16th & 17th Dynasty

The founder & royal Family:

The founder of this dynasty was King called Djehuty, his wife was Mentuhotep.

History:

Following the Hyksos take over of Lower Egypt, the heirs of the 13th Dynasty appear to have decamped to Thebes , forming the 16th Dynasty . Very little is known of this period, except for the names of the kings, although it appears too continued in Upper Egypt. It is unclear how the Thebans regained control over their capital and the area northwards to Abydos , but having done so they appear to have reached some agreement with Hyksos, since peace seems to have lasted for some decades until the final confrontation during the last part of the 17th Dynasty. By the beginning of the 17th dynasty Egypt has been essentially divided between the Hyksos and the southern, Native Egyptian for over half a century.

In spite of earlier hostilities, the two sides seem to have settled down into a broadly symbiotic relationship. The memory of the Thebes -Hyksos break was later enshrined in a folktale, and made concrete in the sate of the body of the Theban king, Taa II, killed by violence, maybe with a battle with the Hyksos. His successors continued the struggle, Ahmose I ultimately reasserted Egyptian rule over upper Nubia, expelled the Hyksos, and possibly advanced into the Levantas far as the Euphrates. The reign of Amenhotp I appear to have been fairly uneventful, without any further known action in Asia. However, it was clearly a time of major expansion of Egyptian power in the following generations. Ahmose I came over the Hyksos.

Famous Kings:

Taa I
Taa II
Kamose
Ahmose I
Amenhotep I