Egypt

The Kingdom of Egypt (also known as the Egyptian Empire) was the most populous and powerful country in the known world, now having been succeeded by the Commonwealth of Kemet, Kush, and Retjenu. It was the oldest continuously surviving state, having been unified almost two millennia ago. The country was highly diverse with a booming population, as well as the richest and most developed. Egypt was an absolute monarchy with the pharaoh holding all the power. It was last ruled by Ramesses XI of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt, who transformed the kingdom into the Commonwealth. Having been part of the Triple Alliance, Egypt's main allies were Assyria and the Mycenaean Confederation, and the main rival is Hatti, with which Egypt had been at odds with for over fifty years, though in the last years the Kingdom of Egypt was the leader of the Organization of Free Kingdoms, which also included a Hittite faction and was and still is meant to counter the Eastern Coalition.

## **History**

### **Egyptian Expedition**

In 0 AEE the new pharaoh Ramesses III, upon hearing of the calamities plaguing the Mycenaean Confederation, sent a 20 000 men strong expeditionary relief force, along with various supplies, to help stabilize the country. At first the generals and the treasurer protested, claiming that it was too expensive and that Mycenae should deal with its problems on its own, yet Ramesses III was undeterred and went along with his plan. The gamble paid off, as these new resources allowed the Mycenaean wanax to defeat the barbarians invading from the north, feed and calm down the angry population, and bring the lesser kings of the Confederation back into the fold. In 1 AEE the Pylos Agreement was signed between the two countries, with Egypt pledging to continue supporting Mycenae financially, agriculturally, and militarily for 10 years, and the Confederation giving Egypt easier access to tin, partial control of some Mycenaean industries, and promising to help in any conflict with Hatti. In 3 AEE, as the situation began stabilizing, half of the expeditionary force was pulled back to Egypt.

In 6 AEE, another call for help came to Egypt, this time from Hatti, the two countries at the time having a mixed but overall slightly positive relationship. Hatti was being attacked by barbarians from the north, the northwest (crossing from Europe), and Assyria was also preparing to strike the kingdom. Moreover, internal rebellions were brewing and it became a real possibility that Hatti might collapse. Ramesses III, fearing that such a collapse might spill over into Egyptian held Levant, decided to help Hatti as well, and sent supplies, including foodstuffs and weapons, to the Hittites. Hatti was stabilized, which caused the Assyrians to call off their attack. This greatly angered the Assyrian king Ashur-Dan, who in 7 AEE condemned Egypt for this action and all but officially broke its already barely existing alliance with it.

In 11 AEE, as per the Pylos Agreement, Egypt pulled out its remaining troops out of Mycenaean territory and ended its financial support to the country, yet the two remained very close and later signed the Keftiu Accords, formalizing the alliance between Egypt and the Mycenaean Confederation. With Assyria now being somewhat hostile to Egypt, Ramesses wanted to include Hatti in his alliance to counterbalance the eastern threat, yet such hopes were dashed in 15 AEE when the Hittite king Suppiluliuma II invaded the neutral Kingdom of Alashiya, breaking the Alashiyan Neutrality Concord, signed over a century before. Ramesses sent an ultimatum to Suppiluliuma, demanding that the Hittites leave the island or else Egypt will declare war on them. Suppiluliuma rejected this and instead made Alashiya into a puppet kingdom, stationed soldiers there, and began taking copper from the island to the mainland. After several delays, Ramesses, urged by the generals who thought that Hatti was still weak from the prior calamities and hoped that the war would be won in just a couple years, was left with no choice but to declare war on Hatti in 17 AEE, annulling the Treaty of Kadesh and beginning the Second Hittite-Egyptian War.

### **Second Hittite-Egyptian War**

Once the war began, the Mycenaean Confederation was called to join Egypt and help it fight Hatti on its western front. The wanax accepted this call to arms and immediately began mobilizing the fleets. The Egyptian generals were confident that Hatti would fall very quickly with it being attacked on two fronts, yet they were soon proven to have been mistaken. The Egyptian army was ill prepared for such a conflict, as it had not fought a real war for decades, and its only recent action was the relief effort in Mycenae. The Mycenaean army was also just starting to recover and reorganize and was not in a good shape to fight. Meanwhile, the Hittite army had grown to the largest size it had ever been and had received valuable experience during its engagements with the Kaskians, Luwians, and Alashiyans. The Egyptians were failing to make progress and the front line stagnated up to 19 AEE.

However, the Hittite forces soon grew overstretched and could not hold all their positions like they had. Despite this, Suppiluliuma continued ordering new offensives, which were ultimately unsuccessful. Seeing this, Ramesses began a counterattack, pushing the Hittites back across much of the Levant and in 21 AEE reaching Ugarit. The city was besieged and during the Battle of Ugarit, Suppiluliuma II was killed, forcing the Hittites to retreat from battle and head back into the city or to the north. This gave the Egyptians a huge morale boost, yet the new Hittite king Tudhaliya V adopted a more defensive approach, which over the next few years caused many casualties for the overconfident Egyptian army, which was not suited for fighting in such terrain. The Mycenaeans were fighting in the west, yet they were still too far to join up with the Egyptians to make a united push for Hattusa.

Seeing the Egyptians' exhaustion, Tudhaliya took some more troops from the western front and sent them to reinforce the Syrian army, and in 23 AEE he launched a blitz attack, quickly retaking all the lost lands and forcing the Egyptians back into their own territory. The Hittites continued pushing on and pursuing them and in 24 AEE they inflicted a decisive blow during the Battle of Byblos, where the retreating Egyptian army was defeated and Ramesses III killed. His son, the 15 year old Ramesses IV, became the new pharaoh and despite his young age, immediately ventured on to join and lead the tired army, hoping to boost their morale. Yet the war continued shifting in the Hittites favor. The Mycenaeans were bogged down in Lukka and could not help Egypt in Syria, the naval offensive to retake Alashiya failed, and the Hittites slowly continued encroaching upon Egyptian territory, taking one Phoenician city after another. In 28 AEE, Ramesses IV's division was cut off from the rest of the force during the Second Battle of Sidon, yet instead of being killed, he was captured by the Hittites as a hostage. Tudhaliya threatened to kill the young pharaoh unless the Egyptian armies stand down and cede all of the Phoenicia to Hatti. This issue was hotly contested in Men-nefer, where the royal envoy and the high priest of Ptah argued for the acceptance of this demand, while the generals disagreed and wanted to continue fighting no matter the cost. The latter side won, as it was endorsed by the vizier Neferkasoker, who was the acting ruler after Ramesses IV got captured. The demand was refused and so Ramesses IV was promptly killed in Hattusa by Tudhaliya V himself. The new official pharaoh became the late king's 5 year old son Ramesses V, however, Neferkasoker became the regent and continued ruling the country as he had.

In 29 AEE Neferkasoker, intending to become the official pharaoh and seize all the remaining power, ordered the poisoning of the boy pharaoh. The order was carried out, and now with Ramesses V dead and the Hittites rapidly advancing, a succession crisis began with no clear new ruler. Neferkasoker used this turmoil to proclaim himself as the new pharaoh and forced the high priests to recognize him as such. However, Neferkasoker was not a popular pharaoh and he had no connections to the royal family. Furthermore, he failed to stop the Hittite push across the Levant, which made him lose the support of the generals and the army quickly as well. Ramesses VI, a brother of the former pharaoh Ramesses III, organized the resistance against Neferkasoker and in 30 AEE, only months into the usurper's reign, stormed the palace and deposed him. Neferkasoker was tried by and given a judgement of death, with Ramesses VI, who became the new pharaoh, himself beheading him. This unrest in the capital allowed the Hittites to strike even harder and take over the rest of Phoenicia and advance into the Levant. Over the next couple years Ramesses VI tried stabilizing the situation and reorganizing the army, yet despite his efforts the Hittites still managed to take over the lightly defended Canaan, march through Sinai, and reach Per-Amun in Lower Egypt in 32 AEE, the furthest any foreign army had ventured since the Hyksos invasion 500 years ago. The city was besieged, but as it was about to fall, Ramesses launched an attack in 33 AEE. The Battle of Per-Amun took place, where the pharaoh sacrificed himself and his elite contingent of troops to save the rest of the army, which ultimately allowed it to win the encounter and force the Hittites to retreat across the Sinai.

Ramesses VI's son Ramesses VII became the new pharaoh and immediately launched a counterattack on Hatti, whose forces were overstretched as their armies had advanced too quickly for the establishment of the supply lines to catch up. In just two years, the reorganized Egyptian army retook Canaan and much of Phoenicia, winning many battles, including the Battle of Baalbek, where the Hittite king Tudhaliya V was killed. The new Hittite ruler Suppiluliuma III ordered a retreat north, which opened the rest of the Levant to Egypt. In 36 AEE the Egyptians were once again in control of all their territories before the war, and the army pushed on, securing such cities as Qatna and Kadesh. However, instead of continuing the campaign, Ramesses VII proposed a ceasefire in 38 AEE, as all the participants of the war were completely exhausted and the populations were getting restless. Suppiluliuma agreed to this and soon the Treaty of Damascus was signed in the neutral Aramean city of Damascus near the border of both kingdoms. Egypt received some reparation payments as well as new lands to the north, which were reorganized into the puppet Kingdom of Amurru and mostly demilitarized as per the terms of the treaty (the Hittites did the same on their side of the border by creating the puppet Kingdom of Ugarit in northern Levant). The war was finally over after more than 20 years, yet the original goal of freeing Alashiya had failed and the generals were furious with the decision to stop fighting, as were parts of the population, who had hoped that the latest advance would secure all of the Levant and potentially even completely destroy Hatti.

### **Post-War Troubles**

Protests against the treaty began almost immediately and soon spread to other cities than the capital. In 39 AEE they intensified and the pro-war organization the Sons of Montu was founded by the general Binebtat, who had been dishonorably discharged 3 years prior due to his brutal war crimes in the Levant. The Sons of Montu advocated for the annulment of the treaty and the redeclaration of war against Hatti, as they thought that the Hittites were too weak to resist Egypt and would completely crumble in just a few more years. Ramesses officially denounced the organization and declared it a terrorist one, yet it continued to be supported by many, including some court officials. While the Egyptian held Levant was being rebuilt and the country's economy returned to a peacetime one, the Sons of Montu remained a threat and continued to grow. In 40 AEE they were even joined by Ramesses VIII, one of Ramesses III's sons, who became the organizations figurehead. In 42 AEE the Sons of Montu launched an attack on the royal palace of the capital Men-nefer and, with the help of the commander of the guard there, managed to reach the throne room and kill Ramesses VII and the vizier. Fighting would continue in the palatial area for hours until all who opposed the organization were either killed or fled. Ramesses VIII was enthroned as the new pharaoh and immediately began planning another war with Hatti. Yet the assault had cost the Sons of Montu quite a lot of men and they were finding it hard to rule the city, let alone the country, as less than a third of the population endorsed their goals and actions.

Ramesses VIII's nephew Ramesses IX was proclaimed as the official pharaoh by the priests in Waset, and he proceeded to march north with his followers, soon securing all of Upper Egypt and advancing onto the capital in 43 AEE. Heavy fighting took place for weeks in Men-nefer, but Ramesses IX's forces were gaining ground and pushing the Sons of Montu out. The population's support of the Sons of Montu also diminished, as they saw them in action during the fighting. Eventually, Ramesses IX's men surrounded the palace and went in, killing everyone they came across, including Ramesses VIII. After this, Ramesses IX gained control of the rest of the country and became recognized by everyone as the official pharaoh. However, the Sons of Montu organization, while severely crippled, survived and went into hiding in the Nile delta and the Levant.

### **Stabilization and Recovery**

Ramesses IX immediately cancelled all plans for a new war with the Hittites and instead redirected the resources for the stabilization of Egypt and operations to fully wipe out the Sons of Montu. Many temples and palaces, which had fallen into decay during the war and the following years, were renovated or rebuilt and new ones were constructed, including new mortuary temples for the dead pharaohs from Ramesses III onwards, except Neferkasoker and Ramesses VIII, as they were considered usurpers and declared to be "heretic pharaohs". Kush was also pacified in 44 AEE, as the people there had started some uprisings and the southernmost nomes had fallen out of Egypt's control. Ramesses IX signed a decree, releasing some Kushite slaves and granting them more rights, which was unpopular among the more conservative elements of the population, but ultimately helped Egypt retain its Kushite holdings. Egypt's population and economy started growing rapidly, in part due to new agricultural inventions by the court's alchemists, as Ramesses invested quite a lot into the creation of new technologies which would give the country an edge over the others.

During the war, in Canaan Egypt lost some of its territories east of the river Jordan and never recovered them, as the army was rushing to pursue the Hittites along the coast and could not afford to stray too far inland. Now that the situation was more stable, the generals urged Ramesses to retake these lost lands, yet he refused, as for the most part they only contained deserts and mountains, with low populations and barely any resources. Thus, these territories were claimed by the Kingdom of Edom and the Kingdom of Moab, which were semi-recognized by Egypt. They would prove to not trouble Egypt as they entered into a conflict between themselves, which in some manner would last for decades, and Egypt would switch between supporting one side and the other, fearing that if one of them won, they would turn on Egypt and raid their Canaanite holdings.

In 46 AEE Ramesses, hearing of the Assyrian army reaching Babylon, proposed an intervention to the international community in order to stop the Assyrians from becoming too powerful. While Assyria had been an ally of Egypt not too long ago and was also a fierce enemy of the Hittites, the Egyptians feared that if the ruthless Assyrian military culture was combined with the fertile farmlands of Babylonia, the empire would become unstoppable, and so could not allow them to conquer Karduniash. The other major kingdoms also supported this motion, and an ultimatum was sent to Assyria so that its armies would stand down or else it would risk war with Egypt, Hatti, Elam, and Mycenae. The intervention was successful and, after a change of leadership, the Assyrians accepted the demands, putting an end to the war. Even after this, Assyria continued trading heavily with Egypt, as they had no other choice due to Hatti and Karduniash being too hostile to become Assyria's trading partners. This was seen as a great victory for Ramesses, as Assyria's spread was curbed and the state still remained more in line with Egypt, remaining its junior partner, similarly to the Mycenaean Confederation, which laid the foundations for the Triple Alliance.

Ramesses continued his work and in 48 AEE reached the highest approval rating of any pharaoh since Ramesses II. In 49 AEE, he fell ill, yet still insisted on going on public appearances as he wanted the people to see him. The remnant of the Sons of Montu, upon hearing of his condition, planned a desperate last attack on the king, still hoping to achieve their original goals. They assaulted him and the guards during his visit to Khemenu, but were unsuccessful and only managed to wound him, while themselves all being executed. Yet coupled with his illness, these wounds proved to be fatal in a few months and the pharaoh passed away at the end of the year in Men-nefer, having spent his last months preparing everything for the transfer of power to his son Ramesses X.

Ramesses X became the new ruler and continued his father's works, first focusing on the Sons of Montu, whose last cell was destroyed in 50 AEE in Zau, and so the organization was officially declared defunct, with all its higher ranking members either having fled the country or been killed, and the lower ranking ones also killed, held in deradicalization camps established by Ramesses IX and expanded by Ramesses X, or stationed in far away outposts with little hope for promotion. In 51 AEE the first Great Powers' Club conference took place in Knossos, and Egypt was represented by Ramesses X. The most important treaty signed there was the Knossos Conventions, which established international legal standards for warfare. Ramesses X was the last of the four kings to sign it, and did so only after introducing an amendment which excluded the treatment of terrorist organizations of the highest threat level, still being wary of another group like the Sons of Montu arising. During the second conference in 56 AEE in Nippur, in response to the formation of the Hattusa-Babylon Axis, Ramesses officially signed an alliance with Assyria. This formed the Triple Alliance, of which Egypt was the leader. Ramesses X also attended the third (in 61 AEE in Byblos) and fourth (in 66 AEE in Nineveh) conferences, yet those yielded fewer results, with now two clear opposing factions being formed and present there.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian army was once again reorganized in order to match and surpass where possible all the other forces, new fleets were constructed, public and private building projects were commissioned, and new trade routes were opened. In 59 AEE the official currency - the shematy - was introduced, with the copper shematy coin being the main unit of the currency. The Pharaohnic Royal Mint was founded the same year in Men-nefer in order to produce the official coins. In 60 AEE a smaller denomination - the qedet - was introduced, which was 1/10th of a shematy, as well as the deben, which was the largest denomination, equivalent to 12 shematy. The currency spread slowly throughout the country, with the inhabitants of rural and suburban areas still preferring to barter, however, the major cities quickly adopted it.

The country was now once again in a very prosperous period, but in 67 AEE a new threat emerged, with the Kingdom of Kush being founded by a man known as Taharqa directly south of Egypt, and he didn't hide his intentions to reclaim the conquered Kushite lands. Furthermore, in 70 AEE the Kushites once again began rebelling, though in a pretty small capacity at first. It was highly suspected that the newly formed independent Kushite kingdom was funding it, and so a new campaign was planned to both subdue the rebels and take down Taharqa. However, Ramesses thought that this would be a waste of resources and the Kushites would just rebel once again later, just like they had been doing every few decades. Instead, he wanted to first try a diplomatic solution, and so in 71 AEE sent his royal envoy to every foreign land Amenemheb to the city of Paaleq to try to deal with the northernmost Kushite rebel cell.

### **Great Powers' War**

**Spoiler warning: this section contains spoilers for the novel The Rise of Kemet.**

In 71 AEE, the Egyptian king Ramesses X was assassinated during the Fifth Great Powers' Conference in Ugarit, along with the other three kings of the Great Powers' Club. News of this quickly reached Egypt and the king's son Ramesses XI was enthroned as the new monarch of the country. Wanting to use the ensuing chaos to his opportunity, Muwatalli III, the new ruler of Hatti, declared war on Egypt, after being urged to do so by his advisor Hakkarpili. At the same time, the Assyrian king declared war on Karduniash, and so the Great Powers' War began, with both members of the Triple Alliance and the Hattusa-Babylon Axis participating in it. Egypt also called on the Mycenaean Confederation to join, and it did, as well as the Kingdom of Elam, which also agreed to do so. Thus, with the faction now having four members, the Pact of Civilizations was formed, as suggested by the Egyptian royal envoy Amenemheb, in order to replace the Triple Alliance.

The Levantine front saw the most action in the whole war. Right at the start of the war, Hittite forces, under the combined command of Muwatalli III and generals Huhhaziti and Lihsuman, pushed south and in just a month overran the Egyptian puppet state of Amurru after the Second Battle of Kadesh, by way of their own puppet state of Ugarit, which was put under military rule after the disappearance of Harharran. The Hittite advance continued for a while, but it was soon stopped once more Egyptian troops arrived under the command of Egyptian general Nechtarhebi. In 72 AEE the frontline stabilized around the Byblos-Baalbek axis, as the Hittites could not advance past it. Baalbek was captured by Hatti in 72 AEE, but recovered by Egypt in 73 AEE, while the Siege of Byblos put the Phoenician city at risk of falling, but the Hittites never managed to capture it and abandoned the siege in 73 AEE.

Some naval battles took place in the Eastern Mediterranean at the start of the war in 71-72 AEE. They were mostly confined to the Aegean Sea, where the Mycenaean ships were battling Hittite ones, and the coastline of the Levant, where the Hittites fought the Egyptians on the sea alongside fighting on land. The Pact of Civilizations had more victories, as they had more and better quality ships and were more experienced in naval combat.

While the Kushite Rebellions had begun years ago, they intensified everywhere after the start of the war. They were funded by the ascendant Kingdom of Kush, led by Taharqa, who in turn was funded by Karduniash and, secretly, Elam. Kush was technically part of the Hattusa-Babylon Axis, but not officially part of the alliance due to lack of any treaties. As the rebellions disrupted Egyptian supply lines and bogged down the army of the Egyptian general Ranubkheper, Taharqa managed to advance with not much opposition and massive support from local population. This allowed him to win many battles early in the war and build a larger army. Already in 71 AEE the Kushites crossed the Fourth Cataract of the Nile, and by 73 AEE they reached the Third Cataract, after taking the major Kushite cities of Napata, Kawa, and Kerma, the last of which was made a new capital of the Kingdom of Kush. Taharqa's forces also secured most Egyptian held gold mines in the region, and the gold from them was used to repay Elam for its weapon shipments. The frontline stabilized in 73 AEE around the Third Cataract, as it had significant fortifications, yet Taharqa continued assaulting them, resulting in massive casualties on both sides. Along with the Kushite rebels, some other rebel factions were also funded through them in Egypt by Elam, thought that was only discovered years later. The most notable ones were the Women's Rebellion in Iunet and the Tax Rebellion in Khemenu, which threatened Egyptian supply lines and revenue, but both situations were resolved by Amenemheb and his crew before too much damage was caused.

In 72 AEE, the king of Alashiya Huzaru, thinking that the Hattusa-Babylon Axis will lose the war, defected and aligned himself and his kingdom with the Pact after contacting the Egyptian envoy Amenemheb. With the help of Egyptian navy and army led by general Horminuter, as well as loyal personal forces, he defeated all Hittite forces in the island and declared independence, joining the Pact as its fifth member. The loss of Alashiya hurt Hatti immensely, as they lost a large source of copper, wood, and most of their navy, either by ships being seized by Alashiya or destroyed by Egypt during the invasion of the island. After this, the Pact quickly secured control of most of Eastern Mediterranean and established naval supremacy over it, with the Hittites barely being only able to defend their coasts with their remaining ships.

Meanwhile the Levantine campaign continued and featured barbarians playing a part as well. The Hittites funded the Hebrew rebels in Egyptian Canaan, who in 72 AEE founded the Kingdom of Yahweh, led by the leader of the monotheist movement Zeror. The kingdom took over much of Canaan, due to Hittite supplies transferred over the Arabian Desert by the Arameans, but it was disestablished in the same year. The Egyptians, as suggested by Amenemheb, hired the warring Edomite and Moabite mercenaries, the former of who defeated the followers of Zeror, while the latter harassed and disrupted Aramean supply lines. Later, Ramesses himself marched through the region with his army and defeated the remnant of the kingdom. At the end of the war, in 73 AEE, the Egyptians, now led by the pharaoh Ramesses XI himself, managed to push the Hittites back, going as far north as Kadesh and reconquering most of the lost territories of Egypt and the former puppet state of Amurru.

However, the campaign was cut short by Shilhak-Inshushinak, who invaded the region after defeating Assyria and inflicted significant damage to both Egyptian and Hittite forces at the Battle of Qatna in 73 AEE. The Egyptian forces, along with the retreating Assyrians who joined them, moved south, while Muwatalli and his remaining troops tried retreating back to Hatti, but were blocked at Kizzuwatna by Hakkarpili's loyalists and so had to turn back. Hakkarpili and Shilhak hoped they would be trapped in the Levant, but instead Muwatalli's force boarded ships stationed in Ugarit and headed for Egypt, landing near Per-Amun. After a short confrontation with the Egyptians, they were eventually calmed down and let into Egypt and agreed to work with their former enemies. After the First OFK Conference in Men-nefer, taking place a few weeks after the fall of Assyria, Egypt, the Mycenaean Confederation, Alashiya, and the Assyrian and Hittite exiles, under Tiglath-Pileser and Muwatalli III respectively, formed the Organization of Free Kingdoms, replacing the Pact of Civilizations. The military alliance united the remnants of the two previous warring factions against a now much greater threat in the east.

### **OFK-EC War and the formation of the Commonwealth**

**Spoiler warning: this section contains spoilers for the novel The Rise of Kemet.**

Seeing that Egypt was still resisting, Shilhak began funding the Sons of Montu in late 73 AEE, as they had become resurgent during the war, by way of Kush, with Kush itself becoming an informal ally of the EC. The revolt was quite successful at first and attracted many members, mostly united by their hate of the Hittites and Assyrians staying in Egyptian territory and the fact that Ramesses XI signed a decree allowing women to join the armed forces in 74 AEE. In the same year the Sons of Montu attempted to storm the Royal Palace in Men-nefer, and while they managed to get inside the royal quarter, they were stopped by a united force of the pharaoh and his royal guards, the Men-nefer medjay force, and the women's division of the Army of Horus. Later the main hideout of the organization was raided and taken over and the organization disestablished. The leader of the organization Montuherkhepeshef - Ramesses XI's uncle - was publicly executed before the crows of Men-nefer by being burned alive. In 75 AEE the Hittites finally departed Egypt to reclaim Hatti from Hakkarpili, which ended this crisis for good.

However, the Kushite advance in the Egyptian Kush and the EC advance in the Levant continued, with Shilhak still winning major battles such as the Fourth Battle of Kadesh in 74 AEE, where the Egyptian Army of Montu was defeated and general Horminuter captured. By 75 AEE most of the Levant was captured, excluding Phoenicia, which had become a neutral independent confederation, as both the OFK and EC tried to sway it to its side. However, in 75 AEE Egypt and the OFK also had some large gains, as the Kushite qore Taharqa was assassinated by the Egyptian assassin known as the Silver Serpent. Egyptian army captains Rashaken and Sutenhi were also instrumental in carrying out this mission and they soon became the first officers of the newly founded Kemet Intelligence Agency - the main foreign intelligence agency of Egypt. Taharqa was replaced by his pro-Egyptian brother Harsiotef, who had made a deal with Amenemheb and Ramesses XI to unite Kush and Egypt into an equal union. He stopped fighting the Egyptians and so freed up more of their troops, while he secured Kush for himself and proclaimed to the people that the Egyptians were not the real enemies.

Yet, even after Kush turned and Hatti was reclaimed by Muwatalli III, Shilhak chose to still focus on the Levant, in late 75 AEE reaching Ashkelon and hoping that after taking it the EC could conquer Egypt itself easily and then refocus on Hatti. However, these plans came to an end when Shilhak was assassinated right before the battle by Horminuter, who had poisoned Shilhak's drink with the same poison used during the Fifth Conference of the Great Powers' Club to assassinate the four kings. Horminuter had been a prisoner in Ugarit in 74 - 75 AEE but later appeared to defect to the EC and asked to come with Shilhak to the front and serve him there. The king accepted the offer and had the former Egyptian general under supervision, but ultimately was outsmarted and killed by him. Horminuter himself was killed by the Elamite general Eparti, who also wanted to kill Shilhak, hoping to become the new king of Elam and the supreme commander of the EC, but his attempt was unsuccessful and he was arrested. Still, after Shilhak's death, the EC army was in disarray and the OFK army under general Nechtarhebi used this opportunity to attack. The EC suffered a disastrous defeat near Ashkelon, retreating north afterwards.

The Egyptian forces, along with other OFK troops, quickly secured most of the Levant and put Ugarit under siege, eventually taking it in 76 AEE. Egypt reclaimed its lost lands, as well as those of its former puppet state Amurru, while the northern Levant, formerly the Hittite puppet Kingdom of Ugarit, was transformed into the OFK Mandate of Amurru, under joint rule of all OFK members. Phoenicia, now seeing that Levant was under the OFK control, agreed to rejoin Egypt and become part of Retjenu - a third part of the proposed union, having the same rights as Egypt, now known as Kemet, and Kush. Before the end of the war, Egyptian representatives visited Mycenae to attend Eteweokles' funeral and show their support for Tirynthius, one of the two potential Mycenaean successors, and Ramesses personally guaranteed to help Tirynthius reach the throne. However, once the front in the Levant stabilized and stood there for around a year, in 76 AEE during the Second OFK Conference in Enkomi the OFK decided to seek peace and leave the Euphrates as the border with Assyria still within the EC, a decision to which Tiglath protested. He wanted to reconquer Assyria but was ultimately shut down, which led to him leaving the faction in the middle of the meeting and going rogue along with his remaining followers.

Negotiations for the unification of Egypt, Kush, and the Levant, mostly carried out by Amenemheb, had been going on for years during the OFK-EC War between Egypt and Kush, and Egypt and Phoenicia, but now that the war was over, the final documents and treaties were signed and the Commonwealth was in theory finally formed. However, the official proclamation was made after the Damascus Peace Conference and the Treaty of Euphrates signed there, which officially ended the war between the OFK and the EC. After that, Ramesses toured all regions in his realm and eventually proclaimed the creation of the Commonwealth in Men-nefer in 76 AEE. Thus, Egypt, Egyptian Kush, Egyptian Levant, Kush, and Phoenicia stopped existing as separate entities and all became part of the Commonwealth of Kemet, Kush, and Retjenu.

## **Geography**

The Kingdom of Egypt consisted of three main regions: Egypt proper, Egyptian Kush, and Egyptian Levant.

Egypt proper consisted of Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt, which were the core areas of the kingdom and together are known as Egypt in the regional sense of the word. The region is also sometimes called Kemet, meaning the "black land" which refers to the fertile soils of the Nile valley. Lower Egypt encompasses the Nile delta and the capital region of Men-nefer, while Upper Egypt the valley south of the capital region up to the First Cataract of the Nile. Both regions are divided into provinces known as nomes, each ruled by an appointed nomarch. Lower Egypt has 20 nomes and Upper Egypt has 22 nomes, together making 42 nomes, which constituted over 70% of the kingdom's population and 85% of the agricultural output. Lower and Upper Egypt also technically include the deserts to the east and west, however, as they are almost completely uninhabited, the kingdom did not enforce its rule there, except for some key points, such as the western oases, the Red Sea ports in the east, and the mining regions connecting the latter to the Nile valley (such as the Wadi Hammamat). Even still, these areas were small hubs for criminal activity and various fugitives from the law.

Egyptian Kush was the region from the First Cataract of the Nile in the north to the Egyptian southern border, which was more fluid due to frequent clashes with the independent Kingdom of Kush, but had for the most part stayed just north of the Fifth Cataract for the previous few decades. The region is also mostly centered on the Nile valley, however, the agricultural output is much lower due to poorer soil quality and the unwillingness of many locals to cooperate, as well as frequent rebellions. The area between the First and the Second Cataracts is known as Lower Kush and was much more integrated into the kingdom, as it was conquered prior to the Hyksos invasions, over 500 years ago. Upper Kush was a more recent conquest. It contained the Nile valley south of the Second Cataract and is much more unstable due to constant uprisings. It also included the gold mining region in the northeast, which produced all of domestically extracted gold. Kush was divided into provinces, whose governors answered to the Viceroy of Kush, who acted as an intermediary between them and the pharaoh.

Egyptian Levant consisted of the Sinai peninsula, Canaan, and Phoenicia. Sinai and Canaan were divided into provinces, while Phoenicia - into city states, with the surrounding territories assigned to them. Sinai is mostly uninhabited due to a desert covering it, but it contains a prosperous mining hub in the south of the peninsula. Southern Canaan also contains a desert and is sparsely populated but central and northern Canaan have good soil and produced the remainder of the agricultural output. Canaan borders the Kingdom of Edom to the southeast and the Kingdom of Moab to the northeast. To the north, Phoenicia contains cedar tree forests, whose wood was transported all over Egypt and exported to other countries. The Phoenician coast meanwhile is densely settled by many city states, which engage in woodworking, metalworking, and shipbuilding. Phoenicia borders the Aramean lands to the east and the former Egyptian puppet Kingdom of Amurru to the north.

## **Administration**

### **Government**

The Kingdom of Egypt was ruled by a pharaoh who was the absolute ruler of the country, and could act however they wished, however, they were expected to adhere to traditions and precedents set by the previous rulers. They, together with their court, resided in the royal palace in the palatial area of the capital Men-nefer. The highest ranking court officials also had influence on them and could pressure them, especially young pharaohs, to make certain decisions. The vizier was the pharaoh's right hand man and the second most powerful individual in the kingdom. This rank was usually awarded to older and very experienced individuals who are often friends or members of the royal family. When the pharaoh was away from the capital, seriously ill, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to rule, the vizier temporarily assumed his functions. The vizier also acted as a regent if the new pharaoh was too young to rule (younger than 16 years old), though it was not uncommon that the pharaoh's mother acted as the second or even sole regent. The pharaohs were most usually male, however, if there were no sons eligible for the throne, a female would become the new pharaoh, which had happened a few times in Egypt's history. The crown prince, the pharaoh's official successor, had no official power while their predecessor was still alive, but often received the command of the army or the functions of the pharaoh while they were away, if the successor was of age.

Other important court officials included the royal treasurer, overseeing the treasury and responsible for the finances of the kingdom, the royal envoy to every foreign land, who was the kingdom's main representative abroad and dealt with all the international matters, and the high priest of Ptah, who oversaw the nearby temple of Ptah and conducted the most important ceremonies. The generals of the armies also sometimes stayed in the palace, though they were often away, closer to the borders of the country. The overseer of the works, responsible for the main building projects, was also an important member of the court, but he was also rarely present, as he spent most of his time touring the country and managing the works. The chief of the pharaoh's guard oversaw the security of the palace while the ruler was in the capital and that of the pharaoh's entourage while they were away (in that case, the crown prince's or the vizier's chief of the guard oversaw the palace).

**Last royal court:**

* Pharaoh - Ramesses XI
* Great Royal Wife - Nebtu
* Crown prince - Ramesses XII
* Vizier - Panehesy
* Royal envoy to every foreign land - Amenemheb
* Royal treasurer - Intefiqer
* High priest of Ptah - Arpaesis
* Overseer of the works - Ankhhapi
* Chief of the pharaoh's guard - Userkera
* Generals - Nechtarhebi, Ranubkheper, Horminuter

Egypt proper is divided into 42 nomes, each ruled by a nomarch from the capital of the nome, and they all answered directly to the pharaoh. Each nome is divided into cities (for urban areas) and municipalities (for rural areas), which are ruled by mayors, who answer to their respective nomarch. Each nomarch and mayor has their own court, which includes a local treasurer and chief of the guard. Each city also has a garrison commander, the highest military authority there, and a high priest for the local deity, both answering to the mayor. Egyptian Kush had the same system, except the nomes were simply called provinces and the nomarchs governors, and most of the officials were Egyptians, with few Kushites in the government, despite Egyptians having been a minority there. Egyptian Kush was a Special Administrative Region, ruled by a Viceroy of Kush (last one being Padunub), who answered to the pharaoh and to whom all the governors in Kush answered. Egyptian Levant was more closely integrated into Egypt, yet it retained more autonomy, especially Phoenicia. Sinai and Canaan were divided into provinces just like Kush, but the governors answered directly to the pharaoh and were either Egyptian or Canaanite. Phoenicia was divided into city states, with the remainder of the region being divided between them, according to their size. Each city is ruled by a local Phoenician king, who are sometimes hostile between each other, but are brought into line by the pharaoh. Despite the title of "king", the Phoenician rulers are not independent nor are they puppets, instead they basically perform the functions of governors just with more autonomy.

### **Economy**

The Kingdom of Egypt had the largest total GDP, at 918 million shematy in 71 AEE, as well as the second highest GDP per capita, at 108.32 shematy. Economic growth had been stunted during the war with the Hittites, however after that it managed to recover swiftly and began growing rapidly due to Ramesses IX's and X's reforms. From 46 AEE, the average annual GDP growth had been 7.58%, surpassing all the other civilizations in the known world. Egypt was the world's largest exporter of goods, having surpassed Karduniash, and the importer as well. Egypt was still mostly an agricultural country, with almost two thirds of the population working in the sector, however, in the last years the urbanization level began growing rapidly, and more people were starting to be employed in other areas of the economy.

Egypt's main export was agricultural produce, with the major importers being the Mycenaean Confederation, Hatti, and Assyria. Some of it was sent to the uncivilized lands in the west, however, that was usually done through Mycenae. Egypt also exported much of its gold from Kush, as well as turquoise from Sinai, and cedar wood from Phoenicia. The main imports of the country were copper (from Magan, Dilmun, Alashiya, Hatti, and Mycenae), and tin (from Mycenae and Elam), as those resources are not found in Egyptian territory. Slaves, most of them Kushite, worked in agriculture, gold mining, or in the households of their owners. Despite the government's attempts to reduce the number of slaves and pay their owners for their release, slavery was still popular in Egyptian Kush, which added to the tensions between the Egyptians and the Kushites living there.

In the last years, the percentage of working people decreased the most in agriculture, due to inventions which allowed fewer people achieve the same output as previously, and increased the most in the service industry, where most of the foreigners worked. Living conditions also increased for most people living in Egypt proper and Egyptian Levant. Overall, Egypt proper accounted for 78% of the kingdom's GDP (42% Upper Egypt and 36% Lower Egypt), Egyptian Levant - 14%, and Egyptian Kush - 8%.

### **Military**

The Kingdom of Egypt was the only country to have a professional army instead of a conscripted one. Before the Great Powers' War it had around 100 000 deployed soldiers and 20 000 in reserve. Around 136 000 were part of the cities' garrisons or the Medjay, the official law enforcement force in Egypt, however, they are not counted as part of the army, as they are all only to be stationed at their respective cities. With only 1.4% of the population serving in the army, Egypt had a relatively small force accounting for its total population, but that was compensated by the quality of the troops. The Egyptian army was the most trained and best equipped one, which allowed it to match larger forces in battle.

The Egyptian army had a standard composition, with the highest ranking soldiers riding in three man chariots (driver, shield bearer, and the soldier; the pharaoh's chariot is designed for four people - the pharaoh, driver, shield bearer, and archer) in the front, followed by infantry. Infantry units were further specialized into spearmen, swordsmen (armed with the Egyptian sickled sword known as the khopesh), and archers. Before the wars, the armed forces were divided into two equally sized (of 50 000 men) armies: the army of Horus, led by general Nechtarhebi and stationed in Lower Egypt, and the army of Amun, led by general Ranubkheper and stationed in Upper Egypt. Further, each army was divided into 10 divisions of 5 000 men, each led by a senior commander, and each division into 50 companies of 100 men, each led by a captain. If the pharaoh was of age, they would be expected to be the supreme commander of the armed forces and lead the troops into battle, otherwise the highest authority remained with the generals.

Due to the army paying well and including various benefits, such as land grants after a certain time was served, it was a popular career path not only for Egyptian men, but also others, who could not rise in the social hierarchy otherwise. The Egyptian army employed many Kushites, Libyans, Sherdens, and Canaanites, who were often reorganized into their own companies with captains of the same cultural group, for easier communication and better unit cohesion. However, the chariot companies were mostly reserved for the Egyptians, with the exception of some Phoenician noblemen.

Egypt also had the largest navy in the world, with over 500 vessels being stationed in various ports in Lower Egypt and Phoenicia, where the main shipbuilding centers are located. Of around 50 000 sailors, around two thirds were Egyptians and the rest were Phoenicians, who had helped Egypt design new boats, which were faster and more resilient than the previous models. The navy had a somewhat lower reputation than the army, due to standards of admission being lower and the sailors not receiving as much training as the soldiers. Also, some of the sailors were men working off their debt and convicts who had committed lighter crimes and had been assigned to serve their time in the navy instead of doing hard labor. The navy was last commanded by grand admiral Khaemtir, and was divided into 4 fleets, commanded by admirals. Each fleet consisted of 10 task forces, commanded by rear admirals, and each ship was commanded by a captain.

For most of its history, the armed forces only allowed men to enlist, however, some groups had proposed the inclusion of women into them. While public support had grown for such an idea slightly in the years prior to the recent wars, no action had been taken by Ramesses X who had not issued any statement on this matter, but his son Ramesses XI finally signed a decree allowing women to serve in most roles in 74 AEE, and this law persisted in the Commonwealth.

## **Demographics**

Egypt had the largest population of any country in the known world, estimated to have been around 8.5 million. There was roughly the same number of males and females. Around 8.1 million were free citizens, while around 400 thousand were slaves, mostly located in Egyptian Kush. Around 6 million people lived in Egypt proper, 2.6 million in Lower Egypt, and 3.4 million in Upper Egypt. Egyptian Kush was inhabited by around 1 million people, however, the census data was less accurate in this region due to constant Kushite uprisings and the general instability of the region. Egyptian Levant was inhabited by around 1.5 million people, of whom 700 000 lived in Canaan, and 800 000 in Phoenicia.

Around 62% or 5.3 million people identified as ethnically Egyptian, most of whom lived in Egypt proper, though there were large Egyptian communities in Lower Kush and Phoenicia. Around 1.1 million (13%) were Kushites, who mostly lived in Egyptian Kush, but many were leaving for Egypt proper for better opportunities and Upper Egypt housed some of the most thriving Kushite communities. 1.8 million (21%) of the inhabitants were ethnically Canaanite. Of them 800 000 were Phoenician and are sometimes differentiated as such due to cultural differences with the Canaanites south. The Phoenicians mostly lived in their home region, yet some had temporary homes in Egypt proper. The remaining 1 million other Canaanites (mostly Hebrews, but also including Edomites and Moabites) lived in Canaan, Sinai, and in Lower Egypt. Egypt was also inhabited by many other ethnic groups, of which the largest was the Libyan community, numbering around 100 000 members (1%), and living in the western delta region and around lake Moeris. The remaining 250 000 or so people (3%) lived spread out through Egypt proper and included Mycenaeans, Sherdens, Alashiyans, Luwians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Arabs, Arameans, Puntites, and others.

While the official religion of the kingdom was the worship of the Egyptian pantheon of gods, each city and community was free to worship their preferred deity or deities or any pantheon, and so were the people. Around 76% of the people worshiped the Egyptian pantheon or parts of it, 22% the Levantine pantheon, and the remaining (mostly immigrants) worshiped some other deities. There had been attempts to merge the Egyptian and Levantine pantheons into a single religion. Some new stories were written which incorporated gods from both beliefs and new deities were introduced, which seemed to have helped, as around 26% of the people worshiped at least some aspects from both religions. The Kingdom of Egypt had the second highest literacy rate in the known world, at 17.3% of the adult population in 71 AEE.

Egypt had the second highest level of urbanization at around 21% of the population living in cities, surpassed only by Karduniash. The region with the highest urbanization level was Phoenicia at 44% followed by Lower Egypt at 21%, Upper Egypt at 20%, Canaan at 14%, and Kush at 7%. The largest city was the capital Men-nefer.

## **International relations**

As a member of the Great Powers' Club, Egypt was represented at the club's conferences every five years by the reigning pharaoh, who pushed for Egyptian interests, but tried to reach common ground with the other kings. Egypt was the leader of the Triple Alliance, which contained the Kingdom of Egypt, the Mycenaean Confederation, and the Kingdom of Assyria. If a war started with the Hattusa-Babylon axis, their main enemy, the countries agreed to join the war together, no matter if it was a defensive or offensive conflict, and so they all did. However, local conflicts, such as between Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush, or between Mycenae and the Dorians, were agreed to be dealt with individually, unless it threatened the country greatly.

Egypt had great relations with the Mycenaean Confederation, and both countries had considered each other their best allies for over 70 years, since the Egyptian expedition to Mycenae. Egypt sent agricultural produce to Mycenae, which in exchange sent copper and tin, which benefits both states. Joint naval and army exercises had been held and the two armies were linked together well, in preparation for and during the conflict with Hatti. While some considered the Mycenaean Confederation to be almost a puppet of Egypt, the two countries were truly independent and respected each other. The Mycenaean wanax and the Egyptian pharaoh had visited each other's countries on a few occasions, further strengthening the bond between them. Egypt pushed for the inclusion of Mycenae in the Great Powers' Club, yet such a proposal was being blocked by Hatti and Karduniash. This relationship continued into the OFK-EC War and after the formation of the Commonwealth as well.

Assyria had been a much older Egyptian ally, however, as it began growing more ambitious and planning to invade Hatti, relations soured, and reached their all time low during the Assyrian-Kassite War, when Egypt launched an international intervention against Assyria in order to stop it from becoming too powerful. Still, seeing no other option, Assyria reentered into an alliance with Egypt in 56 AEE. Relations were still not great, as many Assyrians consider the Egyptians to be weak and unable to do what needs to be done, as well as responsible for all of Assyria's recent failures, while the Egyptians viewed Assyria almost as a barbarous backwater, and a beast which could hardly be tamed. Yet while the threat of Hatti and Karduniash remained, the alliance stood and Egypt and Assyria agreed to cooperate however much was need. A similar dynamic remained in the OFK, though at the very end the Assyrians under Tiglath left the OFK, which for the most part ended Assyrian-Egyptian relations, at least between the renegade Assyrian faction.

Egypt and Elam did not interact very much, due to them being far away from each other, yet in the last years new trade routes were established between the two and some had proposed the inclusion of Elam into the Triple Alliance, as it is was also an enemy of Karduniash, and so in an event of a war could help open a second front against it, which is what happened when the Pact of Civilizations was formed. However, with the start of the OFK-EC War, Elam became the main enemy of Egypt and remained so until the very end.

Despite Egypt and Karduniash not sharing a border, tensions were still high between the two, and the relationship had been hostile for centuries, as Egypt had supported Assyrian independence around 200 BEE and did not allow Karduniash to take it over, greatly angering it. While the Kassites were thankful that Assyria was stopped in the Assyrian-Kassite War, they still blamed Egypt for allowing this problem to arise in the first place. Also, with both countries holding the richest lands in the known world, they were engaged in a technological arms race, yet the Egyptians had far surpassed them many decades ago. Karduniash remained an Egyptian enemy right until the former kingdom was conquered by Elam and Assyria.

Hatti was Egypt's main rival and the 20 year long Second Hittite-Egyptian War seemed to have only intensified tensions, with both kingdoms still looking to settle their scores up to and during the Great Powers' War. Egypt still pushed for Alashiyan independence from Hatti, and some even wanted to claim northern Levant from the Hittites as well, while Hatti wanted to regain its lost territories during the war and push further into Phoenicia. Despite the hostilities, the two countries engaged in some trade, with Hatti having access to a lot of valuable copper in Anatolia and Alashiya, and Egypt having rich farmlands, which the Hittites lacked in their mountainous terrain. While both sides were prepared for a potential war, the kings Ramesses X and Suppiluliuma IV were open to discussions and preferred diplomatic solutions to these issues. The Great Powers' War destroyed this progress, but the OFK-EC War brought it back and made Hatti and Egypt into great allies, who fought together against the EC.

The newly founded Kingdom of Kush was still mostly a mystery as it seemingly sprung out of nowhere in 67 AEE. It's qore Taharqa was similarly enigmatic, and not much was known about him or his goals at first. The latest Kushite rebellion, starting in 70 AEE, was funded by Taharqa. While a military solution was being thought about, Ramesses X first intended to try a diplomatic one and so the royal envoy Amenemheb was sent to deal with the northernmost Kushite rebel cell, and hopefully from there work towards dealing with Taharqa himself. However, this did not work and when the Great Powers' War started the Kingdom of Kush entered the war on the opposite side of Egypt. Yet during the OFK-EC War, when Kush was revealed to be in league with the EC, Harsiotef replaced Taharqa and agreed to unite with Ramesses, thus making the formation of the Commonwealth possible.