11. Powerful Men Advised Him
When King Tut’s father, Akhenaten, died, the boy was only about seven years old, too young to take the throne. Some researchers believe that this interim period, between when he inherited the throne and actually ascended to it, may have been when Queen Nefertiti, the wife of Akhenaten, reigned as one of Egypt’s only female pharaohs. When King Tut ascended to the throne at the age of nine or ten, he was still too young to be able to make important decisions. While Nefertiti probably provided guidance in political affairs, he also had two influential advisors, Horemheb and Ay.
Ay was the grand vizier and had long been in the service of Egypt’s pharaohs. His father may have served in the court of Amenhotep III, and Ay himself probably served as a priest before moving to the royal court. He was perhaps the father of Nefertiti, making him the grandfather of both King Tut and his wife. He succeeded to the throne following the death of his grandson. Horemheb was a commander of the Egyptian army and took the throne after the death of Ay. Some suggest that Horemheb was the person that King Tut had designated to succeed him.