13. King Tut Married His Sister
Ankhesenamun, whose name means “her life is Amun,” was the daughter of Nefertiti and Akhenaten, making her the half-sister, cousin, and possibly blood sister of King Tut. She also became his wife when he ascended to the throne. He was ten years old at the most, and she was probably only 13. By marrying his sister, he was able to keep the pure bloodline of the gods within the royal family. Because of the inbreeding in the family, the child bride Ankhesenamun probably had some pretty severe deformities, just like her husband. Together, they ruled Egypt while dealing with their own health problems.
Ankhesenamun’s life was probably marred by grief and tragedy. Evidence suggests that Akhenaten may have tried to sire children through his daughters, including Ankhesenamun. After her husband died at a very young age, she was left as a bereaved widow with no heir to rule the kingdom. She may have gone on to marry her maternal grandfather, a man named Ay, who ruled Egypt after the death of King Tut. Some researchers had suggested that she may have actually been married to her father before his death, which would have happened when she was about ten. The problems and challenges associated with incest and inbreeding marked her entire life.