The Great Life of Ramses

Learn the history of the Ramesside Dynasty, and how they came to power. The Ramessides were the inheritors of a throne that was no longer held by ancient families. The pharaohs of this age earned the throne by military might and political favor.

Learn about the ascension of Ramses, and what his vision for a kingdom had in store for the land of Egypt. Ramses held up the family honor, and precious right to rule, by going to war with Egypt's enemies. However, Ramses also agreed to the first peace treaty in history. Wisdom is one of many traits that made Ramses great.

Ramses was blessed with an extraordinarily long life for the period he lived in, and his reign reflected that blessing. But his blessing was also a curse at times: he lost his favored royal wife, Nefertari, and multiple children, while he was still pharaoh. Woodside unravels the tragedies alongside the triumphs.

Ramses the Great had a glorious reign, and under him Egypt prospered. When the time came for him to pass on the torch of pharaonic leadership, what happened? Curtis Ryan Woodside explains the end of Ramses II's rule, his legacy, and the fate of Egypt in those years following the death of the great ancestor.