November

Ay: The Vizier Who Stole the Throne After Tutankhamun’s Death

Author: ETG Team
Published: November 30, 2025.
~3–4 min read

Among all the power struggles of Ancient Egypt, few are as dark and complex as the events that followed the death of Tutankhamun.
A high priest driven by ambition… a young king gone too soon… and a general watching from the shadows as Egypt stood on the edge of collapse.

This is the rise of Vizier Ay — the man who ruled from behind the throne and ultimately seized it — and the revenge of Horemheb, the warrior who returned to erase his memory forever.

Contents

The Man in the Shadows

Ay didn’t simply serve Egypt. He studied every weakness inside the palace, moved quietly, and positioned himself where real power lived—behind the young Tutankhamun. His influence grew in silence, and every step he took drew him closer to the throne he believed he deserved.

Portrait of Vizier Ay, the powerful priest who shaped Tutankhamun’s reign. — Ay: the priest who rose from the shadows of Tutankhamun’s court.

The Power Behind the Boy King

As High Priest and First Vizier Ay controlled the court, temples, officials, and every whisper inside the palace. While many saw him as a guardian protecting a young pharaoh, his ambition reached far beyond loyalty.

Ay studying the royal court, preparing his rise to power in Ancient Egypt. — Ay watched, learned, and waited—slowly shaping Egypt’s future.

The Other Vizier in Tutankhamun’s Court

While Ay moved through the palace corridors, another vizier served Egypt from far away. His world wasn’t politics but marching armies and hard-won battles. Two men holding the same title… walking two very different paths destined to collide.

Horemheb — The Rival Egypt Never Expected

Ay shaped the court, but Horemheb shaped the battlefield. A commander loved by his soldiers and untouched by palace games. Two viziers, two opposite worlds—soon locked in a rivalry that would decide Egypt’s fate.

General Horemheb standing as Ay’s military rival during Tutankhamun’s reign. — A rising general destined to challenge Ay’s growing power.

Tutankhamun Dies — And the Game Begins

The young pharaoh’s death shattered the court. Tut’s widow, fearing Ay’s growing reach, sent a desperate message to the Hittite king: “Send me your son so I may marry him.” It was not romance—it was escape.

Illustration of Tutankhamun’s death and the chaos it triggered in the royal court. — The boy king’s death sparked Egypt’s darkest political struggle.

The Prince Who Never Reached Egypt

The Hittite prince began his journey south—but never arrived. He was ambushed and killed before crossing Egypt’s border. No witness, no survivor, no accident. Most historians agree: Vizier Ay eliminated the final obstacle to the throne.

The Hittite prince on his fatal journey to Egypt after Tutankhamun’s death. — The foreign prince who never reached Egypt.

Vizier Ay Takes the Throne

Ay married Tutankhamun’s widow—confirmed by surviving royal seals—and finally claimed the crown at nearly seventy years old. Yet his reign lasted only four years, leaving no triumphs… only silence.

Ay wearing the royal crown after marrying Tutankhamun’s widow. — At nearly seventy, Ay finally claimed Egypt’s crown.

The Warrior Returns – Erasing Ay from History

With Vizier Ay gone, Egypt needed strength.
Horemheb returned—not as vizier, but as the protector the kingdom had been waiting for.
His rule marked the start of restoring order.

One of his first acts was decisive and symbolic: erase Ay completely.
Statues, names, monuments—struck from existence.
The man who once ruled from the shadows was buried in them forever.