Ramesses III

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The Pharaoh’s Assassination and the End of a Golden Age
Ramesses III (1186-1155BCE) stands as the greatest pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty and the last great ruler of Ancient Egypt’s New Kingdom—a period marked by prosperity, military might, and cultural flourishing. During his reign, he defended Egypt against foreign invasions, stabilized the kingdom’s borders, and upheld the glory of the pharaonic line that had defined Egypt for centuries. As the last great pharaoh of the New Kingdom, his rule represented the final peak of Egypt’s imperial power, a time when the kingdom was still a dominant force in the Mediterranean and Nile Valley regions. However, his unexpected assassination shattered this stability completely. Unlike natural deaths of previous pharaohs, his murder signaled a breakdown in the internal order of Egypt’s court and governance. Without a strong, capable successor to fill his shoes, the central authority of the pharaoh weakened rapidly. The assassination did not just end a single reign; it marked the beginning of the end for the New Kingdom. The once-mighty Egypt, which had thrived under Ramesses III’s leadership, began a steady decline—one that would ultimately strip it of its status as a great power and lead to a period of chaos and division.

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The Bronze Age Collapse and the Transition to the Iron Age
Ramesses III’s assassination coincided with a pivotal global event known as the Bronze Age Collapse, a period of widespread societal collapse across the Mediterranean and Near East around the 12th century BCE. Egypt’s decline was not an isolated incident but part of a larger crisis that brought down powerful civilizations, including the Hittite Empire, the Mycenaean Greeks, and the Levantine city-states. This collapse was driven by a combination of factors: invasions by mysterious groups known as the “Sea Peoples,” climate change, crop failures, and internal unrest. For Egypt, the Bronze Age Collapse amplified the chaos caused by Ramesses III’s death. The kingdom, which had relied heavily on bronze technology for its military and economy, struggled to adapt as the world transitioned to the Iron Age. Iron was more durable and easier to produce than bronze, but Egypt’s mastery of bronze technology left it slow to adopt the new metal. This technological lag further weakened its military and economic strength, making it harder to defend against foreign threats and maintain internal stability. The transition to the Iron Age marked a fundamental shift in global power dynamics, and Egypt—once a leader in innovation and dominance—was unable to keep pace, accelerating its decline in the aftermath of Ramesses III’s assassination.

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The Split of Egypt and the Rise of Theocratic Power
After Ramesses III’s assassination and the onset of the Bronze Age Collapse, Egypt entered a period of profound political fragmentation. By the 21st Dynasty, the kingdom fell into the Third Intermediate Period, a time characterized by disunity and the erosion of pharaonic authority. The once-unified Egypt split into two separate regions: Lower Egypt, the northern part of the kingdom centered on the Nile Delta, was ruled by the pharaohs of the 21st Dynasty. In contrast, Upper Egypt, the southern region along the Nile Valley, came under the control of the High Priest of Amun. This split was a direct result of the weakened central power following Ramesses III’s death. The High Priest of Amun, who oversaw the most powerful religious institution in Egypt, gradually accumulated political power as the pharaoh’s authority declined. The priesthood controlled vast lands, wealth, and even military forces, making it a rival to the pharaonic court. This division between royal and religious power created a power struggle that further destabilized Egypt. With no single central authority to unify the kingdom, internal conflicts intensified, and Egypt became vulnerable to external threats. The split into Lower and Upper Egypt marked the end of Egypt’s New Kingdom era and ushered in centuries of chaos, from which the kingdom would never fully recover as a dominant imperial power.

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resources
Mark, Joshua J.. "Bronze Age Collapse." World History Encyclopedia, 20 Sep 2019, https://www.worldhistory.org/Bronze_Age_Collapse/.
Mark, Joshua J.. "Third Intermediate Period of Egypt." World History Encyclopedia, 11 Oct 2016, https://www.worldhistory.org/Third_Intermediate_Period_of_Egypt/.
Britannica Editors. "Ramses III". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ramses-Ill. Accessed 24 April 2026.