- History -
Mentuhotep IV was the last king of the 11th Dynasty. He was the son of a woman named Imi, who was a secondary wife of either Mentuhotep II or Mentuhotep III.
This Mentuhotep is missing in most king-lists. The Turin-king-list merely notes 7 missing years at the end of this dynasty, just after the reign of Mentuhotep III. This probably refers to a gap in the documentation of about 7 years, which may have been filled by Nebtawire's reign. An offering table found in Karnak mentions the "Father of the God" Sesostris, the father of Amenemhat I, the founder of the next dynasty, in his place.
Either Mentuhotep IV was considered as an usurper, or the kings of the 12th Dynasty decided to re-write history to justify their claims to the throne. That he was not recognised as the legitimate king of the country may perhaps be supported by the many opponents to his reign: Antef, who may have been a member of the royal family, Iy-ib-khent-re and Segerseni all assumed royal titulary, thereby stating that they had more rights to the throne.
During the second year of his reign, he organised an expedition to the quarries of the Wadi Hammamat, located to the north-east of Thebes, between Koptos and the Red Sea. The 19 inscriptions left behind there by the members of the expedition are the only testimony to this Mentuhotep's reign.
The expedition was led by a vizier named Amenemhat, who is assumed by most Egyptologists to have been the later king Amenemhat I. A stone plate found at Lisht, bearing both the names of Mentuhotep IV and of king Amenemhat I may perhaps indicate that Amenemhat I was a co-regent during the later years of Mentuhotep's reign. This in turn could perhaps indicate that Mentuhotep IV had intended Amenemhat to be his successor.
Titulary
Horus-name
 |
Hr nb tA.wj | Horus, the Lord of the Two Lands |
Nebti-name
 |
nb.tj nb tA.wj | The Two Ladies, the Lord of the Two Lands |
Golden name
 |
nTr.w nbw(.w) | The Golden gods |
 |
nb tA.wj ra | Nebtawire ("Lord of the Two Lands is Re") |
Nomen
 |
mnTw-Htp | Mentuhotep |
Alternative names in modern-day literature
Montuhotep IV, Mentouhotep IV, Mentuhetep IV, Mentouhetep IV, Mentuhotep Nebtawire, Montuhotep Nebtawire, Mentouhotep Nebtawire, Mentuhetep Nebtawire, Mentouhetep Nebtawire