My Daughter, My Wife...


    *SNEFERU - Dynasty 3
    eldest daughter and wife: Nofretkau
    possible mother: Merityetes I, KW
    children: Hemiuni (m), Uhemka (m), Serefka (m), several daughters .

    *KHAFRE - Dynasty 4
    daughter and wife: Rekhetre
    possible mother: Khamerernebty I, GRW
    no info. on possible children of this union - (?)Princess Hemetre.

    *AMENHOTEP III - Dynasty 18
    kings daughter and wife: Iset II
    mother of child: Tiye - GRW
    no info. on possible children - Smenkhkare(?)

    *AKHENATEN - Dynasty 18
    mother of daughters: Nefertiti - GRW
    eldest daughter and later great wife: Meritaten
    possible daughter born of union - Meritaten Ta'sherit
    kings daughter: Meketaten
    died in childbirth - d: Meketaten Ta'sherit
    kings daughter and grw: Ankhesenpaaten
    daughter of union: Ankhesenpaaten Ta'sherit
    kings daughter and royal wife: Neferneferuaten Ta'sherit
    father died shortly after OR before pressumed marriage

    *RAMESES II - Dynasty 19
    mother of child: Nefertari Meryenmut - KW
    kings daughter and grw: Meritamun
    mother of child: Isetnofret - GRW
    kings daughter and grw: Bint'anath
    mother of child: Henutmire - KW?
    kings daughter and kw: Nebettawy

As shown, father-daughter marriages were not unknown but not a common occurance in the royal family. At a guess, upon the great royal wife's death the next queen with the nearest royal blood would be elevated to chief wife ( in the case of Mutemwiya, after Yaret's death, she was already a second wife and the mother of the king's eldest son).The eldest daughter of the newly elevated queen could appear to be seen as an heiress, so her father would marry her to ensure an uncomplicated succession with the official heirs of the deceased great wife. While there is no established proof for this theory, it would explain this unusual practice.

Sometimes, no kings wife was elevated after a queens death (as in the case of Amunhotep II, when his second great wife, Sitamun I died). Although unusual, this would also ensure a smooth transition of power to his established heirs on his death. In almost every one of these instances, the daughter married was not an heiress by the great wife. This daughter would be reserved for the heir to the throne. This however, was not always the rule.

 

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