It is noteworthy that Ramses was designated as successor at an unusually young age, as if to ensure that he would in fact succeed to the throne. Seti provided him with a kingly household and harem, and the young prince accompanied his father on his campaigns, so that when he came to sole rule he already had experience of kingship and of war. Seti achieved some success against the Hittites at first, but his gains were only temporary, for at the end of his reign the enemy was firmly established on the Orontes River at Kadesh, a strong fortress defended by the river, which became the key to their southern frontier.ĭuring his reign Seti gave the crown prince Ramses, the future Ramses II, a special status as regent. Ramses’ father, Seti I, subdued a number of rebellious princes in Palestine and southern Syria and waged war on the Hittites of Anatolia in order to recover those provinces in the north that during the recent troubles had passed from Egyptian to Hittite control. Ramses’ family, of nonroyal origin, came to power some decades after the reign of the religious reformer Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV, 1353–36 bce) and set about restoring Egyptian power in Asia, which had declined under Akhenaton and his successor, Tutankhamen. Dennis Jarvis (CC-BY-2.0) ( A Britannica Publishing Partner) Background and early years of reign Ramses II making an offering to Horus, at Abu Simbel, now located in Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southern Egypt.

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The pharaoh