Fact 1 on Tiy: | She was the daughter of Tjuyu and her father Yuya who were highly respected and wealthy members of the royal court and had made their home in the city of Akhmin, where Tiy was born. |
Fact 2 on Tiy: | Her father Yuya was a commoner who had risen to the rank of the Master of Horse for the royal cavalry and commander of the chariot units and a priest of the god Min. He is believed to be of Syrian descent. |
Fact 3 on Tiy: | Her mother, Tjuyu, was an Egyptian noblewoman, who had served in high offices in the Temple of Min and was the equivalent to a lady in waiting to Queen Mutemwiya a lesser wife of Pharaoh Thutmose IV, and the mother of their son who would become Pharaoh Amenhotep III. |
Fact 4 on Tiy: | Tiy was an extremely well educated Egyptian lady and with the influence of her parents became the wife of Amenhotep. |
Fact 5 on Tiy: | She is believed to have married Amenhotep when she was just 12 years old but was suited to the position as she was highly intelligent and hardworking. Her noble upbringing, her ambitious parents and her political links to the royal court had made her aware of the needs of the government of Egypt. |
Fact 6 on Tiy: | The marriage between her and Amenhotep produced a number of children who included several daughters (Princess Sitamun, Princess Iset, Princess Henuttaneb, Princess Nebetah and Princess Beketaten). |
Fact 7 on Tiy: | Their sons were Crown Prince Thutmose and Akhenaten. There is also evidence to suggest that they were also the parents of Smenkhkare (who would become a pharaoh) and Ay who played an important role in the life of Tutankhamun. |
Fact 8 on Tiy: | Her husband assumed the throne of Egypt and the title of Pharaoh Amenhotep III when his father, King Thutmose IV died. |
Fact 9 on Tiy: | Pharaoh Amenhotep III had inherited a prosperous country. His father had been a prolific builder and Amenhotep followed in his father's footsteps initiating many monuments dedicated to Amun-Ra the great sun god. |
Fact 10 on Tiy: | He also built a magnificent palace complex in Malkata near Thebes, including a temple dedicated to his wife who he held in the highest esteem. She achieved the status of "Divine Queenship". |
Fact 11 on Tiy: | Pharaoh Amenhotep III was clearly more interested in building than he was in the government of Egypt. He delegated many state duties and political tasks to his wife. |
Fact 12 on Tiy: | The queen held high offices in the governmental and religious hierarchies of the country. Her name appeared on many official acts and even appeared on the announcement of Amenhotep III’s marriage to a foreign princess. |
Fact 13 on Tiy: | She had clearly become the 'Power behind the throne' and was feted as such by foreign kings and government officials. |
Fact 14 on Tiy: | Towards the end of his reign Pharaoh Amenhotep III effectively retired to take up permanent residence at the palace complex in Malkata and his wife acted as pharaoh-queen in all but name. |
Fact 15 on Tiy: | Her eldest son, the Crown Prince Tuthmosis, mysteriously disappeared from the public records and his younger brother Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten, succeeded to the throne. |
Fact 16 on Tiy: | There is some speculation about the disappearance of Prince Tuthmosis - there are theories suggesting that he was of the biblical character Moses. The name of this prince, Thutmose, is very similar to the name Moses. |
Fact 17 on Tiy: | She was widowed at the age of forty-eight years old and assumed the high ranking status of the "King's Mother". |
Fact 18 on Tiy: | She joined Akhenaten, who became known as the Heretic Pharaoh, in his new city of Amarna. |
Fact 19 on Tiy: | She died at Armarna but her tomb was eventually moved to the Valley of the Kings. |