Thutmose III Takes Throne
Egypt's greatest warrior waits in the wings
In the gilded palaces along the Nile, the young Thutmose III ascended to the throne of Egypt -- though real power immediately shifted to his stepmother, the formidable Hatshepsut. For two decades he waited in her shadow, but once he finally ruled alone, he became Egypt's greatest warrior pharaoh. Seventeen military campaigns expanded the empire to its widest extent, earning him comparisons to Napoleon. Historians now regard him as one of the most brilliant military commanders of all time.