Afterward the death of Ramses XI, his heir Smendes governed from the city of Tanis in the north, while the High Priests of Amun at Thebes had good rule of the southern of the country, whilst set nominally recognizing Smendes as king. In fact, this division was less important than it seems, since both priests and pharaohs came from the same family. Piankh, assumed hold of Upper Egypt, ruling from Thebes, with the north set of his control close at Al-Hibah. (The High Priest Herihor had passed before Ramses XI, but also was an all-but-independent swayer in the latter days of the king's rule.) The country was once once again split into 2 parts with the priests in Thebes and the Pharaohs at Tanis. Their rule seems to be without any other distinction, and they were replaced without any looking struggle by the Libyan kings of the Twenty-Second Dynasty. Egypt has long had bonds with Libya, and the first king of the new dynasty, Shoshenq I, was a Meshwesh Libyan, who attended as the commanding officer of the armies below the last ruler of the Twenty-First Dynasty, Psusennes II. He unified the country, putting hold of the Amun clergy under his own son as the High Priest of Amun, a post that was antecedently a hereditary appointment. The scant and irregular nature of the written shows from this period indicate that it was mobile. There appear to have been many subversive groups, which finally led to the creation of the Twenty-Third Dynasty, which ran contemporary with the latter part of the Twenty-Second Dynasty. After the detachment of Egypt from Nubia at the end of the New Kingdom, a native dynasty took control of Nubia. Below king Piye, the Nubian founder of Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, the Nubians forced north in an effort to crush his Libyan opponents ruling in the Delta. He managed to attain power as far as Memphis. His opposite Tefnakhte finally submitted to him, but he was provided to remain in power in Lower Egypt and founded the passing Twenty-Fourth Dynasty at Sais.
Egypt was reunified by the Twenty-Second Dynasty founded by Shoshenq I around 945 BC, who derived from Meshwesh immigrants, primitively from Ancient Libya. This brought constancy to the country for well over a century. After the rule of Osorkon II the country had again splintered into two lands with Shoshenq III of the Twenty-Second Dynasty controlling Lower Egypt by 818 BC while Takelot II and his son (the future Osorkon III) ruled Middle and Upper Egypt. The Nubian kingdom to the south took full reward of this division and political imbalance. Piye engaged a campaign from Nubia and defeated the combined might of different native-Egyptian swayer such as Peftjaubast, Osorkon IV of Tanis, and Tefnakht of Sais. Piye established the Nubian Twenty-Fifth Dynasty and appointed the defeated swayer to be his provincial governors. He was followed first by his brother, Shabaka, and then by his 2 sons Shebitku and Taharqa.
The international prestige of Egypt rejected well by this time. The country's international allies had fallen under the sphere of shape of Assyria and from about 700 BC the question became when, not if, there would be war between the 2 states. Taharqa's reign and that of his successor, Tanutamun, were filled with constant conflict with the Assyrians against whom there were numerous victories, but finally Thebes was occupied and Memphis sacked.
Egypt was reunified by the Twenty-Second Dynasty founded by Shoshenq I around 945 BC, who derived from Meshwesh immigrants, primitively from Ancient Libya. This brought constancy to the country for well over a century. After the rule of Osorkon II the country had again splintered into two lands with Shoshenq III of the Twenty-Second Dynasty controlling Lower Egypt by 818 BC while Takelot II and his son (the future Osorkon III) ruled Middle and Upper Egypt. The Nubian kingdom to the south took full reward of this division and political imbalance. Piye engaged a campaign from Nubia and defeated the combined might of different native-Egyptian swayer such as Peftjaubast, Osorkon IV of Tanis, and Tefnakht of Sais. Piye established the Nubian Twenty-Fifth Dynasty and appointed the defeated swayer to be his provincial governors. He was followed first by his brother, Shabaka, and then by his 2 sons Shebitku and Taharqa.
The international prestige of Egypt rejected well by this time. The country's international allies had fallen under the sphere of shape of Assyria and from about 700 BC the question became when, not if, there would be war between the 2 states. Taharqa's reign and that of his successor, Tanutamun, were filled with constant conflict with the Assyrians against whom there were numerous victories, but finally Thebes was occupied and Memphis sacked.
