Amenophis II

Pharaoh of the Nile

Amenophis II was born in the year 932 CE, and was the eldest son of the Pharaoh Amenophis I, a competent but otherwise unimpressive pharaoh. While his father may have been content with maintaining the status quo, Amenophis II found the idea to be unfit for the supposed "Ruler of the Nile." He found himself listening to the tales of old, grizzled travelers who told tales of a once great empire along the Nile, and found himself enamored with the idea leading grand armies and ruling the Nile like the pharaohs in the legends. Thus, when his father died and he was crowned Nomarch of Memphis and Pharaoh of the Nile in the year 949 CE, he made it his mission build his own empire and rule like a true pharaoh. He would soon realize, however, that this would be a far more difficult task than he had expected. With a city of ruins and a barely-existent military, Amenophis II knew it would take a long time to make his dream a reality. Throughout his reign, Amenophis II worked tirelessly to build up Memphis Nome, centralizing the economy and forming new government institutions. However, it was the military that he focused on most. He realized that, while the other nomarchs were technically subservient to him as the pharaoh, they would not simply accept his rule without a fight. He worked to increase the number of soldiers, as well as establishing a more sophisticated command structure with himself, and later his son, Amenophis III, at its head. This was not completely well-received, however, as his methods of forced labor and conscription were thought of as cruel by many of his subjects, though to the pharaoh these people just weren't able to see his vision of empire.
Though it would take most of his lifetime, by 980 CE Amenophis II felt that the time was right for him to begin his expansion. He decided that he would begin by annexing the neighboring nome of Atef-Pehu Nome, a primarily agricultural region that had backed out of a trade agreement with Memphis Nome during the reign of Amenophis I. After amassing his forces, Amenophis II led the Memphis Army east into Atef-Pehu. However, the nomarch of Atef-Pehu had realized the threat of the military expansion in Memphis, and in response had built up his own military. This caught Amenophis II completely off-guard, and in the first battle his army was routed and forced back across the border into Memphis Nome. What was intended to be a quick invasion had now become a full-on war between the two nomes.
After a disastrous first year that saw the army of Atef-Pehu almost reach the city of Memphis, Amenophis II decided to give full control to his son, Amenophis III. This would prove to be a crucial turning point, as Amenophis III was able to rally his forces and begin to push the enemy back across the border, followed by him gaining ground as he pushed into Atef-Pehu. This would culminate in the Battle of Pr-Hapi-n-Iwnw where, despite being outnumbered 2-1, Amenophis III would successfully storm the town, pushing out the enemy and securing the majority of the farmland in Atef-Pehu for the pharaoh. With this crippling loss, the nomarch of Atef-Pehu surrendered to Amenophis II, who would then combine the two nomes and, after giving up the title of the Nomarch of Memphis to his second son, establish himself as the ruler of the newly-formed Kingdom of Memphis.
Despite his vision of a great empire finally seeming plausible, Amenophis II realized that he did not have much time left. Therefore, instead of pushing his armies into the other neighboring nomes, he decided to spend his remaining years stabilizing his new kingdom and making sure that the title of Pharaoh would pass on smoothly to his son, Amenophis III, after his death. He was far kinder in his final years, as he now had the resources to prepare his son for the next stage of expansion without the use of forced labor. He would pass on peacefully in 989 CE at the age of 57, with the title of Pharaoh passing to Amenophis III as planned. His tomb is located in the government district of New Memphis.

Social

Family Ties

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Idgyptian

Previously Held Ranks & Titles

• Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Idgypt

Life

932 CE 989 CE 57 years old

Family

49th Pharaonic Dynasty

Parents

Amenophis I

Gender

Male

Aligned Organization

The Idgyptian Empire