fru, also spelled Sobekneferu, queen who ruled as king of ancient Egypt (c. 1760–c. 1756 BCE); she was the last ruler of the 12th dynasty (1938–c. 1756 BCE).TITLE / Office: queen (1760BC-1756BC), EgyptThe end of the long reign of Sebeknefru’s father, Amenemhet III, brought her half brother to the throne late in life. When her brother died, the absence of a male HEIR made Sebeknefru the closest in line of succession; she thus took the royal titles and ruled as king. Hers was not a precedent-setting reign, however, for a similar succession had APPARENTLY occurred at the end of the 6th dynasty (c. 2325–c. 2150 BCE).BRITANNICA EXPLORES100 WOMEN TRAILBLAZERSMeet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. From overcoming oppression, to breaking rules, to reimagining the WORLD or waging a rebellion, these women of history have a story to tell.Sebeknefru reigned as a full pharaoh; her statues show her with full royal (king’s) regalia and in traditional royal poses. Nonetheless, she made no attempt to depict herself as a man, as did Queen Hatshepsut of the 18th dynasty (1539–1292 BCE). Sebeknefru’s highest regnal year date—three—is indicated at the Second Nile Cataract, ONE of the sites at which the annual inundation level was recorded.This article was most recently revised and updated by Laura Etheredge, Associate Editor.Learn More in these related Britannica articles:Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Khufuancient Egypt: The 12th dynasty (1938–c. 1756 bce)1770–60 bce) and of Sebeknefru (c. 1760–56 bce), the first certainly...…Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Khufuancient Egyptancient Egypt, civilization in northeastern Africa that dates from the 4th millennium...…Amenemhet IIIAmenemhet IIIAmenemhet III, king of ancient Egypt (reigned 1818–1770 bce) of the 12th...…newsletter iconHISTORY AT YOUR FINGERTIPSSign up here to see what happened On This Day, every day in your inbox!Email addressEmail addressBy signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice.