Great Royal Wife

Great Royal Wife is the title that was used by the main wife of the pharaoh in Ancient Egypt.
 Description 
In Egypt, most men were married only to one wife, but the pharaohs had more wives and women who lived with their main wife. This happened so pharaohs could marry the daughters of their friends of neighboring countries, which was common for ancient kings.Shaw, Garry J. The Pharaoh, Life at Court and on Campaign, Thames and Hudson, 2012, p. 48,  91-94.thumb|The Vulture crown which was usually worn by Great royal wives.  The mother of the future king was not always the main wife, but after a pharaoh became king, his mother could be given the title of Great Royal Wife and other titles too. Some examples of this are Iset, who was the mother of Thutmose III, Tiaa, who was the mother of Thutmose IV, and Mutemwia, who was the mother of Amenhotep III.Joann Fletcher: Egypt's Sun King – Amenhotep III (Duncan Baird Publishers, London, 2000) , p.167

Meretseger, who was married to Senusret III, might have been the first queen to have this title. However, she is only known from the New Kingdom, so it's possible that this title is not from that time.L. Holden, in: Egypt's Golden Age: The Art of Living in the New Kingdom, 1558-1085 B.C., Boston 1982, S. 302f. Maybe Nubkhaes from the Second Intermediate Period was the first person to have this title.

 References 

Category:Ancient Egyptians