princess arrived with a massive entourage, including chariots, soldiers, and gifts. It was a spectacle that would have been seen as a triumph of diplomacy. Luna: And this was after Kadesh? That's incredible. Lucas: Yes, it was about fifteen years after the battle. By then, both empires were exhausted from constant conflict and had bigger threats to worry about, like the Sea Peoples and other shifting powers. So the peace treaty, and this marriage, were very much in the interest of both sides. And it's interesting: the Hittite queen, Puduhepa, was very much a driving force behind this alliance. She corresponded directly with Ramses and the Egyptian court, which shows that women in the Hittite royal family had significant political agency. Luna: So she was like a diplomat in her own right? Lucas: Absolutely. She was a powerful figure, and she and Ramses exchanged letters that have survived. In one, she even asks Ramses to send a physician to her brother, who was ill. So there was this back and forth not just about politics, but also about personal matters. The relationship between the two courts was quite close, at least for a time. Lucas: Now, the marriage itself was a big deal. Ramses had the event commemorated on a stela, which is known as the Marriage Stela. It was erected at Abu Simbel, among other places, and it tells the story of the princess's arrival. The inscription is interesting because it frames the whole thing as a divine plan. It says something like, 'The great god Amun-Re said to me, I will give you the daughter of the great chief of Hatti, as a wife, to unite the two lands.' So even the marriage was presented as a religious and cosmic event. Luna: I love how they used religion to justify everything. Lucas: Right. And it wasn't just about justifying it. It was about elevating the marriage to a level that would be remembered for eternity. After all, Ramses was all about leaving his mark. And this marriage, along with the peace treaty, helped secure his legacy as a great diplomat, not just a great warrior. Lucas: But let's step back for a moment. We're here, episode 200, talking about Ramses. And it's really because of the support of listeners like you that we can keep exploring these stories without any ads. If you want to support the show, there's a link on our page: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to help us stay ad-free and keep going. Luna: Yeah, it's a small thing that makes a big difference. Lucas: Anyway, back to the princess. She was given the title of Great Royal Wife, which was a huge honor. But we don't know much about her life after the wedding. She might have had a tomb in the Valley of the Queens, but it hasn't been clearly identified. Some scholars think she might be buried in a tomb that was later reused, but it's uncertain. So in a way, she remains a bit of a mystery. Luna: So we know about her as a political symbol, but not as a person? Lucas: Exactly. And that's kind of the case with many royal women of the time. They were often pawns in diplomatic games, but their personal lives are largely invisible to us. Still, the fact that Ramses married not just one but possibly two Hittite princesses—there's some evidence of a second marriage later—shows how important these alliances were for maintaining peace. Luna: Two? That's interesting. So the first marriage wasn't enough? Lucas: Well, the second one is debated, but there's a reference in a later text to a Hittite princess who came to Egypt in the reign of Ramses, possibly after Maathorneferure. It might have been another sister or relative. Regardless, the first marriage was a major event, and it's the one that's best documented. Lucas: One of the most fascinating aspects of this marriage is how it's depicted in art. At Abu Simbel, there's a scene that shows the princess arriving, and she's shown in a respectful way, not as a conquered enemy. She's depicted with the same dignity as any Egyptian queen. This was a deliberate choice to show that the alliance was one of equals. Luna: So it was a message to both Egyptians and foreigners. Lucas: Precisely. To the Egyptians, it showed that Ramses was so powerful that even his former enemies sought his favor. To the Hittites, it showed that they were respected and not just vassals. And to the rest of the world, it demonstrated that Egypt was a major player on the international stage. Lucas: This marriage also had an impact on the succession. The princess's children would have been half-Hittite, which could have been a point of contention. But as far as we know, her sons never became pharaoh. Ramses had many sons from his first wife, Nefertari, and others, so the succession was not really threatened. Still, it's a reminder that these royal marriages were not just symbolic; they had real implications for dynastic politics. Luna: Did the marriage actually help keep the peace? Lucas: For the most part, yes. The peace treaty held for the rest of Ramses's reign, and relations between Egypt and Hatti remained cordial. There were some tensions later, especially after Ramses died, but the treaty set a precedent for diplomacy that would influence later generations. It's actually a remarkable achievement that two ancient superpowers could set aside their differences and establish a lasting peace through such a union. Lucas: So when we think of Ramses the Great, we often picture the warrior king, the builder of monuments, the father of over a hundred children. But this diplomatic marriage shows another side of him: the pragmatist, the statesman who could use marriage as a tool of statecraft as effectively as any sword. Luna: It's like he was playing chess while others were playing checkers. Lucas: Exactly. And it's a reminder that history is full of these complex figures who don't fit into simple categories. Ramses was both a warrior and a diplomat, both a conqueror and a peacemaker. And that's what makes him so fascinating to study.