Neferkare Amenemnisu was an
ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
ian
pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
, the second king of the
21st Dynasty.
Reign
Amenemnisu's existence was only confirmed in 1940 when the
Tanite tomb of his successor
Psusennes I was discovered by
Pierre Montet: a gold bow cap inscribed with both Amenemnisu's royal name, Neferkare, and that of his successor Psusennes I was found within the tomb.
[ K.A. Kitchen, ''The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (c. 1100-650 BC)'', Warminster, 3rd ed. 1996. § 218.] Previously, his existence had been doubted as no objects naming him had been discovered. However, the memory of his short rule as the second pharaoh of the 21st Dynasty was preserved in
Manetho
Manetho (; ''Manéthōn'', ''gen''.: Μανέθωνος, ''fl''. 290–260 BCE) was an Egyptian priest of the Ptolemaic Kingdom who lived in the early third century BCE, at the very beginning of the Hellenistic period. Little is certain about his ...
's ''Epitome'' as a king ''Nephercheres'' who is assigned a short reign of four years.
Pardon of rebellions
While his reign is generally obscure, the then
High Priest of Amun at
Thebes,
Menkheperre, is known to have
pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
ed several leaders of a
rebellion
Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
against the High Priest's authority during Amenemnisu's reign.
[ These rebels had previously been ]exile
Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
d to the Western Oasis of Egypt in Year 25 of Smendes. These events are reported on the so-called Banishment Stela (Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
C. 256), likely made during the brief reign of Amenemnisu.[K.A. Kitchen, 1996, §§ 213; 218]
See also
* List of pharaohs
The title "pharaoh" is used for those rulers of Ancient Egypt who ruled after the unification of Upper Egypt, Upper and Lower Egypt by Narmer during the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt, Early Dynastic Period, approximately 3100 BC. However, the sp ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amenemnisu
11th-century BC pharaohs
Pharaohs of the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt
11th-century BC deaths
Year of birth unknown