First Intermediate Period (2181 – 2055 BC)

First Intermediate Period (2181 – 2055 BC)

The First Intermediate Period began sometime after the death of Pepi II, who had lived to be into his 90s, which meant that he had outlived his heirs. That caused problems with the succession, and the growing power of the provincial governors exacerbated matters.

The result was a period of chaos during which the governors fought each other for power and a string of weak pharaohs proved unable to reign them in.

By the end of the First Intermediate Period, two dominant dynasties had emerged: the Heracleopolitan kings in Lower Egypt and the Theban kings in Upper Egypt. The last Theban king, Mentuhotep II, defeated the Heracleopolitans around 2033 BC and reunited Egypt into a single country. He thus became the first ruler of the Middle Kingdom.

The Middle Kingdom (2055 – 1650 BC)

Mentuhotep II ascended the throne of Thebes in 2055 BC. Twenty-two years later, he reunited Upper and Lower Egypt into a single kingdom. He led other military campaigns as far south as the Second Cataract in Nubia. It had become an independent state during the First Intermediate Period, and Mentuhotep II restored Egyptian control over it. He also conquered the Sinai region, which had left Egyptian control at the end of the Old Kingdom. His reign lasted for 51 years.

His son and successor, Mentuhotep continued consolidating Egypt under Theban control. He also built a series of forts in the eastern Delta region to protect Egypt from Asian attackers. His reign lasted only 12 years.

In the 12th dynasty (1991 – 1802 BC), pharaohs began maintaining standing armies. They were used for expeditions across the Sinai or up the Nile or to defend the realm from invaders.

Senusret III (1878 – 1839 BC) led a series of campaigns in Nubia. He often took to the field of battle himself, and he built many forts on the border of Egyptian conquests and unconquered Nubia. By his time, the regional governors had been stripped of much of their power.