He ruled Southern Egypt during the occupation of Egypt by the Hyksos, a dynasty of Palestinian origin who ruled from the city of Avaris in the Nile delta.
The Hyskos were likely a group of Asian shepherds who occupied the Northern part Egypt and took Avaris as the capital for a period of time called the “second intermediate period”. Although the Egyptian rulers-maintained power over the South (capital Thebes), all of Egypt had to pay tributes to the Hyksos King.
A rude letter from Apophis, the Hyksos ruler provoked a quarrel by claiming that hippopotamuses at Thebes were disturbing his sleep at his delta capital, 400 miles (644 km) away initiated the war that ultimately led to the restoration of the rule of the pharaohs in Egypt in the 16th century BC.
Unfortunately, this war also led to the death of the addressee, Seqenenre Tao, 14th pharaoh of the Theban dynasty.
His effort to drive out the Hyskos as finally completed by his elder son Kamose (last king of the 17th dynasty) and Ahmose I (first king of the 18th dynasty) and this resultant migration of the Hyksos is considered by some to be the genesis of the Old Testament tale of the “Exodus”.
King Seqenenre Taa - the last king of the 17th Dynasty
